The Godfather
The Godfatherand its subsequence are praised as two of the with child movies ever made ( the third one , not so much ) , andthey remain a pair of timeless classicsthat picture buffs revisit again and again . But making them was n’t well-situated . Throughout the early ‘ 70s and much later in the early ‘ 90s , production onThe Godfathertrilogy was marred with problems . Director Francis Ford Coppola invariably clashed with the studio apartment , from executive trying to get him supersede while shooting the first motion-picture show tothe filmmaker not even wanting to make a third one . So , here are 10 Behind - The - Scenes Facts AboutThe GodfatherTrilogy You Ca n’t Refuse .
Don Corleone’s cat was a stray
The cat that Vito Corleone can be understand holding inThe Godfather ’s opening night scene was n’t include in the original script . On his way to pose , Francis Ford Coppola found the computerized tomography as a stray , thread around the Paramount Pictures lot , and he decide that it would be fun to give the Don a cat to restrain during his possibility scenery . It made him calculate likethe iconic James Bond villain Ernst Blofeld , who used to stroke a cat while explain his evil plans . The hombre was so happy to be receiving attending that it purred through the whole scene , which cover up a lot of Marlon Brando ’s dialogue , involve a lot of his lines to be loop in post - yield .
Francis Ford Coppola had to reshootPart IIscenes featuring zippers
If there ’s one aspect of Francis Ford Coppola ’s filmmaking that irritates money - conscious studios the most , it ’s in all probability his attending to detail . In an early cut ofThe Godfather Part II , a few worker in the scene set at the act of the 100 were wear off drawers that had zippers . However , one of the instrumentalist working on the moving-picture show signal out to the film director that the zip had n’t been invented at that time . So , instead of just go out in the minor diachronic inaccuracy , Coppola reshot any shot featuring an worker with a zipper and give them pants with a button - fly instead . This likely irk the studio apartment suits , who had to fund a bunch of reshoots just to change the characters ’ style of pants .
Michael Corleone was almost written out ofPart III
When Al Pacino wascontacted about reprising his role as Michael CorleoneforThe Godfather Part III , the producer offered him $ 5 million . He did n’t find that this was enough , so he demanded to be paid $ 7 million , plus a percentage of the film ’s box berth gross . In response , Francis Ford Coppola threatened to compose him out of the movie entirely . This draft of the script forPart IIIwould’ve opened with Michael ’s funeral and moved on from there to avoid involve Pacino . In the remnant , the actor accepted the $ 5 million andhis character remained in the movie after all .
Luca Brasi’s nervousness around Don Corleone is genuine
In the firstGodfathermovie , many fans have noticed that Luca Brasi act nervously around Don Corleone . As it turns out , these nerves were genuine . Lenny Montana , the actor who was playing Luca Brasi , felt so intimidated to be in a vista with Marlon Brando that he could barely get through his dialogue when he was opposite the act legend . In fact , in their first take together , Montana fluffed a bunch of his lines , as Brando terrified him . Francis Ford Coppola decided that it influence well for the part to stumble through his words in front of a awful Maffia boss . This is why the director added the setting in which Luca practice his speech .
Francis Ford Coppola wanted Martin Scorsese to directPart II
The firstGodfathermovie beget so much early buzz from critic that the studio began grow a subsequence before it was even released . However , Francis Ford Coppola had such a incubus steer the first one that he did n’t want to helm the subsequence . He take the studio if he could choose another director and just act as a manufacturer .
The studio correspond , until Coppola chose Martin Scorsese to direct the sequel . Paramount executives did n’t think a then - fledgling Scorsese could treat the pic . Of naturally , turning down Martin Scorsese for directing a mafia epic sounds ridiculous now thathe ’s helmed a bunch of the musical style ’s finest installments .
Frank Sinatra turned down Eli Wallach’s role inPart III
fabled crooner Frank Sinatra ab initio had an adamant stance againstThe Godfatherfilms , having been offered roles in the early installments . However , following the popularity of the first two , Sinatra reversed that position and expressed interest in appearing in the third movie . Francis Ford Coppola pop the question him the role of Don Altobello , but Sinatra finger that the pay they were offering was too low , so he turned it down and the part went to Eli Wallach . Funnily enough , decades in the first place , Sinatra had gotten a theatrical role inFrom Here to Eternityafter Wallach turned it down due to a little paycheck .
James Caan improvised breaking the FBI photographer’s camera
In an early scene inThe Godfatheroutside the wedding , Sonny Corleone confront an FBI photographer who is snapping shot of the family . The part where he grab the tv camera out of the guy ’s hands and smashes it on the background was improvised by James Caan . The photographer ’s panic-struck chemical reaction is unfeigned , as he was n’t expecting it and did n’t have intercourse what was going on . Caan also improvise throwing money at the photographer to compensate for the camera , because consort to the actor , where he total from , if you break something , it was customary to either exchange the crushed property or give the possessor the money to replace it .
Marlon Brando was supposed to appear in the final scene ofPart II
In the final scene ofThe Godfather Part II , the two timelines come together as the Corleone family have dinner party , including a young , perverse Michael , await the arriver of Vito . Marlon Brando was primitively supposed to make a cameo appearance in this view , which would ’ve made sense ( and some fans were expecting it when the scene play out ) . However , Brando turn down the chance to appear in the scene — he refused the crack , if you will — because he was annoyed by how Paramount treated him during output of the first film . Francis Ford Coppola had to rewrite the view not to admit Vito and it was dash without Brando ’s liaison the next 24-hour interval .
Francis Ford Coppola only had six weeks to writePart III
Francis Ford Coppola has said many times thathe ’s unhappy with howThe Godfather Part IIIturned out , blaming the lack of fourth dimension he had to work on the script for the unsatisfying outcome . He wanted a few months to go through a few draft of the script and get it right , but Paramount was determined to make a Christmas 1990 release appointment , so they only gave him six calendar week to write the movie .
As it turns out , the book feels rushed because itwasrushed . But it bring out for Paramount , as the Christmas release day of the month led to an impressive box role catch and a Best Picture nod .
Paramount tried to have Francis Ford Coppola replaced as director
As tends to be the type with all director and their greatest celluloid , Francis Ford Coppola constantly clash with Paramount Pictures executive director during the making ofThe Godfather . The executives wanted to substitute Coppola , claim that he could n’t baffle to the docket and he was buck unneeded expenses to the studio apartment . However , it ’s clear from the fact that Coppola drive home the film ahead of schedule and under budget that Paramount ’s problems with the film maker went deep than that . His initial slash was just over two hours long and the studio apartment demanded that he make it about an 60 minutes longer to develop the family more , which is the opposite word of today ’s Hollywood procedure .
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