‘The Godfather’: The only trilogy to have every movie nominated for ‘Best Picture’ at the Oscars
Movie lovers have been blessed with a host of cherished trilogies over the years. Whether it be the original Star Wars trio, Peter Jackson’s expansive adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, or even the Back to the Future franchise, “three’s a crowd” appears to be a non-starter when it comes to cinema. Three films give an auteur the scope to tell a story with substance, and they also afford audiences enough time to be fully immersed in the world. Whilst there are many lauded trilogies within the history of Hollywood, one of the highlights of this realm is undoubtedly Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather series.
Co-adapted in tandem with author Mario Puzo from his 1969 book of the same name, the three films in The Godfather trilogy tell one of the best and most comprehensive tales ever brought to life on the big screen.
1972’s first effort, The Godfather, chronicles the lives of the fictional Corleone family under the direction of head honcho Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) between 1945 and 1955. Its central plot follows the transformation of his youngest son, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), a quiet former Marine who reluctantly goes from outsider to a mafia boss who becomes more brutal than anyone could have imagined.
The second instalment, which arrived in 1974, is arguably the best of the three. It serves as both a prequel and sequel to the original film, delivering two separate storylines. It picks up Michael’s story in 1958, who is now the new Don of the Corleones, as he attempts to protect the family enterprise and survive with his life. The other tale shows how Vito (Robert De Niro) travelled from his native Sicily and founded the family business in New York City.
The final film in the trilogy, 1990’s The Godfather Part III, concludes the story of Michael and the Corleones. It follows him as he attempts to go legitimate in business. Interestingly, it also tied the plot to two actual events, the 1978 death of Pope John Paul I and the Papal banking scandal of 1981-1982. Notably, Coppola and Puzo’s intended title for the movie was The Death of Michael Corleone, which the studio, Paramount Pictures, rejected. He would later explain that he considers the series a duology, with the third film serving as the epilogue.
Despite Coppola’s thoughts on how the production Part III played out, it was still well-received, although not as celebrated as the previous two, with Pacino’s performance and the script criticised by some commentators. However, this did not stop the trilogy from making history. As Part III was nominated for ‘Best Picture’ at the Oscars, this made The Godfather series the only trilogy to have every film nominated in the category.
As well as taking home Best Picture at the 45th Academy Awards in 1973, The Godfather won ‘Best Actor’ for Brando and ‘Best Adapted Screenplay’ for Puzo and Coppola. Then, at the 47th Academy Awards in 1975, The Godfather Part II enjoyed six Oscar wins. As it bagged ‘Best Picture’, it became the first sequel to win the award, with other wins in ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for De Niro. Although Part III eventually lost out in the ‘Best Picture’ category to Kevin Costner’s Dances with Wolves, it wasn’t enough to stop Coppola’s trilogy from making history with ‘Best Picture’ nominations.
