This
article is about the 1972 film. For the novel
on which the film is based, see The Godfather (novel). For male godparent in
many Christian traditions, see Godfather.
The Godfather is a 1972
American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and produced by Albert S.
Ruddy, based on Mario Puzo's best-selling eponymous novel. It stars Marlon
Brando and Al Pacino as the leaders of a fictional New York crime family. The
story, spanning 1945 to 1955, chronicles the family under the patriarch Vito
Corleone (Brando), focusing on the transformation of Michael Corleone (Pacino)
from reluctant family outsider to ruthless mafia boss.
