The_Film_That_Changed_My_Life

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Kimberly Peirce
The Godfather
Peirce originally wanted to talk about Federico Fellini’s 8½ as the film that
changed her life, but since that masterpiece was already taken (and fought for)
by other directors in the book, she had no problem picking Francis Ford Coppola’s
The Godfather, which she calls “a quintessential American movie.”
She says, “I always love how the Italians are racist against the blacks,
the Wasps are racist against the Italians. It’s always wanting to be accepted,
right? And Michael thinks if he earns enough money and if he gives money
to the right people, he won’t be a wop. . . . That’s just something I love over
and over and over—the outsiders trying to become the insiders.”
Kimberly Peirce, selected filmography:
Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
Stop-Loss (2008)
The Godfather
1972
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Starring Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, James Caan, Robert Duvall,
Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Sterling Hayden, and more
How would you describe The Godfather to someone who has never
seen it?
Peirce: It’s probably the most entertaining movie experience you’re ever
going to have. It’s probably the definitive gangster family movie, with
humor and passion, that we’ve had. I think it really is the godfather of
gangster movies.
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