GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Grand Rapids Symphony is making movie fans an offer they can’t refuse. The symphony has announced that The Godfather Live in Concert will be performed on Friday, January 5 at 7 p.m. at the DeVos Performance Hall.
At the concert, fans will be able to watch The Godfather while a live symphony orchestra performs the film’s score. The movie’s iconic music was written by Nino Rota. John Varineau will be the conductor at the event. The concert is being presented in collaboration with CineConcerts.
The Godfather stars Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone, the head of the Corleone crime family. The film also stars Al Pacino as Vito’s youngest son: Michael Corleone. In the film, Michael wants nothing to do with his family’s criminal business. However, after Vito is nearly killed by a drug kingpin, Michael begins to go down a dark path and becomes more involved in his family’s business. The film also stars James Caan as Vito’s hot-tempered oldest son, Sonny Corleone, who wants to be the one to succeed his father.
The Godfather was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and was released in 1972. It is based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo, who also wrote the film’s screenplay. The film went on to win three Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
A sequel, The Godfather Part II, was released in 1974. Just like the first film, it was directed by Coppola and starred Pacino as Michael Corleone. A younger version of Vito appeared through flashbacks, played by Robert De Niro. Just like the first film, The Godfather Part II went on to win an Academy Award for Best Picture. Years later, Coppola and Pacino returned to the series for 1990’s The Godfather Part III, which was the final film in the trilogy.
Since its release in 1972, The Godfather has been celebrated as one of the greatest movies ever made. In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked The Godfather #2 on its list of the best American movies of all time. Recently, the making of the film was the subject of the Paramount+ series The Offer, which starred Dan Fogler as Coppola and Miles Teller as producer Albert S. Ruddy.
The Godfather Live in Concert will be performed on Friday, January 5. Tickets can be purchased on Ticketmaster. A trailer for the concert can be watched below:
