The Godfather (1972)

C – 175m
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 – Widescreen / 1.78:1 – Widescreen (Blu–ray, DVD & Digital Copy)
A.K.A.: Mario Puzo’s The Godfather
Co–Writer – Dir.: Francis Ford Coppola
Co–Writer: Mario Puzo
Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard S. Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, Diane Keaton, Abe Vigoda, Talia Shire, John Cazale, Al Martino, Carmine Coppola, Gian–Carlo Coppola, Italia Coppola, Roman Coppola and Sophia Coppola.

An Italian mob family is on the brink of power changing hands in the 1930’s. A masterpiece to be sure! The film was so successful that it spawned two sequels in the official trilogy, a made for TV sequel, two made for TV re-cuts of the first two films in the series and a few spoofs in different films.

Interesting information about the film: Let’s get this one out of the way first: The horse head was real. They got it from a glue factory and it was shipped to the set in dry ice. Additionally, Mario Puzo didn’t write the scene in the first draft of the script because he thought that the Hollywood censors wouldn’t like it. Coppola decided to shoot it while they were making the movie. The scene was never officially added to the script that was used for shooting. The actor in the scene was a method actor by the way. That being the case he went to take a nap on the bed because he wasn’t feeling too well.

The studio did not want Al Pacino for the role of Michael. Coppola fought and got him the part. Marlon Brando refused to memorize lines. Instead there were cue cards hidden all around the set for him to read. This is the film that is infamous for using real life mobsters as part of the cast. Also when Brando won his Best Actor Oscar® he sent a Native American woman to accept it and preach about the issues that the Native Americans were having. This pissed Hollywood off quite a bit.

Lenny Montana (Luca Brasi) was so nervous about working with Marlon Brando that, in the first take of their scene together, he flubbed some lines. Francis Ford Coppola liked the genuine nervousness and used it in the final cut. The scenes of Brasi practicing his speech were added later. The scene where Sonny beats up Carlo (Connie's husband) took four days to shoot and featured more than 700 extras. James Caan improvised the use of the garbage can lid.

The smack that Vito gives Johnny Fontane was not in the script. Marlon Brando improvised the smack and Al Martino's confused reaction was real. According to James Caan, "Martino didn't know whether to laugh or cry." Marlon Brando wanted to make Don Corleone "look like a bulldog," so he stuffed his cheeks with cotton wool for the audition. For the actual filming, he wore a mouthpiece made by a dentist. This appliance is on display in the American Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, New York.

James Caan improvised the part where he throws the FBI photographer to the ground. The extra's frightened reaction is genuine. Al Pacino boycotted the Academy Awards ceremony, angry that he was nominated for the Academy Award Supporting Actor, noting that his character had more screen time than his costar, Best Lead Actor nominee (and winner) Marlon Brando.

According to Mario Puzo, the character of Johnny Fontane was NOT based on Frank Sinatra. However, everyone assumed that it was, and Sinatra was furious; when he met Puzo at a restaurant he screamed vulgar terms and threats at Puzo. Sinatra was also vehemently opposed to the film. Due to this backlash, Fontane's role in the film was scaled down to a couple of scenes. According to Francis Ford Coppola, the film took 62 days to shoot. Orson Welles lobbied to get the part of Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather (1972), even offering to lose a good deal of weight in order to get the role. Francis Ford Coppola, a Welles fan, had to turn him down because he already had Marlon Brando in mind for the role and felt Welles wouldn't be right for it.

Director Francis Ford Coppola worked with relatives in this film, (making it a family film in many contexts). In chronological order of appearance:

1.) His sister, Talia Shire, portrayed Connie Corleone throughout the trilogy.

2.) His mother, Italia Coppola, serves as an extra in the restaurant meeting.

3.) His father, Carmine Coppola, is the piano player in the Mattress sequence and he composed the music.

4.) His sons, Gian-Carlo Coppola and Roman Coppola, can be seen as extras in the scene where Sonny beats up Carlo, and he is at the funeral.

5.) And his daughter, Sofia Coppola, is the baby, Michael Rizzi, in the baptism (she was three weeks old at the time of shooting).

