The Godfather was as much about the virtuoso performance of Marlon Brando as Don Corleone as it was about the masterful filmmaking of director Francis Ford Coppola. The director’s memorable cinematic adaptation of Mario Puzo’s evergreen novel ensured that the film and its sequels will go down as one of the greatest trilogies in Hollywood.
The Godfather was also marked by the powerful presence of Al Pacino, whose evolution as the heir to the throne was developed and etched to perfection by Coppola. One of the film’s most chilling and brilliantly crafted scenes that gave audiences a jolt features this seamless transformation of the character. Incidentally, it was this scene that saved the Oscar-winning director from getting fired from the project.
Francis Ford Coppola Saved His Job With This Scene From The Godfather
In one of the most iconic scenes in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, Michael Corleone played by Al Pacino shoots down corrupt police officer Mark McCluskey and drug dealer Virgil Solozzo in cold blood at a busy New York restaurant. This scene masterfully orchestrated by Coppola is memorable not just for the ruthless murder but the subtext that reveals the ‘awakening’ of Michael Corleone as the fitting heir to his father’s legacy.
The terror of the scene was also heightened by the tense silence that preceded the event along with the lack of background score, which the director incorporated to perfection. Incidentally, this arresting segment in the film was the saving grace for Coppola to retain his job in the project. Following his appointment as director, Paramount pictures began to express their concerns about his vision for the film.
While the production house was looking for an extravagant gangster drama with all guns blazing, The Rainmaker director’s verbose script and nuanced approach to violence left the bankrollers wondering if a colossal flop was on the way. The doubts about Coppola’s capability to deliver almost led to him being fired from the project. But the veteran mitigated all fears with the iconic Michael Corleone scene that floored the producers and audiences.
This Luca Brasi Scene Is Another Indicator of Francis Ford Coppola’s Genius
It is hard to imagine anyone other than Francis Ford Coppola helming a once-in-a-lifetime film like The Godfather. The director with the Midas touch weaved his magic over three films that will go down as one of the greatest Hollywood franchises of all time. Coppola’s genius not only lay in his intrinsic understanding of the craft but also in his keen awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of his actors.
In a scene with professional wrestler Lenny Montana, who played Don Corleone’s personal bodyguard Luca Brasi, Coppola turned a seemingly desperate filming situation into a brilliant improvisation. The story goes that Montana, who was completely starstruck and overwhelmed to share screen space with Marlon Brando, failed to adequately deliver his dialogue despite multiple takes.
With a whole day of work almost wasted and no time to reshoot, the director expertly used the situation to his advantage by organically reimagining the scene. Using Montana’s fanboy energy, Coppola filmed a separate scene with the character revising his lines in front of the camera and turned it into a nervous moment of Luca Brasi meeting Don Corleone. A smattering of these deft touches turned out to be the difference between The Godfather being a good film versus its current status of being considered the GOAT of all Hollywood films.
Source: Far Out Magazine
