When you think of the greatest American film of all time, what do you think of? Film has such a deep, rich history that you could go with a myriad of options. Perhaps I could scroll through one of the Stanley Kubrick classics like The Shining. Maybe I lead more contemporary with a Steven Spielberg blockbuster like Jaws or Raiders of the Lost Ark. I could go with one of the most haunting endings of all time in Roman Polanski's Chinatown.
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Truthfully, I would pick between the greatest Action film of all time in Michael Mann's Heat or David Lynch's devastating Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. However, there's one filmmaker in particular that I didn't mention: Francis Ford Coppola. His stories were transformative to the film industry, with The Godfather setting him ahead of his contemporaries. It's a film that even the iconic Spielberg bows down to because of its iconic status. Moreover, he's gone far enough to claim that it's the best American film of all time.
Steven Spielberg Calls The Godfather The Greatest of All Time
Recently, the Schindler's List director honored Francis Ford Coppola at the American Film Institute on April 26th. Alongside Star Wars creator George Lucas, he presents the Apocalypse Now director with the 50th AFI Lifetime Achievement award. Consequently, Spielberg takes a moment to give tribute to Coppola and calls The Godfather "the greatest American film ever made."
"Many artists can and do take a bow from their work on a page, on a canvas, on a screen, but our applause for you Francis, is from a different kind of audience. When we're young, it's our parents we want to make proud, and then it's our friends, and then it's our colleagues, and finally, it's our peers, but you, sir, are peerless." Spielberg says via Variety. "You have taken what came before and redefined the canon of American film, and in so doing, you've inspired a generation of storytellers who want to make you proud of their work, proud of our work, and I always want to make you proud of my work."
