6.Offensive to Italians?
There were various politicians and advocacy groups who were pre-offended by The Godfather and what they assumed would be a stereotypical view of violent Italian men. One well-documented letter sent to Paramount read, in part:
A book like The Godfather leaves one with the sickening feeling that a great deal of effort and labor to eliminate a false image concerning Americans of Italian descent and also an ethnic connotation to organized crime has been wasted … There are so many careers and biographies that could be made into constructive and intelligent movies, such as the life of Enrico Fermi, the great scientist.”
7.The Baptism Montage
Of all The Godfather‘s memorable scenes, perhaps none struck as large a chord with the audience as the baptism sequence. It’s the film’s crescendo, and Francis Ford Coppola expertly cuts back and forth between Michael’s godson’s baptism (a symbol of renewal of life and divine protection) and the brutal slaying of the Corleone family’s enemies. In the book, the planning and execution of the murders consumes dozens of pages, so Coppola came up with the idea of unifying the scenes with the baptism in what he calls an “innovation of the film.”
Though the scene may have been conceived out of practicality, its execution lifted it into the realm of the classics. Coppola used 67 shots over five minutes; the first half average six seconds, while the next half are roughly a third of the length each. Between the pacing and the juxtaposition of violent killing with religious ritual, Coppola made a statement about Michael’s willingness to gamble with his soul. But like many scenes, this one didn’t come together until the very end. Coppola wasn’t happy with the sequence. It never really worked, he said, until one of the film’s two editors suggested he overlay an organ track over the entire collection of shots. The sequence is proof that necessity is often the mother of great invention, as long as the director is willing to allow his ears, as well as his eyes, serve as his guide
8.Deleted Scene No. 1: Michael Shoots His Wife’s Killer
In a scene cut from the film, Michael comes back to America to track down Fabrizio, his former Sicilian bodyguard and the man responsible for the death of his wife Apollonia. Finding him in a pizza parlor, Michael blows him away with a shotgun. Though the scene was never used, the still (with Michael in a white hat) was disseminated widely during the film’s promotion.
9.Each of the Main Male Actors Got Oscar Noms
In the years since The Godfather‘s release, critics have marveled at the cast that Francis Ford Coppola put together for the film. At the time, the Academy agreed, honoring each of the principal male players with Oscar nods. Al Pacino as Michael, Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen and James Caan as Sonny were all nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Marlon Brando won the Academy Award for Best Actor, but he turned down the Oscar, instead sending a Native-American activist in traditional Apache dress to state his reason: an objection to the depiction of Native Americans in Hollywood films. It was a case of history repeating itself. The last actor who had won an Oscar with a Coppola-penned script was Patton‘s George C. Scott, who became the first actor to turn down the award.
10.Until His Incredible Screen Test
Knowing Marlon Brando would never submit to a formal screen test, Francis Ford Coppola brought a portable camera to Brando’s home, telling him they wanted to “try out some things” on tape. According to one account of the legendary test, Brando was wearing a kimono and had his long hair pulled back. Slowly, he transformed himself into the older don, blackening his hair, (supposedly with shoe polish) and stuffing Kleenex into his lower cheeks to look like a bulldog. Brando then puffed on a cigar and mumbled quietly, exuding his famous screen aura.
When Coppola and producer Albert Ruddy showed the studio executives the footage, they initially didn’t know it was Marlon Brando. Stanley Jaffe, the studio head who had sworn Brando would never be in the picture, reluctantly agreed, and the headline in the Hollywood trade paper Variety proclaimed, “No Stars for Godfather Cast – Just Someone Named Brando.”
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