Nick Browne writes the introduction to this manual for The Godfather films.  He explains that nothing like them had been done before in American cinema, and that a whole new genre was introduced through the melodrama of the Corleone family.  During the time the film was made, in the early 70’s, the traditional crime/violence film had long been overdone, but what The Godfather did was pioneer a definitive romanticism to the former understanding of the Mafioso lifestyle. 

            It is evident throughout the film that music, scenery, and continuity all come together most ingeniously as to parallel the many motives that underlie the story.  Browne points out the distinct ability of Coppola to direct his actors as to individual means of producing a scene which shows each character’s progression, or digression, in development.  This is what truly makes The Godfather so unique.  Each character is presented in such a way that the audience is drawn to their personal struggle.  Michael’s change from a loving, personable young man to the cold and calculating boss he becomes illustrates to the audience the ways and means by which people can change.  One actually feels emotion for the circumstances surrounding his rise to the family Don. 

            It is important that the audience feel genuine sentiment for the characters for that is what Coppola intended to bring to the screen.  That is why The Godfather is one of the most recognized films of all time, for it encapsulates every angle of what is La Cosa Nostra; tradition, family, and cold-blooded crime.