"You come to me on my Daughters wedding day"

The dormant hours between the glut of presents and the arrival of family on Christmas day have to be filled with something. I had some alluring options this year after receiving an unfeasibly large range of books, films and Primark bought night-wear. Although simply sitting in a pair of stripy lounge pants for 4 hours was tempting I opted to close the blinds in an unfestive manner and utilise something from my wealth of entertainment options. Despite being given Barck Obama's inspirational, and by all accounts life affirming, "The Audacity of Hope" I instantly put my faith in the first installment from my Godfather boxset (remastered in 5:1 surround so as to make the splatter of blood even more realistic)

This may seem like a strange choice; The Godfather is renowned for dealing with themes of betrayal, legitimacy and death. But at it's core its a story of greed and familial realationships something that is perhaps more applicable to the Christmas season than at first glance. Saying The Godfather could never be said to warm the heart at a time when faith in humanity is high as we watch the respectable Michael Corleone descend from war hero to unflinching killer.

Despite these portents of horror, when The Godfather finished to the strains of it's immortal theme and the symbolism of Michael sitting in Don Vito's chair I felt strangley good. I can only attribute this off kilter happiness to one thing: Marlon Brando. It isn't exactly risque to state that his performance as the eponymous Godfather is one of the greatest in the history of cinema but it isnt until you watch the film, see this elemental force in a dinner jacket and hear his mumbling philosophy flow from cotton filled jowls that you realise what a feat the aging actor acheived. He is Don Vito, at no point does his performance stray into impersonation and the role is one of such nuance that even in the knowledge that he is a guiltless killer his end amongst vegetables, with his Grandson, is still one of extreme pathos.

Despite the gore, despite the darkness and despite the ending, Don Vito and Brando shine through not as an example of what it is about humanity that is good but as a testament to the capabilities of humanity. And what could be more christmassy than that, eh?