There is a plethora of information about the film. I could go on trying to list it all. Instead I will refer you to books about it and the Internet – IMDB.com.

Rated: [R]
Out Of Print on VHS but Available on Blu–ray, DVD & Digital Copy

The Godfather Part II (1974)

C – 202m / 220m
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 – Widescreen / 1.78:1 – Widescreen (Blu – ray, DVD & Digital Copy)
Co–Writer – Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Co–Writer: Mario Puzo
Starring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, John Cazale, Talia Shire, Lee Strasberg, Michael V. Gazzo, James Caan, Abe Vigoda, Harry Dean Stanton, Roger Corman, Roman Coppola, Sophia Coppola, Richard Matheson, and Tony Sirico.

Michael Corleone is trying to expand and tighten his grip on his crime syndicate stretching from Lake Tahoe, Nevada to pre-revolution 1958 Cuba. This is paralleled / compared and possibly contrasted by the story of young Vito Corleone’s rise to the top of the empire, from childhood until his peak. The film takes place in 1901, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1941, 1958, 1959 and 1960. They said it couldn’t be done, but he did it. Francis Ford Coppola mad a smash hit sequel to his and Mario Puzo’s classic, The Godfather (1972). Everything works here. A MUST watch! Robert De Niro won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar®. The film also won Oscars® for: Best Picture, Best Director (Coppola), Best Writing Adaption, Best Art Direction – Set Decoration and Best Original Dramatic Score. It was additionally nominated for: Best Actor (Pacino), Best Supporting Actor (Michael V. Gazzo), Best Supporting Actor (Lee Strasberg), Best Supporting Actress (Talia Shire) and Best Costume Design.

Fun trivia is this:

Robert De Niro auditioned for and was almost cast in The Godfather (1972) in a minor role. When Francis Ford Coppola was casting this film, he saw Mean Streets (1973) and knew he wanted De Niro for a major role in this sequel. In this movie, and in his previous film Mean Streets (1973), Robert De Niro is seen running over the rooftops of Little Italy during the annual Feast of San Rocco festival.

To prepare for his role, Robert De Niro lived in Sicily for three months. De Niro spent four months learning to speak the Sicilian dialect in order to play Vito Corleone. Nearly all the dialogue that his character speaks in the film was in Sicilian. The language spoken by the actors in the flashback part is not formal Italian, but a combination of southern Italian dialects (mostly Sicilian). In the scene in which young Vito negotiates with Signor Roberto on the street, a passerby interrupts to say hello to Vito. Carmelo Russo was an extra who was supposed to just walk by but he improvised speaking to Vito. Francis Ford Coppola did not like that Russo interrupted the scene. But Robert De Niro liked that it showed how much people in the neighborhood respected Vito and he convinced Coppola to keep Russo's line.

There was much debate over whether Robert De Niro should grow a mustache for the scenes where young Vito is a few years older but De Niro couldn't decide. In the end, De Niro tossed a coin. For the scenes where Vito returns to Sicily, he even gained weight and wore a smaller version of the dental appliance Marlon Brando wore in the first film.

Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro are the only two actors to ever win separate Oscars for playing the same character. Brando won Best Actor for The Godfather (1972) and De Niro won Best Supporting Actor for this movie, both in the role of Vito Corleone. This was the first sequel to win an Academy Award for Best Picture. As of 2015, Robert De Niro is one of only five actors (with Sophia Loren, Roberto Benigni, Benicio Del Toro, and Marion Cotillard) to win an Academy Award for a role primarily in a language other than English, since almost all of his dialogue in this film is in Italian.

Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay even though half of the script was adapted and half was original. The story of Michael Corleone is original, while the story of the young Vito Corleone came from The Godfather (1972) novel but was not used in the first film.

