Regarded as one of the best American films ever by the American Film Institute, Francis Ford Coppola's epic masterpiece features Marlon Brando in his Oscar®-winning* role as the patriarch of the Corleone family. The Godfather™ is a violent and chilling portrait of the Sicilian family's struggle to stay in power in a post-war America of corruption, deceit and betrayal. Coppola begins his legendary trilogy, masterfully balancing the story of the Corleone's family life and the ugly crime business in which they are engaged. Based on Mario Puzo's best-selling novel and featuring career-making performances by Al Pacino, James Caan and Robert Duvall, this searing and brilliant film garnered ten Academy Award® nominations, and won three including Best Picture of 1972.