Steven Spielberg Says the ‘Greatest American Film Ever Made’ Is a 53-Year-Old Classic With 97% RT Score
Steven Spielberg Says the ‘Greatest American Film Ever Made’ Is a 53-Year-Old Classic With 97% RT Score
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Steven Spielberg has made what many may consider some of the greatest films ever made, including Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Jurassic Park. The Oscar-winning filmmaker, however, considers a 1972 Francis Ford Coppola movie the best film ever produced – the three-time Academy Award-winning film The Godfather.
Per Variety, Spielberg was on hand with another icon, George Lucas, to present Coppola with the 50th AFI Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute. “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, if from a different kind of audience,” Spielberg said at the ceremony.
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Coppola “Redefined” American Film
“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 began. “You have taken what came before and redefined the canon of American film, and in so doing, you’ve inspired a generation of storytellers who want to make you proud of their work, proud of our work, and I always want to make you proud of my work,” he said.
During the ceremony, Spielberg, who said he first met Coppola in 1967, called the filmmaker “fearless.” He added, “On one hand, you are a warrior for independent artists, you always champion their causes, but also, and always, you’re fearless in how open you are to ideas, opinions, and inspiration.”
Coppola, who has directed classic films like Apocalypse Now and the recent film Megalopolis, went on to direct The Godfather Part II (1974) and The Godfather Part III (1990). The director in his acceptance speech talked about his career, saying, “Now I understand here, this place that created me, my home, isn’t really a place at all, but you, friends, colleagues, teachers, playmates, family, neighbors, all the beautiful faces are welcoming me back, because I am and will always be nothing more than one of you.”
The Godfather (1972)
| Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score | Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score | IMDb Rating |
| 97% | 98% | 9.2/10 |
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Megalopolis is Coppola’s Latest Film
In a previous interview with Empire, Coppola talked about Megalopolis being a passion project. “As we know, the art we revere – Bizet’s Carmen, artists like Picasso, Monet, and Matisse – is art that in its time was considered too risky or a failure.” He then referred to Apocalypse Now, saying the movie is “…A perfect example. With Megalopolis, you can’t put a label on it. And that’s great. That’s the kind of film I like.”
Megalopolis starred Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Laurence Fishburne, Shia LaBeouf, Jason Schwartzman, and Jon Voight. The sci-fi drama, however, did not do well at the box office, earning just $14.3 million against a budget of more than $120 million. Critically, it was also panned and holds a 45% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 35% audience score.
The Godfather trilogy is streaming on PlutoTV.
Source: Variety
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The Godfather
R
Crime
9.9/10Release DateMarch 24, 1972Runtime175 minutesDirectorFrancis Ford Coppola
Cast
Marlon BrandoDon Vito Corleone
Al PacinoMichael Corleone
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