Throughout film history, a handful of scenes have become instant classics because of their impact on audiences. One such scene can be found in Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece from 1972, The Godfather, specifically in the chilling horse head sequence.
Despite the film’s visceral impact and the controversy surrounding it, the shadow cast by this eerie moment remains as potent as ever as it celebrates its golden jubilee.
The Godfather’s Infamous Horse Head Scene
The intricate weaving of Coppola’s vision into the fabric of The Godfather is as much a part of the film’s enduring legacy as its riveting story. Creating the 1940s world of the Corleone crime family on screen required realism rarely seen in the film.
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Every detail of the film was designed to transport the audience back in time, from the period-appropriate costumes worn by the actors to the painstakingly recreated environments in which their stories unfolded.
However, the iconic horse head scene broke new ground in filmmaking and cemented the film’s place in cinematic annals. At its heart, this scene conveyed a chilling message that struck a chord with audiences and will remain etched in their minds forever.
The scene is a turning point because it involves the negotiations between the Corleone family’s consigliere Tom Hagen and the movie mogul Jack Woltz. Hagen aims to get Johnny Fontane, Don Vito Corleone’s godson and a character loosely based on real-life singer Frank Sinatra, cast in a coveted role.
Since Woltz has a grudge against Fontane, negotiations have stalled, and the Corleones have resorted to a sinister and macabre show of force. Shockingly, they put the head of Woltz’s prized racehorse on his bedside table. The authenticity of the horse head in the scene has been debated for decades.
Was the Horse’s Head In The Godfather Real?
There were rumblings that Coppola would kill an animal in the name of art, such were the depths to which he would go in his pursuit of realism. Audiences and animal rights activists were shocked by the suggestion that a horse had been killed for the scene.
However, contrary to popular belief, the reality of this disturbing chapter in cinematic history is not nearly as gory as is commonly believed. Coppola ended the rumors by revealing the truth during the DVD commentary for The Godfather.
“When that one is slaughtered, send us the head. One day, a crate with dry ice came with this horse’s head in it.”
The horse’s head was authentic but not taken from a living animal. Instead, it came from a slaughterhouse where horses were killed specifically to be used in dog food. When the time came, the film’s art director chose a horse head resembling Woltz’s prized thoroughbred, Khartoum, and shipped it to the moviemakers in a block of ice.
Coppola stated that he aimed for authenticity and realism in the horse’s head. Studio executives suggested a fake horse head, but Coppola rejected the idea. The horse head scene from The Godfather has a lasting impact on culture even half a century after the film’s initial release.
Source: Time
