Godfather Cast and Director Reunion

Posted on May 4, 2017 at 8:00 am

The cast and director of “The Godfather” got together to talk about the making of the film in honor of its 45th anniversary on the last night of the Tribeca Film Festival, founded by “Godfather 2” star Robert de Niro.

The Guardian reports:

According to Coppola, he ran into roadblocks at every turn, as studio Paramount looked simply to cash in with a quickie movie based on Mario Puzo’s runaway bestselling novel.

“Without Francis, where would I be?” said Pacino, remembering how Paramount fought to cast someone else as the infamous Michael Corleone, a career-defining role for which Pacino would eventually collect two Oscar nominations.

“Once I called after he had tested six times,” Coppola remembered. “His girlfriend came on the phone and I said, ‘I just need Al to come in one more time’ and she said, ‘What are you doing to him? You’re torturing him!’ She yelled at me and berated me.”

When Pacino got the part, he considered it at length. “I used to live 90th and Broadway and used to walk to the Village and back everyday and I did it thinking about this role,” he said. “I was trying to figure out where I could go with it.”

Even casting Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone, the Godfather himself, was a headache. Executives were adamant that casting Brando wouldn’t be “commercially beneficial”, at one point even forbidding Coppola from even bringing up Brando’s name….Despite the incredible success of the two films – academy awards, status as one of the highest grossing movies in Hollywood history, a lasting cultural impact – Coppola issued a warning.

“Today it wouldn’t get a go-ahead,” he said. “The first Godfather cost $6.5m and the second cost about $11m or $12m. If you convert that, it would take a major studio (to make it), but it would never get through the process of getting an OK.

“Nothing can get a green light unless it’s a movie that they can have a whole series of, or a Marvel comic.”

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Supercut: Gangsters

Posted on March 25, 2015 at 8:00 am

Movies have been fascinated by gangsters from the beginning, and this stylishly compiled supercut shows us some of the best well worth appreciating not just the art of the actor but also of the director, cinematographer, and production and costume designers.  Don’t you think it’s time to bring back fedoras?

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Film History For Your Netflix Queue Supercuts and Mashups

40th Anniversary Tribute to “The Godfather” — Archival Memorabilia

Posted on August 31, 2012 at 8:00 am

There are two big releases in honor of the 40th anniversary of one of the most critical and popular successes in film history, The Godfather.  First, coming out October 1, is The Godfather: The Official Motion Picture Archives, the definitive behind-the-scenes guide to the making of one of modern film’s greatest works from Peter Cowie, a film historian who has written extensively on the work of Francis Ford Coppola, and in particular The Godfather trilogy.

The films received 52 Oscar nominations and 29 Oscar wins, and netted $484,000,000.00 in worldwide box office sales.  It is second on the American Film Institute’s top American films of all time.

This stunning book of memorabilia and never-before-published photos takes you behind the scenes to reveal the seldom-told story of how this epic was created against great odds. Despite the critical acclaim and financial success of the venture, the initial Paramount production was made under pressure-cooker conditions. Coppola was Paramount’s third choice for director; no one wanted to gamble on an unknown actor named Al Pacino; and the studio initially wanted Robert Redford or Ryan O’Neal to play Don Corleone. This production is brought to life through previously unpublished photos of experiences on the set and on-location filming that captures the grit of 1970s New York and glimpses of deleted scenes.

Second, Paramount studios has granted permission for replicas of fifteen items of archival memorabilia, including a poster publicizing the original film, a special leaflet on the prosthetic teeth worn by Marlon Brando, and a page from Mario Puzo’s novel annotated during the writing of the screenplay.

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