Fifty years ago, Francis Ford Coppola made moviegoers an offer they couldn’t refuse. “The Godfather” with Marlon Brando is now considered one of the greatest classics in film history.
New York/London – The origins of the film classic “The Godfather” is turbulent. Director Francis Ford Coppola was on the verge of being thrown out several times. And if Paramount Pictures had had their way, stars Marlon Brando and Al Pacino wouldn’t have even appeared in front of the camera.
But Coppola successfully fought for his job and his actors. For the 50th anniversary, the mafia epic is coming back to the cinemas. “50 years! That’s pretty shocking, isn’t it?” says actress Talia Shire in a Zoom conversation with the German Press Agency in London. “It’s incredible and wonderful.” In the film, Shire plays the godfather’s daughter.
The mafia epic about the powerful New York boss Don Vito Corleone and his family celebrated its world premiere on March 14, 1972. Ten days later, the star-studded, almost three-hour film hit the cinemas – and quickly became a box-office hit. Everyone knows the famous theme music by Nino Rota today. Just like the legendary saying of Marlon Brando as Don Corleone: “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.” a great success there too.
Coppola had to fight for his job
Shire plays Don Vito’s daughter, Connie Corleone. In real life, the 75-year-old is also Coppola’s sister and recalls “a difficult time” for the director. “There was a fight for the first two weeks. It was tough,” says Shire. To cut costs, Paramount didn’t want the film to be set in the 1940s, like Mario Puzo’s novel, nor did it want it to be shot in New York. “It was messy,” says Shire. “Francis had to fight for his job.” Some crew members called for the young director to be fired, but Coppola prevailed.
When the director talks about the shooting today, the word “nightmare” is often used. With his sister, who played her first major role as Connie, positive memories predominate. “Mario Puzo is no longer with us, but he and Francis have become very good friends. You could tell that something impressive was happening there,” she says. “Also, as an actress, I just have to say, to have Marlon Brando in it, wow, that was awe-inspiring.”
Brando was not the preferred candidate
Brando, who played 65-year-old Don Vito at 47, was originally just second choice. Preferred candidate Laurence Olivier had canceled. The studio bosses were against Brando. Because his last film flopped, it was considered box office poison. On top of that, he was said to be difficult to deal with. Shire vehemently disagrees. “It was a miracle,” she says. “He was the most professional, the most prepared and the most focused actor and that was an inspiration to all of us.” With lots of makeup and makeup, Brando became the godfather. And the first test recording convinced even the skeptical studio bosses.
Talia Shire is still enthusiastic about the wedding scene and the dance of Connie and Don Vito in the dpa interview. “I couldn’t believe he was dancing with me,” she says of her film dad. “And I’m a lousy dancer, okay? But he just let me slide.” Instead of the planned three days, the celebration took two weeks to shoot, during which Shire wore the wedding dress every day. “I had to make sure I was maintaining my weight to fit in.” She laughs. “Every actor has the worry: Will I still fit into my costume tomorrow?”
Because Coppola was not very enthusiastic about the fact that his then somewhat inexperienced sister Talia wanted to play, she took part in the casting as normal. “If I look back 50 years now, I wouldn’t have agreed either,” jokes the actress, who went on to become world-famous as Adrian in the “Rocky” films.
In addition, numerous other stars of the 70s played in “The Godfather” – and those who were to become stars: Al Pacino as Don Vito’s son Michael, Diane Keaton as Michael’s girlfriend, Robert Duvall as the loyal family lawyer Tom Hagen, James Caan as the short-tempered Sonny , John Cazale as overwhelmed Fredo or cuddly singer Al Martino, who plays a show star whose fame has faded.
For Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather brought colossal fame. According to his own statement, he did not want the directing job at all and only accepted because he was plagued by money worries and had to support his family. His daughter Sofia Coppola, now an established director in her own right (“Lost In Translation”), was born during filming and appears in a scene in the film as a baby.
When The Godfather was finally finished, Francis Ford Coppola initially had to hear that his film was “boring” and “too long”. Talia Shire, on the other hand, claims to have recognized immediately that her brother had created a masterpiece. “You just knew it was going to be great,” she says, and enthuses: “He’s a creative genius.”
The Godfather received the all-important Oscar for Best Picture and one for Best Adapted Screenplay. In addition, Marlon Brando was awarded Best Actor. He refused to accept his Oscar in protest at the treatment of indigenous Americans in the film industry. Overall, the film was nominated eleven times, including three in the category Best Supporting Actor (Caan, Duvall and Pacino). However, the nomination for Nino Rota’s film music was later withdrawn when it became known that the composer had already used the iconic title tune for the 1958 film “Fortunella”. Two years later, Rota received an Oscar for The Godfather II.
So the grueling filming had paid off, and Francis Ford Coppola’s persistence paid off for everyone involved. Talia Shire believes that the mafia trilogy, which will be released in select theaters to celebrate The Godfather’s anniversary and will be available in a new box set with all three parts on DVD and Blu-ray, will continue to be popular in the future. “I expect that there will also be a celebration for the 100th and 150th anniversaries,” says Shire, “because it is a work of art and it stands the test of time.” dpa
