The Godfather (1972)

This epic directed by Francis Ford Coppola features the Oscar winning performance of Marlon Brando as the patriarch of the fictional Corleone family. Coppola paints a chilling portrait of a Sicilian family's rise and near fall from power in America, and the passage of rites from a father to his son. He masterfully balances the story between family life and the ugly business of crime in which they are engaged.

 

From the first nine words, “I believe in America. America has made my fortune,” we are taken away into a convincing film that uses dark tones and colors to symbolically portray the shady business of fictional Corleone crime family, bringing Mario Puzo’s novel to life. We are led to sympathize with the Corleones and relate to them. The theme of the film is taking an action you know is wrong because you know you must—there are no options. This comes to its climax when Michael Corleone, portrayed by Pacino murders McClusky and Sollozzo in the restaurant to protect the life of his beloved father, Don Vito Corleone (Brando).

 

By Francis Ford Coppola’s direction, the film earned 10 Academy Award Nominations, winning for Best Picture, Best Actor (Brando), and Best Adapted Screenplay, becoming one of the most popular films ever.

Related Links:

• The Godfather (1972)
• The Godfather Trilogy
• The Godfather, 25^th Anniversary Page
• The Godfather Web Ring
• The Godfather Sounds
• The Godfather Theme Music
• The Godfather and Power Essay
• Luca Brasi Sleeps With the Fishes – Revenge Motif

 

Trivia about The Godfather:

 

