Based on Mario Puzo’s 1969 novel, Francis Ford Coppola’s three Godfather films were released in 1972, 1974, and 1990. Together they won numerous Oscars, netted more than half a billion dollars at the box office, and have since inspired countless imitations and parodies. Here are some facts and stories from the set of one of Hollywood’s greatest ever trilogies.
AN OFFER HE CAN’T REFUSE…
Incredibly, Francis Ford Coppola was almost fired from the Godfather movies—and, for that matter, was almost not hired in the first place. Paramount Pictures initially had a grittier, faster-paced movie in mind, and shopped the idea to likes of Richard Brooks (director of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), Elia Kazan (On the Waterfront), and Arthur Penn (Bonnie and Clyde). It was only when they all turned the movie down that Coppola was hired, but when he started delivering his scenes to the producers, Paramount took an immediate dislike to his slower, dialog-based approach, and repeatedly threatened to have him fired unless he changed tack. It was only when he showed them a certain pivotal (and spoiler-heavy!) scene that they finally relented and gave Coppola free rein to produce the remainder of the movie as he wanted it.
…AND ANOTHER OFFER HE CAN’T REFUSE…
According to Diane Keaton, it wasn’t just Coppola that was threatened with the sack, either. In a 2017 interview marking the 45th anniversary of The Godfather, Keaton revealed that Al Pacino almost left the shoot too, when the executives at Paramount took a dislike to his portrayal of Michael Corleone. Not wanting to lose his star, however, Coppola astutely jumped ahead in the production schedule and filmed a major scene (in which Corleone shoots a police officer in a restaurant) ahead of time. The scene won over Pacino’s critics at Paramount, and Coppola was again left to finish the film without interference.
…AND ANOTHER!
Paramount also took umbrage at Coppola’s intention to cast Marlon Brando as family figurehead Vito Corleone. The studio demanded some theatrical gravitas in their picture, and so pushed Coppola to cast Sir Laurence Olivier as Don Corleone, but Coppola held firm. Eventually, Paramount relented and agreed to let Coppola cast Brando providing he do a screen test, agree to do the movie for free, and willingly enter into a financial bond agreement, to make up for any losses caused by his infamously bad on-set behavior. Coppola knew that Brando would never agree to a screen test, so covertly recorded what he termed a character “makeup test,” and delivered the tape to Paramount. Happily, when they saw Brando’s extraordinary performance—which would go on to net him his second Oscar—Paramount dropped the other two stipulations and signed him up immediately.
LET’S TALK BUSINESS
Brando’s Oscar was one of nine the entire trilogy went on to win, from a total of 28 nominations. And along the way, the films set several Oscar records. Both The Godfather and The Godfather Part II won the Academy Award for Best Picture, making Part II the first sequel in Oscar history to win the award. Both films also had an unprecedented three Best Supporting Actor nominations. In 1972, James Caan, Robert Duvall, and Al Pacino all picked up nominations (though lost out to Joel Grey in Cabaret), and two years later Robert De Niro, Michael V Gazzo, and Lee Strasberg all picked up nominations for Part II (with De Niro taking home the first of his two Oscars for his performance). The Oscars won by the first two Godfather films also helped the late actor John Cazale (who played Fredo Corleone) to establish a truly extraordinary movie record. Cazale died of cancer in 1978 at the age of just 42, and in his short life appeared in just five feature movies: The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon, and The Deer Hunter. That extraordinary filmography means that every single film Cazale appeared in was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
LIKE A FAMILY
If you think the performances in the movie are realistic, it’s largely because of Coppola’s extraordinary—yet effective—rehearsal technique. To ensure that the cast naturally behaved like a family on camera, he hosted grand “family” meals before shooting, in which all the cast would be seated at a table and served a home-cooked meal together—the only catch being that they had to remain in character the entire duration of the meal. These unconventional rehearsals worked brilliantly, and the cast’s family-like friendships effortlessly transferred to the screen.