Lenny Montana(1926-1992) Tall and solidly built, this Italian-American professional wrestler turned actor was born Lenny Passaforo in Brooklyn, New York, and is best remembered for his first on-screen role as the not too bright but ever loyal bodyguard Luca Brasi in.
What is the horrifying origin story of Luca Brasi?
He also took part in the Olive Oil Wars, where he was in the room with six other hitmen and killed all of them in various bloody ways. Another one of his origin stories crosses over with real life. Brasi supposedly killed two of Al Capone's henchmen who were hired to assassinate Don Corleone.
Even as he recognized that Luca Brasi was one of his most important tools, Don Corleone viewed the man as inherently dangerous to handle “like dynamite, not truly subject to control” if I remember his thoughts correctly.
The Horrifying Origin Story Of Luca Brasi | The Godfather
Who was Vito Corleone favorite son?
Even people who aren't familiar with the film can recognise Marlon Brando's weary, wheezy Mafia boss, Vito Corleone, and his favourite son Michael, played by Al Pacino.
Jack Nicholson - Micheal Corleone, The Godfather (1972)
However, Nicholson turned down the role. He had, at the same time, received offers for The Last Detail and Chinatown, which he thought were more interesting projects.
Luca is a towering figure whose fearsome size and intimidating grimace strikes fear into everyone except Don Corleone. Brasi has a reputation as a brutal killer with an unlimited potential for inflicting savage violence on those who betray or cross the Corleone Family.
Two fish wrapped in a bullet-proof vest. No, it's not a delivery intended for the sushi restaurant next door. As Clemenza explains, "It's a Sicilian message. It means Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes." In other words, he's been dumped in the ocean for a deep, deep sleep.
They know his reputation and they fear him, and they know with what they where proposing that Luca would be the tool used by Vito to shut them down. So in order to start moving on the Corleone's they had to get rid of Luca.
Although Vito fears and dislikes Brasi, he eventually recruits the brutal thug into his crime family, knowing that Brasi's formidable reputation would intimidate the Corleone family's enemies.
Peter Clemenza is a fictional character who first appeared in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather. He is played by Academy Award-nominee Richard Castellano in Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 film adaptation of the novel, and by Bruno Kirby (as a young man) in The Godfather Part II (1974).
It's believed this is based on how Frank Sinatra got the part of Private Angelo Maggio in 1953's From Here To Eternity, which won him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Sinatra took grave offense to Fontaine's character in The Godfather, seeing it as a thinly-veiled shot at him.
When Francis Ford Coppola and Paramount Pictures set out to cast the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather, they had a disagreement. The studio wanted Robert Redford, Warren Beatty or Ryan O'Neal. Coppola wanted an unknown Italian American actor.
The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte and Diane Keaton. It is the first installment in The Godfather trilogy, chronicling the Corleone family under patriarch Vito Corleone (Brando) from 1945 to 1955.
Tom Hagen and Peter Clemenza see Neri as a potential replacement for Luca Brasi, Vito Corleone's feared enforcer, and arrange his release from prison. Normally, policemen are barred from becoming made men, but they were impressed enough with Neri to recommend that Michael grant an exception to the rule.
Critics and scholars have long debated the meaning of “Leave the gun, take the cannoli”. Some say it refers to keeping violence and negativity in the past — take only the “sweet” things with you into the future. Perhaps, but the movie only gets bloodier after that scene.
Luca Brasi : Don Corleone, I am honored and grateful that you have invited me to your daughter... 's wedding... on the day of your daughter's wedding. And I hope their first child be a masculine child. I pledge my ever-ending loyalty.
Luca Brasi was an enforcer of the Corleone family. Members of the other families viewed him as almost invincible. In the book it goes into more detail about how he became a member of the family. He also didn't answer to anyone but Vito.
In the first Godfather film, when the message “Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes” is sent to the Corleone family by Virgil Solozzo, we are certain that the hitherto “very scary man”, just murdered, shall have an ominous afterlife.
Bruno later provided assistance to Sollozzo via police captain Mark McCluskey, who became Sollozzo's most trusted bodyguard and assisted a hit on Vito Corleone and tried to finish him off. His attempt failed and Sonny Corleone ordered Salvatore Tessio to kill Bruno.
However Vito would save him from jail and himself. Getting under his control now. Luca showed his gratitude by swearing his undying “loyalty” to Don Vito. Luca knew that that one man had saved his life at that low point.
Initially, the film was offered to Bill Murray, John Travolta, and Chevy Chase. All three of them turned down the role and eventually, our true Gump came on the board. And the rest is history!
A distinguished character actor, Richard S. Castellano was the highest earning actor in The Godfather, whose fame outside the saga included playing Joe Girelli in The Super. He also received an Academy Award nomination for his role in Love and Other Strangers.
According to Castellano's widow, Ardell Sheridan, Castellano was dropped by Coppola because he refused to regain the weight to play Clemenza due to health reasons. Richard's widow, Ardell Sheridan, published a book in 2002 detailing his contributions in the making of The Godfather (1972).
