The Godfather is an American film from 1972, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the book of the same name written by Mario Puzo. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte and Diane Keaton. The film tells the story of the Mafia family Corleone, from 1945 to 1955. It had two sequences: The Godfather: Part II, in 1974; and The Godfather: Part III in 1990. The Godfather was nominated for ten Oscars and won in the categories of Best Film, Best Adapted Screenplay (Coppola and Puzo) and Best Actor (Brando).
It is also considered "culturally, historically and aesthetically significant" and selected by the Library of Congress to be preserved in the National Film Registry. The American Film Institute named it the best gangster film of all time and the second best film in history on the List of the best American films. The Godfather is one of the most acclaimed and considered one of the most important films in the history of cinema.