Al Pacino and Robert De Niro show their support for The Godfather

Whether it be fans, critics, actors or filmmakers, rarely has one film gotten similar reactions from people who are in agreement about its brilliance. 

And The Godfather icons Al Pacino and Robert De Niro marked the 50th Anniversary of their iconic film The Godfather with a special screening at the Tribeca Festival in New York City on Thursday.

Leading man Al, 82, who played eventual head of the Corleone family Michael Corleone, and Robert, 78, who portrayed the young version of his father Vito in the sequel, were among several stars who attended the special tribute event.

The Tribeca Festival, an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions and co-founded by De Niro, screened a restoration of the film on Thursday night.

Ahead of showtime at the United Palace, Pacino sat down on stage with Michael Hainey to discuss the movie, which earned 10 Academy Award nominations, and its lasting impact.

At the 45th Academy Awards in 1973, the iconic crime film won the coveted Best Picture award, along with Best Actor (Marlon Brando) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola). 

Over these five decades since its release, the film has received universal acclaim from critics and audiences alike, with praise for the performances, and in particular Brando, Pacino, James Caan and Robert Duvall, Coppola’s directing, the screenplay by Coppola and Puzo, cinematography, editing, and the music score.

Dressed in all black, consisting of blazer, pants, t-shirt, scarf and sneakers, the 82-year-old Pacino talked about his life as an actor leading up to the shoot for The Godfather and the aftermath.

He was just 31 and only had one film on his resume when Coppola approached him about playing Michael Corleone. The character’s arc is about as good as it gets for an actor: going from shy son and reluctant family outsider who served his country honorably in World War II, to unsuspecting hitman, and eventually the ruthless mob boss of the Corleone family.

It became the highest-grossing film of 1972, and for a time it was the highest-grossing film ever made, earning between $246 and $287 million at the box office. 

As part of the festival’s special screening, De Niro joined Pacino on the red carpet, considering he played such a pivotal role as the younger Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II (1974).

The two iconic actors stood side-by-side momentarily as photographers snapped away.

Normally one to be apprehensive and онлайн сериалдар (relevant webpage) uncomfortable when dealing with media events such as this, De Niro flashed several smiles while dressed casually in black pants with a dark blue blazer over a light blue top.

At times, both stars could be seen laughing and beaming smiles while they chatted between themselves under the red carpet spotlight.

Although The Godfather II (1974) did not surpass the original film commercially, it did go on to become Paramount Pictures’ highest-grossing film of 1974, ultimately earning $93 million at the world wide box office on a $13 million budget.

It served as both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather (1972) by weaving back and forth between the aftermath of the original movie and the backstory as to how and why Vito Corleone immigrated from Sicily to the U.S., and his rise as the founder of his family enterprise in New York City.

The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, winning six of them, including Best Picture, which was a first for a sequel, as well as Best Director for Coppola and Best Supporting Actor for De Niro, who mostly spoke Italian, with subtitles, during his performance.

While not nearly as regarded as its two predecessors, The Godfather Part III (1990) received seven Academy Award nominations, en route to grossing $136.8 million at the box office behind a $54 million budget.

In hindsight, amid several 50th anniversary tributes this year, Pacino says he ‘deeply honored’ for all the praise and accolades bestowed on The Godfather, and that he was ‘so fortunate’ to have landed the role of Michael Corleone, although it has taken him ‘a lifetime to accept it and move on.’