Mind-Blowing Things You Didn’t Know About ‘The Godfather’

When it comes to the movies, there are just some that are widely successful but are not technically great when it comes to storytelling, which is critical for film experts, and they are then considered as overrated films. There are also some that didn’t quite make it that far when it comes to ticket sales, however, the technically aspects of the films were considered to be up to par. These are the type of films that make it into the Academy Awards.

It is incredibly rare to actually see a film that would both be critically acclaimed as well as topping the box-office charts. Which is basically one of the main reasons why the crime film The Godfather, is dubbed as the best film ever created.

Best Film Ever

When it comes to classical films, this has got to be on the top of your list. This Francis Ford Coppola film which was released in 1972, features a family of who are involved in the gang business. This follows The Godfather, Vito Corleone, who is the patriarch of the family, as well as the transformation of his son Michael, on becoming a ruthless mafia boss. This film was actually an adaptation of a novel of the same name.

Director Francis Ford Coppola dancing with his daughter Sofia on the set of the Oscar-winning "The Godfather Part II" (1974). pic.twitter.com/hRZPGGjJA7

— The Academy (@TheAcademy) April 8, 2018

What shocked everyone is how the film actually became the highest grossing film at that time after earning more than $200 million in the box office after only having $6 million as their budget.

This film has become an epitome of the gangster genre in the film industry after winning not just one but three Oscars such as Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay along with seven other academy award nominations.

Since it is dubbed as the greatest film ever made, it has been selected to be a part of the preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. Only films that are considered as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”, are the ones that get to be chosen for this.

Most people wonder what made this film so great, so experts make it a point to simplify the reason. That is the characterization as well as the impact of the story no matter how old the film gets. It is a family drama that everyone could literally relate to, but at the same time, it has that crime thriller twist to it that made things exciting, as well as the build-up of the main characters throughout the film. It’s technical aspects definitely made everything one complete puzzle. The Godfather was even ranked as one of the top films in American cinema by the American Film Institute.

Casting Mishaps

Another thing that people didn’t know is that two of the main characters were actually almost didn’t get played by Marlon Brando and Al Pacino. It was revealed that when Coppola recommends Brando for the role, Paramount wasn’t exactly interested since he was the kind of actor that wouldn’t appear in a Paramount movie because of the actor’s bad reputation on set.

However, when they made him do a screen test, Paramount realized how perfect he actually was for the role. Brando even had to do a real-life gangster voice to copy for the role. This characterization was definitely worth it since the actor definitely nailed the role.

Just like his on-screen son, who was portrayed by Al Pacino. Some say that he wouldn’t be one of the greatest actors of today if it wasn’t for this film. That is because he wasn’t also the first pick for the role of Michael, but Coppola pushed the idea.

Pacino actually revealed that he remembered how Paramount tried to fire him about three times since he was apparently delivering anemic performance. However, despite the struggle, in the beginning, he managed to pull it off. The veteran actor also said in an interview that he had to try and create some sort of a mysterious person with Michael, something that people would be surprised to see, and that’s the beginning of a great career for him.

Legendary make-up artist Dick Smith transforms Marlon Brando into his role for "The Godfather," which was released this week in 1972. #tbt pic.twitter.com/rLtiTScelz

— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 22, 2018

Francis Ford Coppola was once asked what made him envision Pacino as the perfect Michael, the director simply said that Pacino knew exactly how to use his talents and how to play around with it. It is the kind of wit that you wouldn’t see in most actors and his smoldering ambiance was just the cherry on the top of the cake.