Table of contents:
- 1. Gangster movie with dialogue or drama with an arrow
- 2. "Puppet ropes"
- 3. Paramount wanted to save money
- 4. Family dinners helped to get used to the role
- 5. Intrigue, behind the scenes … Brando
- 6. Al Pacino was not the only candidate for the role of Michael Corleone
- 7. De Niro auditioned for the role of Sonny
- 8. Coppola improvised a lot
- 9. Lenny Montana stuttering
- 10. House on Staten Island
- 11. A dizzying career
- 12. Everything is fair
- 13. Naturalism
- 14. "Don't Forget the Cannoli"
- 15. Failed intermission
Video: 15 little-known facts about the epic crime drama The Godfather
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
The epic gangster saga The Godfather is considered one of the best films of all time. This film has been quoted, imitated and admired. An excellent, vivid storyline, ingenious direction by Coppola, magnificent performance of Al Pacino and Marlon Brando, great music - all this made the film "The Godfather" unforgettable.
1. Gangster movie with dialogue or drama with an arrow
Francis Ford Coppola (who was entrusted with filming because of his previous film, Rain Men) was far from the first choice for the director. Before that, Elia Kazan, Arthur Penn, Richard Brooks and Costa Gavras refused the offer to film The Godfather. And after filming began, the producers were unhappy that the film was turning into a drama with a lot of dialogue. They wanted a gangster movie with lots of shooting, so they constantly threatened to fire Coppola.
2. "Puppet ropes"
The studio originally wanted to change the now famous and iconic "puppet strings" logo (which was first created by graphic designer S. Neil Fujita for the novel). Coppola insisted on keeping the logo because he co-wrote the script with the novel's author, Mario Puzo.
3. Paramount wanted to save money
He also insisted on maintaining the timeline and location of the plot. To reduce props costs, Paramount asked Coppola to redesign the script so that the plot would develop in 1972, and to shoot the movie in Kansas City, rather than in the more expensive New York. Coppola convinced the producers that the film should be filmed in New York based on the events taking place after World War II.
4. Family dinners helped to get used to the role
Coppola performed improvised rehearsals during which he invited actors to a family dinner. In this case, the actors had to "be in the image of their character."
5. Intrigue, behind the scenes … Brando
When Coppola initially mentioned that Brando might star as Vito Corleone, Paramount chief Charles Blahdorn told Coppola that the actor will never appear in any Paramount film. The studio wanted to bring Laurence Olivier to the role, but Coppola secretly invited Brando. When Coppola showed the studio the footage, Brando was allowed to continue filming.
6. Al Pacino was not the only candidate for the role of Michael Corleone
The studio wanted to see Robert Redford or Ryan O'Neill in this role, but Coppola always wanted Al Pacino to play Michael.
7. De Niro auditioned for the role of Sonny
Robert De Niro auditioned for the role of Sonny, but Coppola found his personality too violent for the role. De Niro later appeared as the young Vito Corleone in The Godfather: Part II and won the Best Supporting Actor prize.
8. Coppola improvised a lot
To add a sense of reality to the wedding scenes (and also because he only had two days to shoot), Coppola completely improvised during these scenes.
9. Lenny Montana stuttering
Lenny Montana, who played Luca Brasi, was a professional wrestler before becoming an actor. He was so nervous that he constantly got lost during dialogue with Brando during a scene in the godfather's office. Since Coppola didn't have time to reshoot the scene, he added a new scene where Luca Brasi rehearses his conversation with Vito Corleone and explains his stuttering with excitement.
10. House on Staten Island
The residence was listed for sale in 2014 for just under $ 3 million.
11. A dizzying career
During his daily walks around the set, Coppola often saw a stray cat. On the day of the shooting of the scene in Vito's office, Coppola asked Brando to take the animal in his arms. Brando liked the cat so much that she sat on the actor's lap for the whole day.
12. Everything is fair
He actually punched himself in the jaw to look natural on further filming (previously, his character in the story was punched in the face).
13. Naturalism
It was not a fake, the severed head was brought from the local massacre.
14. "Don't Forget the Cannoli"
“Don't forget about the cannoli,” recalls Clemenza's wife as she leaves the house. This was not in the script, but the director was inspired to insert a scene into the dialogues where the character's wife asks him to buy a popular Italian delicacy for dessert.
15. Failed intermission
A 175-minute film is too long for Hollywood. Initially, it was supposed to be an "intermission", but then the filmmakers felt that this would destroy the atmosphere.
Film fans will undoubtedly be interested in seeing and 15 rare photographs from the filming of films that have become the golden fund of Russian cinema.
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