An Excellent Ring Tone

Who doesn't want to hear this classic every time their cell rings? The main theme to The Godfather has become legendary, referenced in various parodies and tributes.

There's something strangely moving and evocative about that trumpet. It's hard to even say what feeling it expresses—whether it's sadness, some kind of longing, or a certain mystery or curiosity. There's something vaguely romantic about it, bringing back to mind the Old Country, Sicily. Whatever it signifies, it sticks with you.

Secret Orders

We hear it right at the beginning, as the Paramount Logo and The Godfather "Puppet-Master" title-card come up. Yet it drops off and we're confronted with the movie's famous opening line, "I believe in America."

The music almost functions as a calling card for the Don, for the idea of this older Sicilian order. Bonasera, angered and aggrieved at the brutal attack his daughter suffered, admits that his belief in America has been tarnished, and now, he's turning to Don Corleone for help. The music seems to signal that older, Sicilian way of doing things, that secret order.

Il Maestro

The man responsible for this soundtrack was Nino Rota, an Italian composer. He actually won an academy award—not for this movie's soundtrack, but for the soundtrack to The Godfather Part II.

He also composed the score for some of the great Italian director Federico Fellini's most famous films, like La Dolce Vita, La Strada, 8 ½, and Amarcord, along with Franco Zeffireli's Romeo and Juliet (frequently shown in high school English classes).