cdm72's Full Review: The Godfather Trilogy by Original Soundtrack
In 1972, Italian composer Nino Rota composed two pieces of music that would forever become synonymous with all things Italian: “The Godfather - Waltz” and “Love Theme from The Godfather.” Thanks in part to a little flick about gangsters, the mob was forever embedded into the American consciousness. Thirty years later, that saga was released on cd in combined form. With key selections from the scores of all three Godfather movies, THE GODFATHER TRILOGY was released in 2001 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the phenomenon. Conducted by Paul Bateman and performed by the Prague Philharmoic, this is a very good cd to own even if you’ve never seen the movies.
I can’t spend this review feigning authority on either the Godfather movies, the soundtrack, or the musical styles present. All I can say is I like it.
I first saw THE GODFATHER movies only a few years ago and have since only seen the entire trilogy twice, so I can’t even say I truly remember each of these songs from their movie moments, although some, “The Immigrant” and of course the Waltz, do bring to mind certain images from their place in the movies. But for the most part I listen to this cd because I enjoy the music, not because it brings those memories of the films back to me.
Nino Rota’s selections are filled out a bit by a handful of Carmine Coppola’s tracks and as far as I’m concerned, the two composers seem to meld pretty well together. Maybe it’s because I’m not familiar enough with the styles of either to really know when we’ve gone from a Rota to a Coppola and back, but I’m glad I can’t tell. That way there are no jarring moments when I’m shocked back out of my enjoyment (although “The Pick-Up” is a lot more bouncy and energetic than anything else on the soundtrack, and that song always brings me out of it for a second).
For the most part, I listen to this cd when I want something calm and soothing in the background while I do something else, usually at work. If it’s turned up too loud, though, it can get distracting; Rota and Coppola have written a very grand soundtrack that has some pretty intense moments, even if the bulk of it is beautiful and quiet.
As well as not being able to tell the composers apart, there’s also never a moment when I realize we’ve transitioned from The Godfather songs to The Godfather - Part II, or then to The Godfather - Part III. In my opinion, that shows how completely Rota and Coppola wrote their compositions, how perfectly they matched the themes within the music from movie to movie and this only served to better unite the three films into one larger whole.
Since none of the vocal tracks from any of the original soundtracks are present, THE GODFATHER TRILOGY plays pretty much as a whole, almost seamlessly. Especially the first three tracks, “The Godfather - Waltz”, “Love Theme from The Godfather”, and “Sicilian Pastorale”. These three usually fly by without my even noticing their passing. Same thing with most of the Godfather - Part III tracks, “Marcia Religiosa”, “Marcia Fiesta”, “The Immigrant / Love Theme from The Godfather III” and “The Godfather III - Intermezzo”. They all play as one continuous song, but when I just need something in the background to fill in that dead air at work, this is the perfect choice because it’s there, but it’s not in your face and obvious like most other soundtracks can be.
With three complete movie soundtracks in its catalogue, fans of the scores can find themselves shelling out some serious cash. THE GODFATHER TRILOGY solves that problem by making the best and brightest from all three available in one place, for one price. If you love the movies, or even if you’ve just been looking for that cd to have on that’s not going to keep grabbing your attention but is still enjoyable enough to bring a smile to your face, THE GODFATHER TRILOGY is a pretty good choice.
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