SOURCE: "The Discreet Charm of The Godfather," in Sight and Sound, Vol. 47, No. 2, Spring, 1978, pp. 76-80.

In the following essay, Thompson asserts, "The Godfather is so weighed down with the wish to be classy, dramatically precise and socially significant, that it is empty of creative passion."

How does one convey outrage these days without sounding pedantic or shrill? We have bypassed that tone in the effort to elevate films with goodwill. The role of active dislike is nearly in abeyance. At any event, this is a discriminating attack, and I will be as calm as possible with it, even if outrage is upsetting. But to talk about movies is a matter of considering life.

The public is a pill able to reject any germination. Its members regularly perish, but the body maintains its stumbling, life-like progress. The crowd has had to cultivate an impassivity greater than the dismay...