Film soundtracks are a very distinct art form within music. At their best, they greatly enhance the story being shown on-screen, adding to the mood and the performances while subtly telling the story in a musical way. The leitmotif of a main character or group can be tweaked and adjusted to reflect their changing situations, underscoring what audiences are seeing on-screen and adding another memorable layer.

Among the all-time great soundtracks that certainly help the film to rank among the greatest ever made is that of The Godfather. It was recognised at the time for its quality, as was the film. After all, at the 45th Academy Awards, The Godfather won three of its ten nominations, but saw its nod for the Best Original Dramatic Score revoked. Given its praise then and continued adoration over 50 years later, it stands out as a major film industry oddity.

A Most Memorable Soundtrack

In making The Godfather, director and co-writer Francis Ford Coppola – alongside the novel’s author, Mario Puzo – really wanted to lean into the Italian culture of the story. So, they turned to acclaimed Italian composer Nino Rota. The aim was to relay the film’s tragic scenes and set the true tone of the scenes even while conversations and actions may show something a bit different in mood.

The solo trumpeter’s mournful theme that opens the movie is among the most memorable and impactful. It perfectly encapsulates the isolation of the head of the family, Don Corleone, the somewhat tired mood despite his incredible authority in those opening phases, and it indicates the downturn of what’s to come. So integral is the soundtrack to the story now that wherever The Godfather goes, the score goes with it.

As one of the outright examples of a film that’s stood the test of time, The Godfather has been able to branch out across entertainment. We’ve seen a show depict how the film came together with The Deal and seen it enter into the new medium of slingo bingo games. Naturally, The Godfather Slingo stands out with this ultimate brand of entertainment quality, which is only further enforced by the game drawing so much from the hit film.

Snubbed by the Academy

Still upheld as the ultimate awards ceremony in film, the Academy Awards has somewhat of a blotchy history when it comes to awarding what would go on to become all-time greats. The Godfather’s haul, in hindsight, is rather thin. However, one of the most egregious misses by the Academy was not giving Rota the trophy for his immersive soundtrack.

The revocation of his award, which was followed by – but not associated with – Marlon Brando turning down his award, was said to be because The Godfather’s soundtrack wasn’t “original.” The Academy claimed that Rota had used too much from his previous score on Fortunella in 1958. This connection was made within one theme, the Love Theme, and made a fair few alterations to the original piece that, to many, would classify it as original.

Perhaps Rota had the last laugh, though. Funnily enough, whenever The Godfather won an award, the ceremony still played the score from the film, only further allowing viewers and those in attendance to understand that it was deserving of the top prize after all. Plus, to this day, it’s hailed among the best film scores ever made.