Steven Spielberg Names the 'Greatest American Film Ever Made'
When Steven Spielberg stands on a stage and calls a film the greatest American movie ever made, people tend to shut up and listen.
And at the 50th AFI Life Achievement Award, that's exactly what he did—paying tribute to a director who helped shape modern cinema as we know it.
The film in question? Let's just say it's recently spiked to #2 on Paramount+'s U.S. streaming charts, five decades after its release. It won Best Picture. It has near-perfect scores on Rotten Tomatoes. And it's inspired everyone from The Sopranos to Pixar.
Spielberg's praise wasn't casual. He said, "The Godfather, for me, is the greatest American film ever made." Presenting the award to Francis Ford Coppola, he added:
"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."
He didn't stop there. His speech opened with:
"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."
Calling Coppola a "warrior for independent artists," Spielberg credited him with redefining American film and inspiring generations of directors—including himself.
Coppola's legendary film—based on Mario Puzo's 1969 novel—earned 11 Oscar nominations and won three: Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay. It topped the box office in 1972 with $250.3 million, which is about $1.92 billion adjusted for inflation. It still holds a 97% critics score and a 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
And yes, it's streaming now on Paramount+.