OK, I see that the movie has many naysayers. I was one of them when I saw the film in 1972, and I was only fifteen at the time. I could go on and on about the film's myriad failures. It is contrived, self-important, at times even poorly staged. Which brings me to my point. A lot of people seem to forget that Coppola did not win Best Director-- Bob Fosse (for "Cabaret') did, and deservedly so. He did a much better job. That is one of the eight Oscars that "Cabaret" won.The other seven just happen to be Art Direction, Cinematography, Sound, Editing,Original Score, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Actress. So when the time came to open the envelope and announce Best Picture, the Award goes instead to a film that, by that point, had won only two statues (for Actor and Adapted Screenplay). How does any movie win eight Academy Awards and fail to grab Best Picture? With that in mind, "The Godfather" is not merely arrogant film-making. Its history and legacy,both--just like its protagonists-- are just downright larcenous.