Francis Ford Coppola initially didn't want to direct The Godfather, but eventually agreed due to financial reasons and his desire to tell the story of a family's rise and fall.
The film follows Vito Corleone, the head of an Italian-American mafioso family between 1945 and 1955, a peroid of change after the end of WWII. The Godfather is the ultimate crime film about loyalty, revenge and masculunity in the post-war era. Representing this change is Michael Corleone.
Why did Francis Ford Coppola direct The Godfather?
Evans' chief assistant Peter Bart suggested Francis Ford Coppola, as a director of Italian ancestry who would work for a low sum and budget after the poor performance of his latest film The Rain People.
Who was originally offered the role of The Godfather and who ended up playing the role? Francis Ford Coppola was constantly at odds with the studio. They wanted a top actor for the role of Michael, like Robert Redford or Burt Reynolds-he pushed for and got a relatively unknown guy named Al Pacino.
What real life Mafia Don's was the Godfather model after? Frank Costello was a Mafia Boss who preferred negotiation, bribery and cooperation instead of violence in most cases. He had a tremendous amount of political/union power, businesses/rackets across the nation, and a raspy harsh voice.
Coppola told Yahoo Movies : “That's why I ended my career: I decided I didn't want to make what you could call 'factory movies' anymore. I would rather just experiment with the form, and see what I could do, and [make things] that came out of my own.
The primary reason why Jack Nicholson turned down the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather was that the presently retired Nicholson, who identified himself as being Irish throughout his career, felt that the role of the Italian-American Michael should be played by an Italian actor.
Summary. Jack Nicholson turned down the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather because he believed that Italians should play Italians and Indians should play Indians.
Damone eventually declined the role because of a salary dispute and also because he did not want to provoke the mob or anger Frank Sinatra, whom Damone profoundly respected. Ultimately, the part of Johnny Fontane was given to Martino.
Posting a portion of Al Pacino's audition tape for the role of Michael Corleone to his Instagram account, the director stated: “The interesting thing here, was a reason given to me against casting Pacino was not only was he too short, but also too 'scruffy'.”
De Niro had originally been cast in the role of Paulie, but left the movie to take a role in the film “The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight.” The reason there was an opening in that film? Pacino had left the movie to play Michael.
What did Robert De Niro have to do with The Godfather?
1974–1980: Scorsese collaboration and acclaim. De Niro had a pivotal role in Francis Ford Coppola's crime epic The Godfather Part II (1974), playing the young Vito Corleone.
Paramount promoted The Godfather as the first Italian mob drama made by Italians, but some Italians were offended. Italian-Americans were continually portrayed as criminals in the movies and they were fed up.
The 1972 film 'The Godfather' had 11 nominations and won three Academy Awards in the 1973 ceremony, in the following categories: Best Picture. Best Actor: Marlon Brando. Best Adapted Screenplay: Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola.
What word was intentionally omitted from the film The Godfather?
A civil-rights league ensured the words "mafia" and "Cosa Nostra" were excluded from the film. With concern that the film would portray harmful Italian stereotypes, the Italian-American Civil Rights League held a rally in 1970 to protest and halt the production.
Who was the first choice to play Michael in The Godfather?
However, since Pacino wasn't Coppola's first option for the role, things could've followed a different course. The part of Michael Corleone was first offered to Dustin Hoffman, who turned it down due to his involvement in Bob Fosse's Lenny.
Al Pacino was offered $5 million to reprise his role as Michael. But Pacino wanted $7 million plus a percentage of the gross. Francis Ford Coppola refused. He threatened to rewrite the script by starting the story with Michael's funeral sequence instead of the film's introduction.
Anthony Perkins not only auditioned for Sonny, but also for Tom Hagen. Originally Caan was to be cast as the main character Michael Corleone (Sonny's youngest brother), while Carmine Caridi was signed as Sonny. However Coppola demanded that the role of Michael be played by Al Pacino instead.
Emilio "The Wolf" Barzini is a fictional character and the main antagonist in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather and in its 1972 film adaptation, in which he is portrayed by Richard Conte. The Barzini crime family was inspired by the Genovese crime family.
Why was James Caan cast as Sonny in The Godfather even though he isn't Italian? Originally Caan was to be cast as the main character Michael Corleone, while Carmine Caridi was signed as Sonny. However, Coppola demanded that the role of Michael be played by Al Pacino instead.
Viewers criticized Coppola's performance in the film, calling it stiff and unconvincing. While there were valid concerns about nepotism in the film industry, targeting Sofia Coppola specifically seemed hypocritical, as many actors have benefited from family connections throughout Hollywood's history.
Through his father, he is a nephew of both director Francis Ford Coppola and actress Talia Shire, and a cousin of directors Roman Coppola and Sofia Coppola, film producer Gian-Carlo Coppola, and actors Robert and Jason Schwartzman. Cage is the youngest of three sons.
Why is The Godfather considered the best movie ever made?
In his review for The New York Times, Vincent Canby called the film, based on Mario Puzo's mafia novel, “one of the most brutal and moving chronicles of American life ever designed within the limits of popular entertainment.” Now considered a film classic and cultural touchstone, the movie's lasting appeal is rooted in ...
