Discover the most popular movie the year you were born

1972 – The Godfather

Michael Corleone is the hero in a movie filled with Italian references that truly if you’re Italian, you relate to. Really, The Godfather is a classic and for a good reason. The Francis Ford Coppola masterpiece has been labeled as one of the greatest films of all time and is clearly one of Marlon Brando’s best works.

Watching this family battle with other families in the mafia and discovering where everyone’s loyalty lies, it is clear that there is more to being Italian than meets the eye. Maybe it is because I, myself, come from an Italian family but it almost feels like required viewing.

Weirdly enough, The Godfather brought a light to the way organized crime worked within Italian families decades ago. There were moments when people would turn a blind eye, pretend as if they didn’t know where the money was coming from. And while it is fascinating to see on screen, there is truth to how these families functioned.

Maybe don’t put a horse head in someone’s bed, though? Classic, and at times gory, moments in The Godfather are continually used in pop culture. A favorite? “Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.”