Although Nino Rota's score for The Godfather (1972) was withdrawn from an Oscar® nomination because he reused the same theme from his previous score for Fortunella (1958), he was still awarded the Oscar for Best Original Score for the sequel, even though it used the same love theme from the first film. This was the first film sequel to receive five Academy Award Nominations for acting. Talia Shire (Best Actress In A Supporting Role), Lee Strasberg (Best Actor In A Supporting Role), Michael V. Gazzo (Best Actor In A Supporting Role) and Al Pacino (Best Actor) all received nominations, while Robert De Niro took home the Oscar® for Best Actor In A Supporting Role.

Robert De Niro became the only actor to win an Oscar for taking over another actor's Oscar®-winning performance. He was not, however, the first or last such actor to be nominated for this. Gérard Depardieu was nominated for Best Actor in Cyrano de Bergerac (1990), a role that had already won an Oscar® for Jose Ferrer. Like Brando, Ferrer had played his role in English. Like De Niro, Depardieu played the role in the character's native language; in this case French. Years later, Jeff Bridges would be nominated for his performance in True Grit (1969). John Wayne had won his only Oscar for his performance in the original film, which also featured Robert Duvall.

This was the first sequel film to win the Oscar® for Best Picture. This feat would not be repeated until nearly three decades later, when the award was given to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003).

Al Pacino worked extensively with Marlon Brando and Richard S. Castellano in the first film, but he worked with neither of their replacements in this film. Decades later, however, he would have the chance. He appeared together with Robert De Niro in Heat (1995) and Righteous Kill (2008). He also appeared with Bruno Kirby in Donnie Brasco (1997). Al Pacino caused problems throughout production, demanding a massive salary and heavy script rewrites, then threatening to leave due to Francis Ford Coppola's slow-paced filming. Filming was delayed for a month after Al Pacino developed pneumonia on location in Santo Domingo. Danny Aiello's line, "Michael Corleone says hello", was completely ad-libbed. Francis Ford Coppola loved it and asked him to do it again in the retakes.

Francis Ford Coppola considered bringing Marlon Brando back to play Vito Corleone as a young man, convinced that he could play at any age. As he worked on the script, though, he remembered Robert De Niro's exceptional audition for The Godfather (1972) and cast him without offering the part to Brando. Marlon Brando was scheduled to return for a cameo in the flashback at the end of the film but, because of the way Paramount treated him during The Godfather (1972), he did not show up for shooting on the day the scene was filmed. Coppola re-wrote the scene without Vito and it was filmed the next day.In an early version of the script, an ongoing story line was Tom Hagen having an affair with Sonny Corleone's widow. This was later discarded, but the line where Michael Corleone tells Hagen that he can take his "wife, children and mistress to Las Vegas" was kept. In the original script, Tom gains Senator Geary's support by paying off his gambling debts.

Francis Ford Coppola had a horrible time directing The Godfather (1972) and asked to pick a different director for the sequel, while taking the title of producer for himself. He chose Martin Scorsese, whom the film executives rejected. Thus, Coppola agreed to direct the film, with a few conditions. Coppola, having nearly been fired several times from the first film, was given a Mercedes-Benz limousine from Paramount as a reward for the record success of The Godfather (1972) and an incentive to direct a sequel. He agreed on several conditions - that the sequel be interconnected with the first film with the intention of later showing them together; that he be allowed to direct his own script of The Conversation (1974); that he be allowed to direct a production for the San Francisco Opera; and that he be allowed to write the screenplay for The Great Gatsby (1974) - all prior to production of the sequel for a Christmas 1974 release.

Though it claims to be based on the novel by Mario Puzo, only the scenes about the young Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) have any basis in the book. Only one chapter in the book is devoted to Vito's youth and young adulthood. The story revolving around Michael (Al Pacino) and family in Las Vegas is entirely unique to the film. Originally, the actors in the flashback scenes wore pants with zippers. One of the musicians pointed out that the zipper had not been invented at that time, so some scenes had to be re-shot with button-fly trousers.

