Oscars 2022: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Francis Ford Coppola reunite to celebrate 50 years of The Godfather

Director Francis Ford Coppola joined actors Al Pacino and Robert De Niro to celebrate the 50 years of their iconic film 'The Godfather' under the theme 'Movie lovers unite' at the Dolby Theatre at the 2022 Oscars. Coppola, 82, praised the "legends" who made "The Godfather" a reality years ago as Pacino, 81, and DeNiro, 78, who featured in the second movie, stood alongside him.

"I feel moments like this should be sincere and brief, and I'm so grateful for my wonderful friends to come here to help me celebrate with you," Coppola said of DeNiro and Pacino. "This project that we began 50 years ago with really the most extraordinary collaborators, many of them legends and so many of them that I can't take the time to list them all, but you know them all well."

"So I'm going to only thank two from the bottom of my heart," Coppola added, thanking Mario Puzo, author of the Godfather novels, and late producer Robert Evans. "Thank you. Viva Ukraine!" the filmmaker ended his speech by showing support to Ukraine over the ongoing war with Russia.

For the unversed, 'The Godfather' is a 1972 American crime film based on Mario Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same name. It is the first installment in 'The Godfather' trilogy and stars an ensemble cast comprising Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, John Marley, Richard Conte, Diane Keaton, and others.

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The subsequent films in the trilogy namely, 'The Godfather Part II' and 'The Godfather Part III', were released in 1974 and 1990 respectively. The films have acquired a cult status over the globe with movie lovers revisiting the three films each year. The films have also won 9 out of the 28 nominations at the Academy Awards.

(With inputs from agencies)