The Godfather
1972 USA Color 175 minutes
Release date: March 14, 1972
The film was shot in: New York city, Long Island, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Nevada, Sicily
Oscars:
Best leading actor-> Marlon Brando
Best Writing -> Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola
Best Picture
Oscar nominations:
Best supporting actor -> James Caan, Al Pacino and Robert Duvall
Best Director -> Francis Ford Coppola
Best Film Editing
Best Music, Original Dramatic Score ->Nino Rota
Best Sound
Best Costume Design
The immortal line “I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse” came second in a poll by the American Film Institute to find the most memorable movie quote ever. AFI asked about 1,500 creative industry professionals for their favorite quote Source / More (Web)
The Godfather ranks number 21 in the American box-office rankings.
Grossing adjusted for inflation -> $505 m Source / More (Web)
Steven Spielberg: “I’ve never made a movie as good as The Godfather, and I don’t have the ambition to try” Source / More (Book)
Director Coppola wanted for The Godfather Marlon Brando and the then unknown Pacino. The studios wanted more famous or in-favour actors (Robert Redford, Warren Beatty, Ryan O’Neal). Coppola ended up by spending $400.000 in repeated screen tests. Paramount boss: “Ok, You can use the dwarf (Pacino)” Source / More (Book)
During the seventies thirty million copies of The Godfather were sold, making it the best selling American novel of the decade. Source / More (Book)
The film was based on the best-selling novel by Mario Puzo, who also co-wrote the screenplay with the director, Francis Coppola. Source / More (Book)
The Oscar nomination for Nino Rota (Best music) was ineligible because Rota reused the score from Fortunella(1957)
The term Godfather was invented by the films makers but was adopted by real-life Mafia to refer to their own clan leaders.
The Godfather recovered the languishing career of Brando, who did not attend the Academy Awards ceremony. He instead sent a minor actress who posed as an Indian named Sacheen Littlefeather, who refused the Oscar on the grounds that Hollywood discriminated against Indians.
Clint Eastwood: “Maybe we should give an Oscar to all the cowboys shot in John Ford movies” Source / More (Book)
Coppola in 1971 when asked to direct The Godfather he dismissed it as pretty cheap stuff. Source / More (Book)
Director Sergio Leone was offered the job of direction, but refused, wanting to make his own gangster film, which eventually became Once Upon a Time in America (1984). Leone later regretted the decision.
Taormina, Sicily, was used instead of Corleone because even in the early 70s Corleone was too developed to be used.
During rehearsals, a false horses head was used for the bedroom scene. For the actual shot, a freshly severed head was obtained from a slaughterhouse in New Jersey. Prop blood, however, was used.
The Coppola family:
Father Carmine composed a part of the musical score
Sister Talia Shire played the daughter of the Don
Daughter Sofia Coppola played the newborn nephew of Michael Corleone
Pacino was paid only $40,000 for his role in The Godfather
Both The Godfather and The Godfather Part II have been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry
The town Corleone became famous for its Mafia, being the town in which some familiar clans had their basis and are named Clan dei Corleonesi. One of the known mafiosi was Toto Riina (now in prison for life).
Al Pacino: A major mistake was made in Godfather III, I think, which was they tried to redeem Michael Corleone. I don't think the audience wanted to see Michael Corleone as someone who is wanting or needing of redemption.
The Godfather has been crowned the second best screenplay ever. The members of the Writers Guild of America voted the The Godfather script into the top 10 of the guild’s 101 greatest screenplays. Casablanca topped the list. Source / More (Web)
This week 21 years ago A dry white season premiered (September 10, 1989)
April 3, 1924
July 1, 2004
Brando grew up in Illinois (USA), and after being expelled from a military academy, he moved to New York to study at Lee Strasberg's Actors' Studio. At the Actors' Studio, Brando adopted the "method approach," which emphasizes characters' motivations for actions.
He made his Broadway debut in 1944 in I remember mama. In 1947, Brando exploded into stardom with his portrayal of Kowalski in A streetcar named Desire. Three years later Brando reprised his role for the film adaptation of Street- car earning the first of four consecutive Academy Award nominations for Best Actor: Viva Zapata! (1952), Julius Caesar (1953) and On the Waterfront (1954).
During the 1960s his career had more downs than ups, but in the early seventies Marlon made a remarkable comeback with The Godfather and with Last tango in Paris. Since then Brando worked less frequently, appearing both in classics, e.g. Apocalypse Now (1979) and silly ones, e.g. Superman (1978). With his death there was gossip that his life had been reduced to a life of poverty.
1990 Nominated Supporting Role for: A dry white season(1989)
1974 Nominated Leading Role for: Ultimo tango a Parigi (1972)
1973 Won Oscar Leading Role for: The Godfather (1972)
1958 Nominated Leading Role for: Sayonara (1957)
1955 Won Oscar Leading Role for: On the waterfront (1954)
1954 Nominated Leading Role for: Julius Caesar (1953)
1953 Nominated Leading Role for: Viva Zapata! (1952)
1952 Nominated Leading Role for: A streetcar named Desire (1951)
Gary Carey -> Marlon Brando: The Only Contender (1985)
Peter Manso -> Brando: The Biography (1994)
Lawrence Grobel -> Conversations with Brando (1991/1999)