The Godfather Trilogy and AL PACINO

The Godfather Trilogy. Movies that are considered as the best in the crime/gangster genre.One of the most enduring and well loved trilogies in movie history. From the opening scenes of Marlon Brando holding court in an almost dark room to the closing scenes of an aged Al Pacino dropping down dead, the trilogy holds our attention with its storyline, characters, style and awesome cast.
The first of the lot "The Godfather" is the most celebrated of the three. From the very first frames as an aging Don Corleone (Marlon Brando) holds court, the movie exudes the one thing that it is all about: Power. Power and family. For in no other movie of this genre has the concept of family been more emphasised than in this one. All the 3 parts open with a family gathering and nearly all major twists and turns in the plotline are caused by family members, those near and dear to the two Don Corleones: Vito and Michael.
Vito and Michael. As portrayed by Brando/DeNiro and Al Pacino these are two of the most enigmatic characters in all moviedom. However inspite of Brando, DeNiro and many other fine actors, the trilogy is Al Pacino's show through and through. An ode to the acting prowess of one of the finest actors of all time.
Through the series, as the character of Michael continues to grow, Pacino comes alive. From the self assured mannersims in the first film to the ruthless power and decaying morality in the second to the drooping shoulder world weariness in the third, Pacino trailblazes. One of the reasons, I feel, for the slight disappointment caused by Godfather 3 is because Andy Garcia simply fades before the Pacino aura. We are never able to accept the fact that he is the one next in line to the throne.
However, this is not to belittle the performances of all the fine actors present throughout the trilogy. Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen, Lee Strasberg as Hyman Roth, John Cazale as Fredo and James Caan as Sonny have all done tremendous work. It is only that none of them match up to the charisma of Michael.
The second of the trilogy was probably the most difficult one of the three, since 2 different storylines belonging to two different time periods had to be successfully merged together. But Coppolla pulled it off beautifully. All in all, the three films together present one of the best ways to enrich our movie viewing experience.