Peter Sellers was considered for Hyman Roth. Hyman Roth's character is loosely based on real-life mobster Meyer Lansky. Lansky, who at the time of the film's release was living in Miami, reportedly phoned Lee Strasberg and said, "Now, why couldn't you have made me more sympathetic? After all, I am a grandfather." Strasberg came out of retirement to play Hyman Roth after a specific request from Al Pacino. He was unwilling at first, but agreed to do it after a 45-minute meeting with Francis Ford Coppola's father, Carmine Coppola. Strasberg became ill during shooting, but instead of delaying production, Roth's character was rewritten to be an ailing old man.

A test screening of the film garnered negative reactions from the audience. They found cutting back and forth between Michael and young Vito confusing and bothersome. Francis Ford Coppola and his editors decided to decrease the frequency of the transitions in order to make the parallel stories easier to follow. Editing continued up to the release date of the film. And finally a couple of statistics: There are a total of 16 deaths in the film, and the film was filmed in 104 days.

Rated: [R]
Out Of Print on VHS but Available on Blu–ray, DVD & Digital Copy

The Godfather Part III (1990)

C – 170m
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 – Widescreen / 1.78:1 – Widescreen (Blu–ray, DVD & Digital Copy)
Co–Writer – Dir.: Francis Ford Coppola
Co–Writer: Mario Puzo
Starring: Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Andy Garcia, Eli Wallach, Joe Mantegna, George Hamilton, Bridget Fonda, Sophia Coppola, Raf Vallone, Don Novello, John Savage, Al Martino, John Cazale, Anton Coppola, Carmine Coppola, Gia Coppola and Ron Jeremy.

In the midst of trying to legitimize his business dealings in New York and Italy in 1979, aging Mafia don Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) seeks to avow for his sins while taking a young protégé (Andy Garcia) under his wing. The film’s timeline spans from 1979 – 1997. In many people’s mind this is the film sequel that should never have been made. I personally hold that honor for Dumb And Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003) and Zoolander 2 (2016). But here, I am clearly talking about Francis Ford Coppola’s and Mario Puzo’s The Godfather Part III (1990). There are two cuts of the film by the way. This film was nominated for 7 Oscars® by the way. That made it the first of only two trilogies where every film was nominated for Oscars®. The other was The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy (2001 – 2003). Also, This is the only film in the trilogy not to win the Oscar for Best Picture or to be selected for preservation by the National Film Registry.

Trivia is as follows: Every The Godfather (1972) movie begins with a lavish celebration of some kind. The first one being Connie's wedding, The Godfather: Part II (1974) for Anthony's first communion, the third in honor of Michael's award from Pope Paul VI. The Vatican is part of the story of this film. Despite this, The Vatican refused entry to the film crew. Ironically, at one time, the Vatican Bank actually owned Paramount Pictures (the studio that distributed The Godfather films). After the argument between Michael Corleone and the members of the Vatican, he leaves the building, saying, "We're back with the Borgias". Mario Puzo, author of The Godfather (1972), later wrote a book about the Borgias called 'The Family'. It was later revealed, during the broadcast of the television series The Borgias (2011 - 2013), that the Borgias were the original inspiration for the Corleones. Most notably: Connie on Lucrezia Borgia.

Al Pacino was offered $5 million but wanted $7 million plus profits from gross to reprise his role as Michael. Francis Ford Coppola refused and threatened to rewrite the script by starting off with Michael's funeral sequence instead of the film's introduction. Pacino agreed to the $5-million offer. Robert Duvall turned down the $1 million the studio offered to recreate his role of Tom Hagen. Duvall didn't feel that his proposed salary was commensurate with what co-stars Al Pacino and Diane Keaton were getting ($5 million and $1.5 million respectively). The character was subsequently written out. Duvall later defended his position on the grounds that the only reason why anyone wanted to make another Godfather picture after so many years was to make money.

Because of the popularity of the two earlier Godfather movies, Frank Sinatra reversed his anti-Godfather stance and expressed interest in playing Don Altobello. He lost interest because of the size of the paycheck for the role, and it went to Eli Wallach. Sinatra got his role in From Here to Eternity (1953) when Wallach backed out because of the low pay for that movie.

