Despite the fact that the studios did not want Marlon Brando, Diane Keaton, Al Pacino, or even the overly dark sets conceived by Coppola, "The Godfather" transformed the world of cinema forever in 1972. This triumph is largely attributable to the vision of its director. Discover some secrets from the set of the iconic trilogy, which will be released in theaters on February 23 in a restored edition.
Even though Francis Ford Coppola's name is now synonymous with the film adaptation of Mario Puzo's novel, you can imagine that he was not always the obvious choice. The director, who was still relatively unknown at the time, had recently completed "The Rain People," and other names were approached. The concept was turned down by Otto Preminger, Elia Kazan, Arthur Penn, Richard Brooks, and even Costa-Gavras. And it is only after shooting the famous moment in which Michael assassinates Sollozo that the studios, persuaded by Francis Ford Coppola, decide to hire the man who had just revolutionized cinema forever.
Marlon Brando's performance as Don Vito Corleone is legendary, but the notoriously erratic actor seemed to have his own manner of memorizing his lines. Cheat sheets were skillfully hidden on set, in the scenery, and even meticulously hung on other actors so Brando could read his script. The actor argues that this strategy allows him to develop spontaneity and defends himself against any accusations of sloth.
Roman and Sofia have made their appearance on the screen, at the Corleone's residence, even if Copolla's offspring is no longer shown. In "The Godfather: Part II," Roman Coppola plays a young Sony Corleone, while Sofia Coppola appears in all three films! She starts off as a baptismal baby in 1972, then works as an extra in the second part before landing the role of Mary (Al Pacino's daughter) in the trilogy's epic conclusion. Winona Ryder has turned down the part.
There will undoubtedly be one of the most legendary cats in cinema history who does not stop gesticulating as Marlon Brando delivers one of his epic monologues. But, as adorable as it is, this little kitty isn't in the script. The cat is actually a stray cat that Francis Ford Coppola discovered while filming in the Paramount parking lot. The filmmaker thought that the cat may represent the sensitivity of Marlon Brando's character, who is a cat lover himself, in the film's opening scene.
You can guess that the iconic "Leave the gun" remark is one of the most renowned lines in the trilogy. "Take the cannoli," as Peter Clemenza says it, is an improvised statement. In fact, after director Francis Ford Copolla added a line in a prior scene in which Clemenza's wife exclaims "Don't forget the cannoli!" the actor Richard Castellano thinks of this injunction.
The massive Lenny Montana, who plays Luca Brasi, is so worried about meeting Brando on film that he can't get a solid take for the part when he thanks him for being invited to his daughter's wedding in the 1950s and 1960s. Time has passed, and Francis Cord Coppola has no way of shooting a new scene, so he puts it into the edit. The result is a stuttering sentence that shows the mood of a cruel assassin. Nothing beats the first takes when it comes to authenticity.
If Marlon Brando did use cotton to inflate his mouth during the test scenes, then a dentist created a prosthesis to create the legend of his face and cheeks.
Marlon Brando is an iconoclastic and unconventional actor who is also recognized for his political views. In 1969, he refused to appear in Elia Kazan's "The Arrangement" in order to support civil rights activists, and it was the same Brando who, a few years later, refused to accept the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Vito Corleone in order to protest the portrayal of Native Americans in Hollywood. Al Pacino, who believes his nomination for best supporting actor was unfair because he had more screen time than Marlon Brando, also boycotted the event.