You guys have already mentioned quite a few "golden moments" in the Godfather series. But...

* In the first Godfather, some of my favorite scenes are those of Michael hiding out in Sicily - and especially of his courtship and marriage to Apollonia. Michael hadn't yet become very hardened, so it was touching to see that he was still capable of falling in love, and being sweet to his woman.

* In Godfather II, I found nearly all the flashback scenes of Vito's early life - especially as a young husband & father in New York - fascinating. Part of the fascination was simply the "period piece" attention to detail - the sets, props, clothing, the traditions & social mores, etc. And part of it was related to the study of Vito's character - especially the ways in which he was compelled to respond to the pressing challenges in his life.

In a number of ways, I found myself actually liking young Vito quite a bit. He's basically an honest person by nature. He's loyal. He's generous. And he's compassionate to others, seemingly sincere about helping people out, as his circumstances allow. Hardly the stereotypical gangster sociopath - like Al Capone, or Bugsy Siegel, or Willie Moretti.