Cast of 'The Godfather' reunite for emotional 45th anniversary

[webfact]

Cast of 'The Godfather' reunite for emotional 45th anniversary

By Jill Serjeant

REUTERS

 

Actor Al Pacino attends the 'Danny Collins' premiere at AMC Lincoln Square Theater in New York, March 18, 2015. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/Files

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Al Pacino was considered too short, Marlon Brando was required to do a screen test, and director Francis Ford Coppola was almost fired.

 

The director and cast of "The Godfather" reminisced on Saturday in a 45th anniversary reunion in New York about the trials, perseverance and inspiration that resulted in the Oscar-winning Mafia movies.

 

Coppola, Pacino, Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, James Caan, Talia Shire and Robert Duvall watched back-to-back screenings of "The Godfather" (1972) and "The Godfather: Part II" (1974) along with an audience of 6,000 on the closing night of the Tribeca film festival.

 

"I haven't seen these movies for years," Coppola said. "I found (watching) a very emotional experience. I forgot a lot about the making of it and thought about the story, and the story used a lot of family and my personal stuff."

 

The two films won nine Oscars and their tale of how an orphan from Sicily emigrated to the United States at the turn of the 20th century and formed the Corleone crime family became movie classics.

 

But the film had a less than auspicious start. Coppola recalled that Hollywood studio Paramount wanted to set the movie in the 1970s and make something "cheap and quick."

 

Coppola was almost fired several times and met stiff resistance to the casting of both Pacino as Michael Corleone and Brando as the titular Godfather.

 

Brando, who died in 2004, had made several box-office flops after a stellar career in the 1950s and had a reputation for being difficult.

 

"I was told (by studio executives ) that having Brando in the film would make it less commercial than having a total unknown," Coppola said.

 

The studio later agreed "if Marlon will do a screen test and do it for nothing and put up a million dollar bond that he wouldn't cause trouble during the production."

 

Brando created the rasping voice, jowly cheeks and oiled hair for Corleone in the screen test. Yet three weeks into shooting, there was more trouble.

 

"They (the studio) hated Brando. They thought he mumbled and they hated the film...It was very dark," said Coppola. Brando went on to win an Oscar for his performance.

 

Newcomer Pacino had to screen test "countless times" for the role of Michael, the college-educated son who takes charge of the Corleone business of casinos, gambling and racketeering. Studio bosses though he was too short and wanted to cast Robert Redford or Ryan O'Neal.

 

Yet Coppola persevered because "every time I read the script, I always saw his (Pacino's) face, especially in the scenes in Sicily."

 

Pacino said he originally wanted the part of the hot-headed son, Sonny, and thought Coppola "was really nuts" about wanting him to play Michael.

 

"I thought this is either a dream or a joke...and then started the whole trial of them not wanting me and Francis wanting me," Pacino recalled. The film launched his career as one of the most honored actors of his generation.

 

Luck played a part in the creation of some of the most memorable scenes in the two films. The revelation by Corleone's wife Kay (Keaton) that she had aborted their baby because of horror over her husband's criminal activities was suggested by Talia Shire (Connie).

 

And the cat Brando cradles in the opening scene of "The Godfather," making for a stark contrast with his intimidating presence, was a last-minute addition.

 

"I put that cat in his hands. It was the studio cat. It was one take," said Coppola.

 

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-05-01

[sweatalot]

saw this work of arts many times and still enjoy - 

while my  Thai wife still does not understand why.

Edited May 1, 2017 by sweatalot

[PremiumLane]

37 minutes ago, sweatalot said:

saw this work of arts many times and still enjoy - 

while my  Thai wife still does not understand why.

Try Goodfellas, she might like that one, another classic

[chuang]

One of the best....have a full set of the movies...

[Thaidream]

The Godfather; Goodfellas and Donnie Brasco-  great movies. Having grown up in an Italian family some of these movies reminded me of being home. 

[dick dasterdly]

I can happily watch the 'Godfather' movies (1 and 2) over and over again .

 

Great movies that somehow managed to persuade us to sympathise with the mafia!

 

Godfather 3 was good, but nowhere near as good as the first two movies IMO.  Who cared overly much about Michael Corleone using the 'family'their money, power and violence to buy off (or get rid of) the 'opposition'/the corrupt catholic church/a stupid daughter who believed that it was a genuine foundation?

[elgordo38]

4 hours ago, sweatalot said:

saw this work of arts many times and still enjoy - 

while my  Thai wife still does not understand why.

Very little contact with the local mafia I would presume. 

[tutsiwarrior]

Godfather 1&2 are two of the greatest films of all time...right up there with The Seven Samurai and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre...

 

reading the story of the studio bosses quibbling with Coppola during production is hilarious...probably not so hilarious to the actors at the time but they still managed to turn in magnificent performances...

 

the story about the cat is marvelous and almost unbelieveable, and the scene was done in one take? Brando handled the cat that he had just been given like he knew it from a kitten...he musta liked cats, good production value...

 

opening line: 'I believe in America...'

 

the novel is an irredeemably terrible potboiler but Coppola turned the story into great art which is a testament to his genius...

 

 

Edited May 1, 2017 by tutsiwarrior

[Ramen087]

the DVD versions have director's commentary from FFC which is very forthcoming and revelatory

[tutsiwarrior]

with the success of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now! I would've just retired to Marin County to look after me tomatoes and salad greens in me garden...with plenty of good red wine in the afternoon...

 

that Gordon Willis was one righteous cinematographer...

[dick dasterdly]

37 minutes ago, tutsiwarrior said:

Godfather 1&2 are two of the greatest films of all time...right up there with The Seven Samurai and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre...

 

reading the story of the studio bosses quibbling with Coppola during production is hilarious...probably not so hilarious to the actors at the time but they still managed to turn in magnificent performances...

