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"The Godfather": Al Pacino was almost fired, Don Vito's cat and 15 other secrets of the legendary film

2022-08-18 19:09:38Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
"The Godfather": Al Pacino was almost fired, Don Vito's cat and
The Godfather movie

The first chapter in the history of the Corleone family arrived in cinemas around the world in 1972: we are talking about "The Godfather", the first film in the trilogy directed by director Francis Ford Coppola loosely inspired by the novel of the same name written by Mario Puzo.

The film, set in New York in the middle of the war (between the late forties and the first half of the fifties), was a great success, as well as a strong influence on popular culture (countless parodies, quotes and references). In the role of the protagonist, Don Vito Corleone (the head of the mafia family, which over time has become one of the most powerful criminal organizations), we find Marlon Brando.

After the death of his son Santino Corleone known as Sonny (James Caan gives his face), the boss will leave the reins of his empire in the hands of his youngest son, Michael Corleone / Al Pacino. Next to them, on stage, many characters alternate, from Don Vito's adviser Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall) to the godfather's sons Fredo (John Cazale) and Connie (Talia Shire), from clan men like Peter Clemenza (Richard S. Castellano) and Salvatore Tessio (Abe Vigoda) to Kay Adams, the great love of Michael (Diane Keaton). Here are some curiosities about the movie that we didn't know before.

Al Pacino almost got fired

"The Godfather": Al Pacino was almost fired, Don Vito's cat and

Al Pacino has revealed that he was about to be fired in the middle of filming because at the time Paramount executives had only seen his first wedding scenes (in which he did nothing of note). Then came the Sollozzo/Al Lettieri and McCluskey/Sterling Hayden murder scene in the restaurant that they changed their minds about.

Broken camera

"The Godfather": Al Pacino was almost fired, Don Vito's cat and

James Caan, as Sonny, improvised the scene of the camera breaking at the wedding (the photographer's frightened reaction is therefore real). Throwing money to pay off the damage is also a result of improvisation.

The word "mafia" is never said

"The Godfather": Al Pacino was almost fired, Don Vito's cat and

Although it is a film about organized crime, the term "mafia" is never uttered. Actor Gianni Russo (who plays Carlo Rizzi in the film) spoke in an interview about an alleged "deal with boss Joseph Colombo".

The hand of George Lucas

"The Godfather": Al Pacino was almost fired, Don Vito's cat and

George Lucas, who directed and edited (uncredited) the fight scene against the five families, said he paid homage to "The Godfather" in the scene of Jabba the Hutt's drowning at the hands of Princess Leia ("Star Wars: "Return of the Jedi- t) and in a sequence of "Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith".

Don Vito's cat

"The Godfather": Al Pacino was almost fired, Don Vito's cat and

The cat that Marlon Brando holds and hugs at the beginning of the film was not foreseen in the script: it was a stray that Coppola brought to the set. Her slurs, however, forced Brandom to repeat the lines several times.

The wrong jokes

"The Godfather": Al Pacino was almost fired, Don Vito's cat and

Lenny Montana (played by Luca Brasi) was very nervous about the idea of ​​working with Marlon Brando: during the filming of their first scene together, the actor got a few lines wrong, but the director decided to take advantage of that genuine nervousness to give more a lot of credibility for the character while keeping the mistakes in the final edit.

The truth about cotton on the cheek

"The Godfather": Al Pacino was almost fired, Don Vito's cat and

Wanting to give Don Corleone the appearance of a bulldog, Marlon Brando stuffed his cheeks with cotton, but he only did this during the audition. On set he wore a denture made for him by a dentist.

Jokes on set

"The Godfather": Al Pacino was almost fired, Don Vito's cat and

Marlon Brando loved to joke on set. For example, in the scene in which Don Vito returns home from the hospital after the attack—and is carried on a stretcher to his room—Brando hid a series of weights under the covers.

The Godfather's voice

"The Godfather": Al Pacino was almost fired, Don Vito's cat and

For the voice of Don Vito Corleone, Brando took his cue from the hoarse timbre of mobster Frank Costello, whom he had seen on television (while being questioned by Senator Estes Kefauver's investigative commission on organized crime in the United States) in 1951.

Al Pacino boycotted the Oscars

"The Godfather": Al Pacino was almost fired, Don Vito's cat and

Al Pacino was very angry when he received a nomination for best actor in a non-leading role at the 1973 Oscars and did not appear at the award ceremony: according to him, Michael Corleone was more present in the film than Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando received a nomination for best actor and won the statuette).

…even Marlon Brando

"The Godfather": Al Pacino was almost fired, Don Vito's cat and

Even Marlon Brando boycotted the 1973 Oscars. Although he won the award for best actor, he did not go to Los Angeles and sent to his country to receive the statue (in protest against the cinema's treatment of Native Americans) Apache actress and activist Marie Louise Cruz/Sacheen Littlefeather.

Horse's head

"The Godfather": Al Pacino was almost fired, Don Vito's cat and

A fake horse head was used in rehearsal for the scene set in Jack Woltz's bedroom. However, during the official shoot, Coppola secretly placed a real horse's head, obtained from a dog food company, on actor John Marley's bed (without telling him). Marley's reaction is therefore true.

Stallone's audition

"The Godfather": Al Pacino was almost fired, Don Vito's cat and

A young (and unknown at the time) Sylvester Stallone auditioned for the roles of Paulie Gatto and Carlo Rizzi, but was turned down. He would later star alongside Talia Shire (Connie Corleone) in "Rocky" (1976) and the subsequent films of the saga.

What does "go to the mats" mean?

"The Godfather": Al Pacino was almost fired, Don Vito's cat and

In one scene, Sonny utters the phrase "go to the mats" (one of the most memorable quotes from the film). It means, in slang, to go to war with a rival gang.

The jazz singer

"The Godfather": Al Pacino was almost fired, Don Vito's cat and

Don Vito's wife, Carmela Corleone, was played by Morgana King (pseudonym of Maria Grazia Morgana Messina). "The Godfather" represents her film debut: in reality King was an acclaimed jazz singer (she is even invited to sing in the wedding scene).

Shooting in Italy

"The Godfather": Al Pacino was almost fired, Don Vito's cat and

Filming in Italy was not done in Corleone, but in Savoca, a village in the province of Messina. Bar Vitelli (which hosted Michael Corleone / Al Pacino) still exists today.

Carlos's beating

"The Godfather": Al Pacino was almost fired, Don Vito's cat and

Unfortunately for Gianni Russo/Carlo his beating scene was a little too realistic: James Caan/Sonny accidentally broke two of his ribs with his punches (the two actors were said not to get along in real life either, but that's another story).

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