Feb 25, 2019
Image: Smith and Wesson Model 36 - .(38 special) used in the movie - Wikipedia
Everybody has their own favorite movie, yet The Godfather always seems to come out near the top of everyone’s list according to boredomtherapy.com. Director Francis Ford Coppola expertly adapted Mario Puzo’s novel about the Corleone crime family. It opened in 1972 with a huge bada-bing.
Even with such a massive fanbase, there’s quite a lot people don’t know about this one-of-a-kind picture. The cast and crew went to incredible lengths to put together this groundbreaking film. Of course, it was nothing personal; it’s strictly business.
1. In addition to encouraging improvisation on set, Coppola held “character dinners” for the cast. The actors would share a meal without breaking character so they could get a better grip on their roles outside of what they read in the script.
2. Marlon Brando won Best Actor in 1973, but he skipped the ceremony entirely. Instead, he sent Native American activist Sacheen Littlefeather in his place. When she accepted the award, she gave a controversial speech about the historical mistreatment of her people.
3. You can’t deny that The Godfather is a gangster movie. Nevertheless, the words mob and mafia never come up once. Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo purposely avoided these terms in the script to avoid angering the Italian-American Civil Rights League.
4. Was fictional crooner Johnny Fontane based on a real-life entertainer? Many viewers thought he was a dead ringer for Frank Sinatra. There isn’t firm proof, but Sinatra himself went berserk when the character brought up rumors of his own connections to the mafia.
5. One of the most famous Godfather moments arrives when stubborn film producer Jack Woltz awakens with the head of his prize racehorse in his bed. Coppola actually used a real horse head for the scene! He bought it from a nearby dog food factory.
6. Here’s one bullet the Corleones dodged: The studio wanted the film to take place in the 1970s to be more contemporary. However, Coppola insisted on setting it right after World War II, just like in Mario Puzo’s novel.
7. Any time oranges appear in the film, they foreshadow the death (or near-death) of a character. On such a darkly-lit movie, they also served another purpose: the production designer added them for a splash of color in many scenes.
8. Robert De Niro unsuccessfully auditioned for the role of Sonny Corleone. His rejection turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as he was able to take up the part of young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II. He won an Academy Award and ascended to stardom.
9. Marlon Brando was only 47 at The Godfather’s release. To play a believable old man, he sat through an extensive makeup session each day. He also wore a custom dental appliance to make his jaw protrude and to help produce the Don’s signature rasp.
10. During his character’s violent death scene, James Caan was spitting out all kinds of liquid. The crew loaded his suit with hundreds of mini explosives and blood packs to make it appear that he was caught in a barrage of gunfire.
11. Studio executives initially shot down the idea of Marlon Brando playing Vito Corleone, as Brando was pretty washed up at the time. Once Francis Ford Coppola tricked Brando into doing a screen test for the character, however, no one could deny he was perfect.
12. Coppola wanted plenty of authenticity in the opening wedding scene. That’s why he more or less threw an actual party. Without much planning for specific shots, he just moved around a two-day celebration featuring all the actors to get the most organic footage possible.
13. Brando delighted in devising all kinds of pranks on set. Most devilishly, he pulled a fast one for a scene where Al Pacino had to carry him in his hospital bed. He secretly tucked a couple weights under his not-so-slender frame to make the task even more difficult.
14. After Peter Clemenza whacks the traitorous Paulie, he drops the darkest punchline of the film to his associate: “Leave the gun, take the cannoli.”Actor Richard S. Castellano actually improvised this line to show how blasé these men were about violence.
15. Jack Woltz’s luxurious mansion is no film set. It’s a real house, located in posh Beverly Hills, California. If you’re looking to live inside a piece of movie history, the home hit the market in 2014 for $135 million. Is that an offer you can’t refuse?
16. For his brand of method acting, Marlon Brandon insisted on not learning any of his lines. He felt this would allow him to remain more in the moment. So for each scene, a crew member had to stand out of frame and display Brando’s lines on cue cards.
17. Lenny Montana, who portrayed enforcer Luca Brazi, didn’t have much acting experience. When he nervously flubbed some lines when meeting with Don Corleone, Coppola kept them in. He figured it was realistic to get flustered in front of a powerful man.
19. John Cazale, who captured the tragic Fredo Corleone in the Godfather films, only appeared in five feature films. However, all five received Oscar nominations for Best Picture. Cazale sadly died of lung cancer in 1978.
20. It’s hard to believe, but the cat in Vito’s office made no appearance in the script whatsoever. Brando came across a stray on set. Once it took a liking to him, he decided to incorporate it into the film.
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