Francis Ford Coppola once admitted that he was still unhappy over the final result because of lack of time on working with the script. According to him, he wanted $6 million for the writer, producer and director fee with six months work on the scriptwriting. The studio instead gave him only $1 million in fees and 6 weeks to work on the script in order to meet the Christmas 1990 release. He also regretted that the character of Tom Hagen had to be written out of the script because the studio refused to meet Robert Duvall's financial demands; according to Coppola, with Hagen gone, an essential character and counterpart for Michael Corleone was missing from the movie. To be honest, Coppola only had only a year to write, direct and edit the film.

Sofia Coppola, daughter of director Francis Ford Coppola, plays Michael Corleone's daughter, despite playing his niece as an infant in The Godfather (1972). Rebecca Schaeffer was in the running to play Mary Corleone, but was murdered just before discussions were to start. Winona Ryder was then cast, but she withdrew so that she could act in Edward Scissorhands (1990). Annabella Sciorra was considered for the role of Mary Corleone after Winona Ryder dropped out. Bridget Fonda auditioned for the role of Mary Corleone before being cast as Grace Hamilton instead. Julia Roberts was Coppola's dream choice for Mary Corleone, but she had scheduling conflicts at both times when the role was open. Madonna campaigned for the role of Mary Corleone, and had a meeting with Coppola and Robert De Niro to discuss how to adapt the role to their ages--in real life Madonna is only 12 years younger than Diane Keaton, who plays Mary Corleone's mother. Madeleine Stowe was one of many actresses that Paramount proposed for Mary Corleone after Winona Ryder's sudden departure. Francis Ford Coppola, however, wanted to cast someone still in her teens. As already noted: the role ultimately went to Sophia Coppola.

Anyone who has followed the casting of The Godfather Saga would know that Sofia Coppola's character's aunt, is played by her actual aunt, Talia Shire. Incidentally, Talia Shire based her make-up and character thrust on Gloria Swanson's performance as Norma Desmond in Billy Wilder's Sunset Blvd. (1950) (a film for another movie night). Vincent's mother, Lucy Mancini, is the bridesmaid that Sonny has an affair with in The Godfather (1972).

Catherine Scorsese (Martin Scorsese's mother) is one of the women who stops Vincent to complain about the poor care of the neighborhood.

For her widely panned performance in this film, Sofia Coppola not only "won" two Razzie Awards (for Worst Supporting Actress and Worst New Star) but also set a new record for the percentage of votes received by any actor up to that point in Golden Raspberry Awards history. In a field of five contenders, she took over 65% of Razzie members' votes in both categories.

Robert De Niro lobbied for the role of Vincent Mancini. Director Francis Ford Coppola considered it, which would have included aging Al Pacino's Michael Corleone even more, but eventually decided against the idea.

Rated: [R] – Violence & Language
Out Of Print on VHS but Available on Blu–ray, DVD & Digital Copy

The Godfather: A Novel For Television (1977 / 2016)

C – 5 Hours (Original Cut) / 7 Hours 14 Minutes (New Recut)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 – Widescreen
A.K.A.: The Godfather Saga
Co–Writer – Dir.: Francis Ford Coppola
Co–Witer: Mario Puzo
Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, James Caan, Richard S. Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, Diane Keaton, Abe Vigoda, Talia Shire, John Cazale, Al Martino, Lee Strasberg, Carmine Coppola, Gian–Carlo Coppola, Italia Coppola, Roman Coppola, Sophia Coppola, Michael V. Gazzo, Harry Dean Stanton, Roger Corman, Richard Matheson, and Tony Sirico.

This was a recut of the first two Godfather films, totaling 5 hours that features footage from the cutting room floor. A masterpiece! It was then recut in 2016 for HBO & Cinemax and is currently running at 7 hours 14 minutes. Still a masterpiece!

Available on HBO & Cinemax Only

Marie Antoinette (1938 & 2006)

Marie Antoinette (1938)

Marie Antoinette (2006)

The Godfather Trilogy:

The Godfather (1972)

The Godfather Part II (1974)

The Godfather Part III (1990)

The Godfather: A Novel For Television (1977 / 2016)

The Beguiled (1971 & 2017)

The Beguiled (1971)

The Beguiled (2017)