The legendary novel by Mario Puzo about the life of the Italian mafia excited the minds of all fans of criminal stories. It was published in 1969. The prototype of the book was the real Bonanno family, one of the five powerful families that control crime in New York and the United States. The novel has gained immense popularity, but it can not be compared with the stunning success of the film adaptation of the gangster saga.
Director of The Godfather
In 1971, filming began, later recognized as one of the best in the history of American cinema. The director and concurrently the author of the script was the then unknown Francis Ford Coppola. Every aspect of the new grandiose film has been the subject of controversy between producers and the director. The actors of The Godfather are no exception.
Even the person of Coppola himself has been repeatedly criticized by the owners of Paramount and some colleagues from the set. They wanted to replace Francis with director Elia Kazan during the filming. But Marlon Brando himself stood up for him and said that he would leave the project if the director was replaced.
"Godfather"
The filming process started in 1971. The first part was shot in 4 months. There were some intrigues, fights, high-profile scandals and dismissals on the site. The actors of The Godfather were motley people, not everyone behind them had a theater school or acting classes. Some, such as Lenny Montana, having heard about the auditions for a role in the new grandiose gangster drama, came to the director and announced to him that he was a bodyguard in one of the Italian criminal families. This was a gift of fate for Kopolla. Trials for the role of Luke Brazi could be considered valid.
Casting for the role of Don Corleone himself is a completely different story. Francis Ford Coppola saw in this image only Marlon Brando. By that time, the actor already had the status of a megastar. Mr. Brando did not pass the tests. The scripts were brought to him and, having studied them, he himself decided whether he would act in a film. But this time there was a snag: they wanted to choose a more compliant actor for the role of Corleone in Paramount.
Marlon has already established himself as a brawler, constantly late for shooting and rolling tantrums right on the site. Not everyone wanted to get in touch with him, although they knew that the participation of this person in the film immediately provides her with 50% success.
The rules of the company were unchanged, at least ten actors had to try for the role. Among the applicants were Anthony Quinn, Raf Vallone, Bert Lancaster, Richard Conte and several other eminent persons. Tried everyone, including Brando. But his casting was so veiled that Marlon himself did not immediately understand what Coppola was doing in his garden with a camera in his hands.
The actors of The Godfather for the most part knew little about this director. Nevertheless, almost all filming participants admit that Francis Ford Coppola taught them a lot.
His beloved son Don Corleone was played by then-unknown Italian Al Pacino. His appeal and internal energy were immediately remembered by the director. Although the company Paramount wanted to see a more eminent actor in this role.
James Caan brought to life the role of Sunny Corleone. The actors of The Godfather are temperamental people, James was also like that. In one of the scenes of beating his blood enemy, he entered the role so much that he inflicted several blows on the enemy with a lid from the garbage can.
Robert Duvall played Tom Hogan. Diane Keaton brought to life the storyline of Kay Adams, she was forced to play in a magnificent wig and was constantly worried that he would subside. A fee of $ 35,000 was received by all the leading performers. Marlon Brando - 50,000 and a percentage of box office. Participation in the Coppola film brought the stars even greater love of the public, now they were the best-paid actors. “The Godfather-1” collected huge box office at the box office and entered the elite of world cinema.
Second movie
According to the director of the acclaimed crime drama "The Godfather", the sequel did not mean as a sequel to the first film. It was a separate story about characters already beloved. Nevertheless, after 2 two years the picture was released. The actors of the movie “The Godfather 2” were already world stars. Robert De Niro joined the company of Francis Kopolla, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall and Diane Keaton. The film received 6 academy figurines.
The Godfather 3
Almost 20 years after the release of the first film of the gangster saga about Don Corleone and his family, the third part of the epic was released. The main actors of the movie “The Godfather 3” remained unchanged - Al Pacino, Michael Corleone, Diane Keaton, Kay Adams. The new character of the saga of Vincent Mansini was embodied on the screen by Andy Garcia, and the whole director of the trilogy, the inimitable Francis Ford Coppola , led the whole action. In the world box office, the third part of the gangster franchise did not have a big response from the audience.