It is not hard to argue that the classic 1972 crime film The Godfather is the biggest movie to come out of that decade and transcend the generations (that is, if we do not count its 1974 sequel – which is of equal popularity and importance).
I recently sat down with Tony D, the talented lead guitarist of the excellent blues rock band MonkeyJunk (who won a JUNO for Best Blues Album in 2012), who graciously took the time to meander through some of his favourite movies after their live performance at the historic Port Theatre in Cornwall, Ontario on December 4th, 2015.
As you can probably guess, judging from my introduction, his top pick is the legendary Francis Ford Coppola motion picture The Godfather. Tony, an Italian immigrant who came to Canada by way of boat, comparable to the historic tale that unfolds in the second Godfather epic, cites this as one of the reasons he has fallen for these iconic films. He also explained that The Godfather is his favourite gangster movie . . . along with his favourite romantic comedy and sci-fi picture. He also takes us back to a time in which he met with screen legend Robert Duvall. Check out my video interview with Tony at the bottom of the page to hear more of his thoughts on The Godfather and other classic pictures. Plus, keep an eye open for a second Star Pick from the guitarist in the future.
Francis Ford Coppola’s film (which he co-wrote with Mario Puzo – who scribed the book that the movie is based on), sits at number two on IMDb’s list of Top Rated Movies and follows the Corleone’s, a New York City crime family. The Don, Vito (Marlon Brando in one of his most iconic roles), is the aging patriarch of the family who, as the story begins, is hosting his daughter’s wedding. At the party, we also meet his son Michael (a surprisingly subtle performance from Al Pacino) and his girlfriend Kay (Diane Keaton) along with the rest of his family and friends.
One of those friends, Vito’s godson and famous singer Johnny Fontaine (Al Martino), is hoping to land a movie role – this leads the Don to send his adopted son, Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall), who is also a lawyer and consigliere to the family, to Los Angeles to encourage the film’s producer into giving Fontaine the part. The hint is not taken and the exec wakes up with his beloved horse’s head laying in the bed next to him.
Vito is later approached by Virgil Sollozzo (Al Lettieri), who is backed by the Tattaglia family, hoping for both protection and funding as he enters the drug trade. Vito declines, fearing repercussions with his political connections, which leads to declining relations between the two factions. Soon after, the patriarch is gunned down and Hagen is kidnapped. Vito’s eldest son, the turbulent Sonny (James Caan), then takes up the mantle of family head while his father is in the hospital. The Don miraculously survives the attempted hit and Michael helps him dodge another bullet soon after as dirty cops on Sollozzo’s payroll (including Captain McCluskey – played by Sterling Hayden) arrest Vito’s guards so that they can target him in the infirmary where he is resting. Michael, who begins the movie at arms length from the criminal world, is slowly drawn into it by these intense happenings around him. After deaths on both sides, the youngest son realizes that he must kill Sollozzo to put an end to the increasing hostility. A meeting is set in a neutral restaurant, yet Michael retrieves a gun that was planted beforehand and murders his enemies.
In the end, a full out war between the crime families erupts. Michael flees to Sicily while his weak and rather dim-witted brother Fredo (John Cazale) hides with friends in Las Vegas. Despite the precautions, several shocking deaths occur that shake the family to the core. A weakened Vito steps in to stop the hostilities – promising that he will no longer oppose the drug business or avenge the murder of one of his family members.
Michael has now fallen into the role that was never planned for him, leading the family. He tells Kay (who he has now married) that the business will be legitimate in five short years. Yet, by the end of the film, Michael makes a mass move that cements him as a man much like his father and the other crime bosses – and it is clear that, in the final scene, he is now truly the new Don.
The pre-production story of The Godfather has become almost as legendary as the film itself. One rather unique aspect is the lack of interest from directors (including famed filmmakers Sergio Leone, Peter Bogdanovich and Otto Preminger, to name but a few who passed on the film). Even Francis Ford Coppola originally declined the job as he thought it would glorify violence as well as the Mafia, while also creating a negative perspective on his Sicilian-Italian heritage.
Then, there is the bizarre cast that could have been. It is hard to imagine the iconic characters that were made so real by Brando, Pacino and the rest being replaced by other actors, yet many of the main roles were nearly filled by other stars. Brando was not the preferred choice by the studio (as he had not had a box office success in some time). It is hard to believe that Brando’s performance, which consisted of those powerful cotton-filled cheeks as well as the threatening, raspily subtle voice, could have been filled by Laurence Olivier, Orson Welles or Ernest Borgnine. Similarly, Robert Redford and Warren Beatty were considered for the role of Michael. Though Coppola was fond of Pacino, the studio was not – focussing on his short stature (which, for some reason, dismayed them). Other stars, such as Dustin Hoffman and Martin Sheen, also auditioned for the part. Even the character of Sonny could have fallen into the hands of Burt Reynolds.
There is also the story of mob boss Joe Colombo trying to get the film shut down. From producers being tailed and car windows being shot out to threatening notes and phone calls being made to producers, Colombo tried his hardest to put the kibosh to the movie. Yet, the Paramount executives held firm and met with the gangster – who had some requests if he was to stop the ambush. After they accepted the concessions (one being to remove the word Mafia from the script – it was actually only used a measly two times), Colombo and his fellow mobsters actually got behind the film – supporting its production and dropping by to visit with cast members. It is an ironic sidenote that Coppola was filming some of the final hits that Michael orders at the end of the movie, while, at the same time, only a few blocks away, Colombo was shot three times in the head and neck – leaving him an invalid for the last few years of his life.
The Godfather went on to win three Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actor (for Brando – this led to the bizarre acceptance of the award from Sacheen Littlefeather, who claimed the man would not accept the award due to the poor treatment of Indians in entertainment and at the Wounded Knee Incident), and Best Adapted Screenplay. Now, more than forty years after its release, it still lives on as one of the most influential crime films of all-time. Its dialogue, acting, cinematography and direction have influenced both the way motion pictures are made as well as how audiences respond to these types of movies. So, make sure to take a trip back to the mid 1940’s and re-watch this classic crime picture. Or else!
Definitely going to have to take a look at this one, it sounds awesome!