 

the story about the cat is marvelous and almost unbelieveable, and the scene was done in one take? Brando handled the cat that he had just been given like he knew it from a kitten...he musta liked cats, good production value...

 

opening line: 'I believe in America...'

 

the novel is an irredeemably terrible potboiler but Coppola turned the story into great art which is a testament to his genius...

 

 

I enjoyed the novel, that I read before watching the movies .

 

The movies lost one hell of a lot of the story, but I agree that they were incredibly good regardless.

 

The only time (I can remember) thinking that a film was brilliant, even though I'd previously read the book.

[Berkshire]

I admit to being a Godfather junkie, having seen both I and II countless times.  I know every scene and can pretty much recite the lines (sick, I know).  I've also seen the various "makings of the Godfather" shows, one with James Caan testing as the Michael Corleone character (that would have turned out quite a bit different).  But agree with the others that III just didn't have the same effect...although Andy Garcia was pretty good.

[tutsiwarrior]

16 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

I enjoyed the novel, that I read before watching the movies .

 

The movies lost one hell of a lot of the story, but I agree that they were incredibly good regardless.

 

The only time (I can remember) thinking that a film was brilliant, even though I'd previously read the book.

film makers havta modify the original story fer the screen in order to make the story 'filmable'...probably very few original stories make it to the screen intact...and then there's the studio bosses that need their profit and the associated crowd appeal...

 

one exception is B. Traven's Treasure of the Sierra Madre...some of the dialog from the novel is transposed directly into the screen dialog...mebbe that's why it's a long movie...

 

one line that John Huston came up with that's not in the novel is: 'the next time I'll let it outta ye through little round holes...' when Dobbs thought that Cody was stealin' their water...magnificent...

 

in the novel Cody hung back when the others left the mountain to search fer more riches and was not killed like in the movie...

 

but the 'stinkin' badges' dialog is there in the novel almost word fer word...

 

 

Edited May 1, 2017 by tutsiwarrior

[tutsiwarrior]

18 minutes ago, Berkshire said:

I admit to being a Godfather junkie, having seen both I and II countless times.  I know every scene and can pretty much recite the lines (sick, I know).  I've also seen the various "makings of the Godfather" shows, one with James Caan testing as the Michael Corleone character (that would have turned out quite a bit different).  But agree with the others that III just didn't have the same effect...although Andy Garcia was pretty good.

I wouldn't be ashamed of bein' a godfather fan...it's surprising how many people are...

 

inna italian restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City I was with some colleagues and we were in a festive mood and one dude who I had been chatting to about the film called out: 'hey tutsi, how's the food in this place?' and without a blink I responded with Sollozzo's line in the restaurant before he's blown away by Michael: 'try the veal, it's the best in the city...' and that got a big laugh...

 

btw the casting of Al Lettieri as Sollozzo was a triumph...a more menacing murderous thug never graced the screen...see The Getaway (1972) with Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw...

 

 

[Morch]

Although III had this useful bit...:

 

 

[thaiguzzi]

Both I and II, along with Apocalypse  Now are in my top 10 movie list, possibly top 5 if i think hard enough...

[mogandave]

I started working at the Rosecrans Drive Inn right after it came out. Worked there for almost six months, I think it was the only movie that played the whole time.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[Lokie]

One of my fav lines

 

 

[SheungWan]

For the full majesty of the movies you must watch them at least once on the big screen.

[bendejo]

Godfather II is one of those rare sequels where even if you didn't see the first movie it stands up well on its own.

 

When Godfather III came out everyone was talking about how weird it was with the incest thing, added to that Coppola cast his own daughter in the part.  Years later, after noticing that nearly every review of anyone's Hollywood memoir made mention of Robert Evan's "The Kid Stays in the Picture" I decided to give it a read.  It was then I understood the hatred (justified, I think) that Coppola had for Evans, who produced GF I and III.  With incest being known as box office poison I then knew why Coppola threw that in.

In the movie "Wag the Dog" the Dustin Hoffman character is a parody of was inspired by Evans.

 

 

[Ramen087]

• "A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man."
• "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer."
• "Yeah, senator, the family had a lot of buffers (laughs)."
• "Leave the gun, take the cannoli."

 

 

[dick dasterdly]

13 hours ago, SheungWan said:

For the full majesty of the movies you must watch them at least once on the big screen.

You're doubtless right (and I wish I'd seen it on the 'big screen'), but even watching on the TV the first two movies were so great that I'm happy to watch them over and over again (when they come up on TV listings).

 

The sign of a truly GREAT movie/s .

[Minnie the Minx]

True, timeless classics for me all three, thanks for the OP. Always been a Pacino fan and interesting to note how he was almost not cast in the role of Michael. Good background into the movies, the cat scene I didn't know.

 

My fave scene. ( Don't watch if you are eating please)

 

 

[Ramen087]

• "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse."
• "Old man Roth would never come here, but Johnny Ola knows these places like the back of his hand."
• "Women and children can afford to be careless, but not men."
• "I frisked a thousand young punks."

[tutsiwarrior]

13 hours ago, SheungWan said:

For the full majesty of the movies you must watch them at least once on the big screen.

 

big screen?...the first time I saw The Godfather was at a drive in! a girlfriend wanted to see it as she liked the novel and I was ho hum as I was heavily into art house and classic foreign cinema at the time and thought 'hollywood' to be beneath my aesthetic sensibilities but we got a pizza and a case of beer and off we went...

 

I remember at the time I was taken by the lush production design and the cinematography and was glued to the screen...and then the girlfriend's attention started to wander and she became amorous and me: 'look out, willye? trine to watch the show over here...'...

 

later, The Godfather was one of the first films that I bought when I got my first VCR, along with A streetcar named desire also with Brando...