• Brando wanted to make Don Corleone look “like a bulldog,” so he stuffed his cheeks with cotton wool for the screen test. For actual filming, he wore an appliance made by a dentist. Pacino also wore a dental appliance. This was to hold his jaw out of alignment, to appear as though it had been broken by Captain McCluskey and not reset. Brando's mouthpiece is on display at the prop and costume museum at Universal Studios.
• During rehearsals, a false horse's head was used for the bedroom scene. In the actual shot, however, a freshly severed head obtained from a slaughterhouse in New Jersey was used. The blood was not real.
• During the scene where Sonny beats up Carlo, Caan actually broke some of Russo's ribs.
• Author Mario Puzo and director Coppola deliberately avoided using the word "Mafia" in their screenplay.
• Robert Towne was an un-credited “script doctor” for The Godfather, who helped with the garden scene when Michael and the Don are speaking.
• The presence of oranges in all three Godfather movies indicates that a death or a close call will soon happen. Vito Corleone is shot after buying oranges, and dies with an orange in his mouth.
• The scene of Don Corleone's death in the tomato garden was ad-libbed.
• Sofia Coppola, Francis's daughter, appears as Michael Corleone's nephew in the christening scenes.
• 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.
• The type of traditional Sicilian hat (worn, for instance, by Michael's bodyguards) is called a "coppola."
• There was a scene that was partially filmed during The Godfather of Michael and Neri avenging Appolonia's killing—of the two of them going to kill Fabrizio. This is when we would have seen Michael in a white hat holding a shotgun had it not been cut. 
• Where Barzini's men that bad with aiming? There were 11 or 12 shots fired on the Don (9 according to Biskind), but the Don was only shot 5 times!
• What time was the hit on Bruno Tattaglia? 4 AM.
• What does Sonny write on the kitchen cabinet during Sollozzo's call? “8:30.”
• Taormina, Sicily, was used instead of Corleone because even in the early 70s Corleone was too developed to be used.
• Sonny's son Frank is the boy who gives The Don a picture when Vito returns to the house after recovering from his shooting.
• Who taught Fredo the gambling business? Don Francesco.
• Who is Appolonia's father? Vitelli.
• Which of Sollozzo's men drives him, Michael, and McClusky to the restaurant? Lou.
• It was 7:30 PM when Sonny got killed, according to the clock at the tollbooth.
• Where does Tommasino tell Michael to move to a villa? Near Siracusa (That's where they were headed before Appolonia got car-bombed).
• In the garden scene, the three-year-old child actor who played Michael’s son, Anthony Gounaris, responded best when his real name was used while shooting the film. That is how Michael’s son came to be called Anthony. His brother James played Anthony in The Godfather Part 2.
• Moe Greene was the one shot on the massage parlor table.
• Who got killed during the baptism sequence? Barzini, his cheaffeur & bodyguard [court-house steps by Al Neri], Moe Greene [shot in eye by?], Philip Tattaglia [shot in bed with girl by Rocco and a henchman], Strachi [shot in elevator with associate and elevator operator by Clemenza], and Cunio [in revolving door by Willi Cicci]. Carlo [garroted by Clemenza] and Sal got it afterwards.
• Michael is wearing the same tie and hat when he talks to Carlo at the end, as he's wearing when he's speaking with The Don in the garden.
• Which moving company moves the Corleones at the end? John J. Bartek Moving. The address was #110.
• Which realtor is selling the Corleone mall? Genco Land Co. (the sign says 5.6 acres for "Future Commercial Development" and SOLD). Who bought it? According to Part II, Clemenza took over, then Pentangeli. Did Zasa after that?
• The 350 extras playing in the wedding reception were told to "really have a party."
• Clemenza's sauce recipe: Start with a little oil, and fry some garlic. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste, and fry. Be sure it doesn't stick. When boiling, add the sausages and meatballs. Add some red wine and sugar.
• Don Corleone was in hospital room #2 before he changed rooms. The Don's conference room (where he met with Sollozzo) was also room #2.
• The Corleone phone number was Longbeach-4-5620 (Either the mansion or Sonny's).
• Mario Puzo's novel, The Godfather, actually includes the story of young Vito Corleone and Clemenza, featured in The Godfather Part II. The novel also devotes much space to the character Johnny Fontane that the film doesn't.
• Michael Corleone is a minor character in another of Puzo's novels, “The Sicilian,” but Michael is not mentioned in the film version.
• The now famous line "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse" is a bit different than the line in the novel: "He's [Woltz] a businessman. I'll make him an offer he can't refuse."
• Robert Duvall and James Caan didn't get much of a laugh with their high jinks toward Coppola and Brando: mooning them! But during the wedding sequence, Brando, himself, joined in with Duvall, mooning the reception.
• Coppola's parents were patrons in the restaurant where Micheal kills Sollozzo and McClusky. In addition, Coppola's father (Carmine, a retired classical musician and conductor) was the one playing piano in the "mattresses" sequence, and his mother was the switchboard operator at the office (scene cut).
• Sofia Carmina Coppola was born May 12, 1971, on the 34th day of shooting the Godfather. Francis taped the delivery of his daughter, who, when three weeks old, played the part of Baby Michael. Incidently, Sofia not only played Mary in Part III, but was also in Part II, on the boat, in the Statue of Liberty scene. She is one of seven actors to appear in all three films.
• Sollozzo was called “The Turk” for two reasons: he spent a lot of time in Turkey and is supposed to have a Turkish wife and kids. Second, he's supposed to be very quick with the knife, or was, when he was young.
• John Cazale (Fredo) died in March of 1978, of bone cancer, shortly after completing his role in The Deer Hunter. He lived with Meryl Streep. He played opposite Pacino again in Dog Day Afternoon (1975). A moment of silence please...
• The Daily Mirror was the name of the paper with the headline “Vito Corleone Feared Murdered.” It was priced at 3 cents.
• A double was used for a long shot on Brando's death scene.
• The site Clemenza sent Paulie to look for a hideout (“mattresses”) was 309 West 43rd Street.
• Pauli was killed with 3 shots, just like Fanucci.
• HOW COME...? Why did McClusky and the other cops arrive at the hospital with sirens blasting literally 24 seconds after Michael and Enzo scare the car away? Perhaps because they expected the Don to have been killed by then.
• OOPS! Tom's wine glass is filled twice at Woltz's dinner table, a second apart.
• OOPS? Why aren't Michael and Kay in the family portrait? Especially when The Don insisted that Michael be in it, and Michael insisted that Kay be in it? They were, but not in the picture that was released! It seems someone messed up.
• There were scenes included in The Godfather Trilogy boxed set not included in the original Part I tape.
• OOPS? Wasn't the windshield of Sonny's car shattered from the gunshots? Well, it was the *first* time we saw it!
• OOPS? Hmmm…didn't the American flag only have 48 stars back then?
• OOPS? Didn't the horse have a white patch on its head? I didn't see it on the severed head...
• OOPS? Clemenza and Tessio were at the Sollozzo meeting…where were Sollozzo's men?

