PREVIEW: The Godfather on the Farm
05/06, 05/13 & 05/20 @ Indian Ladder Farm
“[The Godfather] Part I was groundbreaking as an anti-capitalism film, with the gangsters acting as an allegory for corporate America…”
When the first Godfather film came out, it was a groundbreaking achievement, becoming the highest grossing film at the time. Not only was Francis Ford Coppola able to create one of the most iconic gangster films of all time, he would go on to make a trilogy.
Now, the famous trilogy will be played at Indian Ladder Farms as part of their ongoing films series in partnership with DeFazio’s Restaurant. I had the chance to chat with Dieter Gehring, who is one half of the team, along with Stuart Morris, running the Indian Ladder Farmstead Cidery and Brewery LLC and helping to put these events together.
Around the holidays last year, Gehring was chatting with Matt DeFazio about doing a spaghetti western film series. The idea was to pair the Dollars Trilogy — A Fistful of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly — and Once Upon a Time in the West from Director Sergio Leone, with a pasta buffet and some commentary from a local film buff over the course of four separate nights.
“We did those four movies, DeFazio’s had a spaghetti buffet, but it was a little slow to catch on around the holidays,” Gehring admits. “...but we did get a lot of great feedback from it and the idea was pitched to do The Godfather series.”
They decided to make it happen. Following the same idea, a buffet will be served before the movie along with an introduction to the film that explores some of the background, what to look for, and what to expect. A similar format will take place during intermission, but it’s not a lecture so much as a discussion around the films. Those discussions will be led by a seasonal bartender and local history educator.
“One of our part-time bartenders is also a teacher, and one of the courses he teaches is a film history class, so he’s a huge film buff,” Gehring says. “When I approached him with the idea of The Godfather movie series, he was like, ‘Oh, those are some of my favorite films.’ He’s been doing a lot of research, so we’re really excited to hear what he has to say.”
The host in question is Michael Griggs. Griggs is a self-described art fan and very passionate about the historical aspects within The Godfather trilogy. Part I was groundbreaking as an anti-capitalism film, with the gangsters acting as an allegory for corporate America, while also being about family. Part II solidifies those themes and is another critical and commercial success with the addition of Robert DeNiro as a young Don Vito Corleone, and using time jumping between the past and present day in a way that wasn’t really done at that point. But The Godfather Part III tends to be seen as a letdown. Griggs, however, feels this maybe shouldn’t be the case.
“I want to reframe it, as it was considered a disappointment at the time, not living up to the same standards. I really see it as an underrated film and a nice cap of the series. [It] came out decades after the second film, so it doesn’t have that ’70s new Hollywood kind of vibe, but it’s underappreciated.”
In addition, there will be a cash bar featuring a variety of offerings, including a short run beer celebrating their 10-year anniversary (aptly named “We Are This Many”), an Italian-pilsner “La Macchina,” and some Italian-inspired cocktails using 100% New York State Spirits for a take on an Aperol Spritz and Negroni.
For more information and tickets to the event, click here.