Directed by Francis Ford Coppola and produced by Albert S. Ruddy, based on Mario Puzo's best-selling novel of the same name, The Godfather is a 1972 American crime film. It stars Marlon Brando and Al Pacino as the leaders of a fictional New York crime family.

Paramount Pictures obtained the rights to the novel for the price of $80,000, before it gained popularity. The film was the highest-grossing film of 1972 and was for a time the highest-grossing film ever made. It won the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor (Brando) and Best Adapted Screenplay (for Puzo and Coppola). Its seven other Oscar nominations included Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall (Best Supporting Actor), and Coppola for Best Director.

The Godfather is widely regarded as one of the greatest films in world cinema and one of the most influential, especially in the crime genre.