 

 

Quotes from The Godfather:

 

Bonasera: I believe in America. America has made my fortune.

 

Don Vito Corleone: What have I ever done to make you treat me so disrespectfully? If you'd come to me in friendship, then this scum that ruined your daughter would be suffering this very day. And if by chance an honest man like yourself should make enemies, then they would become my enemies. And then they would fear you.

 

After Michael gets off the phone with Kay, clearly too embarrassed to tell her “I love you too.”

Clemenza: Mikey, why don't you tell that nice girl you love her? “I love you with all-a my heart, if I don't see-a you again soon, I'm-a gonna die...”

 

Fabrizio: In Sicily, women are more dangerous than shotguns.

 

Michael Corleone: My father is no different than any powerful man, any man with power, like a president or senator.

Kay Adams: Do you know how naive you sound, Michael? Presidents and senators don't have men killed!

Michael Corleone: Oh. Who's being naive, Kay?

 

Woltz: Now you listen to me, you smooth talking son-of-a-bitch! Let me lay it on the line for you and your boss, whoever he is. Johnny Fontane willl never get that movie! I don't care how many dago guinea wop greaseball goombahs come out of the woodwork!

 

Vito Corleone: Do you spend time with your family? Good. Because a man that doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man.

 

Tom Hagen: Now we have the unions, we have the gambling; and they're the best things to have. But narcotics is a thing of the future. And if we don't get a piece of that action, we risk everything we have. I mean not now, but ah, ten years from now.

 

Luca Brasi's bulletproof vest is delivered, wrapped around a fish.

Clemenza: It's a Sicilian message. It means Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes.

 

Tessio: Can you get me off the hook, Tom? For old times' sake?

Tom Hagen: Can't do it, Sal.

 

Don Vito Corleone: Tattaglia's a pimp. He never could've outfoxed Santino. But I didn't know until this day that it was Barzini all along.

 

Don Vito Corleone: I spent my whole life trying not to be careless. Women and children can be careless. But not men.

 

Don Vito Corleone: I never thought you were a bad Consiglieri, Tom. I thought Santino was a bad don, rest in peace.

 

Tom Hagen: Mr. Corleone never asks a second favor once he's refused the first, understood?

 

Clemenza: Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.

 

Michael Corleone: Fredo, you're my older brother and I love you, but don't ever take sides with anyone against the family again. Ever.

 

Michael Corleone: So the next day, my father went to see him. Only this time with Luca Brasi. An' within an hour, he signed a release, for a certified check for $1000.

Kay Adams: How'd he do that?

Michael Corleone: My father made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

Kay Adams: What was that?

Michael Corleone: Luca Brasi held a gun to his head and my father assured him that either his brains, or his signature, would be on the contract. That's a true story. That's my family, Kay—it’s not me. 

 

Speaking to Sonny

Don Vito Corleone: Never tell anybody outside the family what you're thinking again.

 

Speaking with Bonasera

Don Vito Corleone: Some day, and that day may never come; I will call upon you to do a service for me. But uh, until that day, accept this justice as a gift on my daughter's wedding day.

 

What Luca Brasi wanted to say to Don Corleone:

Luca Brasi: Don Corleone, I am honored and grateful that you have invited me to your home on the wedding day of your daughter. May their first child be a masculine child.

 

What Luca Brasi said to Don Corleone:

Luca Brasi: Don Corleone, I am honored and grateful that you have invited me to your daughter's wedding [pause] on the wedding day of your daughter's wedding [pause]. And I hope that their first child is a masculine child.

 

Cast overview, first billed only:

Marlon Brando ....  Don Vito Corleone 

Al Pacino ....  Michael Corleone 

Diane Keaton ....  Kay Adams 

Robert Duvall ....  Tom Hagen 

Richard S. Castellano ....  Peter Clemenza 

James Caan ....  Santino "Sonny" Corleone 

Sterling Hayden ....  Police Captain McCluskey 

Talia Shire ....  Connie Corleone Rizzi 

John Marley ....  Jack Woltz 

Richard Conte ....  Emilio Barzini 

Al Lettieri ....  Sollozzo 

Abe Vigoda ....  Sal Tessio 

Gianni Russo ....  Carlo Rizzi 

John Cazale ....  Frederico "Fredo" Corleone 

Rudy Bond ....  Ottilio Cuneo 

 

 

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