News
Within 25 days it would have been Rudy Bond`s (Cuneo) 96th birthday.
* October 1, 1912
† March 29, 1982
Trivia
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)
Bibliography
Bio
Al Pacino
Remarkable:
Pacino never married.
Born:
April 25, 1940
Born as:
Alfredo Pacino
Alfredo was raised in New York (USA) by his mother and grandparents from age two. He dropped out of school at 17 and spent several years drifting from job to job. In 1966 Al was admitted to Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio. Making appearances in various plays, Pacino finally won an Obie award for “The Indian Wants the Bronx”.
The part of Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972) changed his life. Instead of taking on easier projects for money, Pacino made films such as the true life crime drama Serpico(1973) and the tragic bank robbery film Dog Day Afternoon (1975).
In 1985 a monumental mistake, Revolution, kept him out of movies for the next four years. Despite his success in films Pacino considers himself first and foremost a stage actor, he remains commited to the theatre.
Academy awards
1993 Won Oscar Best Actor for: Scent of a Woman (1992)
1993 Nominated Supporting Role for: Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
1991 Nominated Supporting Role for: Dick Tracy (1990)
1980 Nominated Leading Role for: ...And Justice for All (1979)
1976 Nominated Leading Role for: Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
1975 Nominated Leading Role for: The Godfather: Part II (1974)
1974 Nominated Leading Role for: Serpico (1973)
1973 Nominated Supporting Role for: The Godfather (1972)
Selected Movies
Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) is The Godfather, the Don (head) of a successful, tightly-knit family whose business is organized crime. Heir apparent is impulsive, hot-tempered Sonny (James Caan), whose brothers are brooding Michael (Al Pacino), who tries to seperate himself from
his criminal family, and Fredo (John Cazale), who can't seem to do anything right. Vito has also adopted level-headed Tom Hagan (Robert Duvall), now the family lawyer.
Vito's refusal to enter the lucrative drug rackets puts him in a war between the mafia families. Michael gets his hand dirty by taking revenge on the family's behalf, and then taking over as the new calculating, ruthless godfather. In his new role he plots to make the Corleones the leading players in Las Vegas casino industry while arranging for the war in New York City to be settled
for once and for all. 
Don’t tell me you’r innocent 
