Steven Spielberg’s pick for greatest American movie ever made is getting new life on streaming. Spielberg himself can lay claim to having directed some of the greatest American movies ever made, with a filmography that includes blockbusters likeE.T.andJurassic Park, as well as acclaimed prestige films likeSchindler’s ListandSaving Private Ryan.
One of Spielberg’s other great films, once called the best movie ever made by Quentin Tarantino, is currently being celebrated on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.The impact ofJawswas indeed powerful when the thriller movie first sank its teeth into the box office back in 1975, launching the blockbuster era, while propelling Spielberg into the first rank of Hollywood directors. Three years earlier, another film from a celebrated New Hollywood director of the ‘70sset the stage for Spielberg’s box office triumph, after almost making theJawswunderkind quit movies.
The Godfather Trilogy Is Now Streaming On Paramount+, And It Recently Cracked The Top 10
It’s Been On The Streamer Since June 1
Spielberg said while recently celebrating Francis Ford Coppola thatThe Godfatherwas the greatest American movie ever made, and it’s on Paramount+ right now, along with its two sequels. Coppola changed Hollywood forever with his 1972 take on the gangster genre, starring Marlon Brando as the iconic Don Corleone. The film became the first ever to gross $100 million, going on to be the biggest money-maker of all-time, untilJawscame along and broke its record.
Jawsranks #7 on the all-time domestic adjusted-for-inflation box office chart, whileThe Godfatheris at #25
Our Take On The Godfather Being A Streaming Hit
Audiences Still Can’t Refuse The Gangster Classic
The Godfatheris one of those American classics that every movie fan must see at least once in their lives. Spielberg saw it when it came out back in 1972, and told the audience at Coppola’s April AFI tribute what the movie meant to him:
The Godfather, for me, is the greatest American film ever made. Many artists can and do take a bow from their work on a page, on a canvas, on a screen, but our applause for you Francis, is from a different kind of audience. When we’re young, it’s our parents we want to make proud, and then it’s our friends, and then it’s our colleagues, and finally, it’s our peers, but you, sir, are peerless.
Spielberg once also revealed howThe Godfather’s greatness demoralized him, recounting for a bonus feature on the movie’sDVD restorationthat he was “pulverized by the story and by the effect it had on me, and I also felt that I should quit.” Thankfully, the director did not quit, and three years later he released the shark-attack thriller that would knockThe Godfatherfrom its perch atop the all-time domestic box office chart.
Even as Spielberg’s shark movie contribution to classic 1970s cinema receives its 50th anniversary laurels, Coppola’s masterpiece and its sequels are drawing eyeballs on Paramount+. Now is the perfect time to seeThe Godfather, the equally-acclaimedGodfather Part II, and the divisive trilogy-capper that used to be known asThe Godfather Part III, but was re-christenedMario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleoneupon the occasion of its latest recut.
$6 million
$250 million
97%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
98%
The first twoGodfathermovies have rightly been enshrined in the American pantheon, while the third is getting a reassessment in the wake of Coppola’s most recent tweaks. Whether watched individually, or as one great, sweeping epic, TheGodfather Trilogyremains one of the greatest achievements in Hollywood history.
The Godfather
The Godfatheris one of the most iconic and influential film franchises in cinematic history. Based on Mario Puzo’s 1969 novel of the same name, the series chronicles the rise and fall of the powerful Corleone crime family. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, the franchise consists of three films that explore the complex dynamics of organized crime, loyalty, and family. The films are celebrated for their outstanding performances, direction, and thematic depth, especially regarding power, betrayal, and morality within the Mafia world. The first two films, in particular, are widely regarded as some of the greatest films ever made.
