More videos at http://www.cinematheia... Writers: Mario Puzo (screenplay), Francis Ford Coppola (screenplay), Stars: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.
00:00Mario Puzo's The Godfather, one of the best-selling books of all time, with more than 10 million copies in print.
00:09A book about a particular segment of our society, so unique and accurate in characterization,
00:14that its impact has been felt over and over again throughout the world.
00:19I think the important thing, I think the thing that made The Godfather romantic,
00:25that's an odd word to use by this.
00:28Actor James Kahn.
00:30I mean, when you put the book down, you kind of had the feeling of wanting to join this great organization.
00:35Michael Rissi, will you be baptized?
00:39I will.
00:45Michael, do you believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth?
00:50I do.
00:51Singer El Martino is Johnny Fontaine.
00:54We Italians, we have an old saying that life is so difficult that we need two fathers.
01:00And I guess that's what's so nice about having a Godfather.
01:07We're having a great time here.
01:09Wonderful!
01:11Wonderful!
01:16How do you go about making a motion picture based upon a literary achievement of such wide acclaim?
01:21A book so dynamic that it created a new casting director with each new reader.
01:29That seemingly desirous and impossible task fell to Oscar-winning writer-director Francis Ford Coppola.
01:36Every member of the Corleone family was thoroughly researched, tested, and selected from every available source of the entertainment industry.
01:43The role of Michael, the Don's youngest son, went to Al Pacino.
01:49In the family complex, there's a sense of trust.
01:52It's very powerful.
01:54That's what is preserved.
01:56An island that was invaded as much as Sicily.
01:59The people formed families so that they could have this trust within the family compound.
02:09If you had this sense of loyalty, you could combat the invaders.
02:16She's been with a winner.
02:17Singer Morgana King as Mama Corleone.
02:19He's always been on top of the situation and they have this large family of children that they love very deeply.
02:27She's very, very involved with his life, but she doesn't involve his life into the family picture.
02:39That's outside.
02:41It always remains outside.
02:43Hey, what are you going to do?
02:44Nice college boy, huh?
02:46Didn't want to get mixed up in the family business?
02:48Now you want to gun down a police captain because he slapped you in the face a little bit?
02:51What do you think, this is the army where you shoot them a mile away?
02:53You got to get up close like this and bada-bing, you blow their brains all over your nice cyber league suit.
02:58Come in. Mwah!
02:59You're taking this very person.
03:01Tom, this is business and this man is taking it very, very person.
03:04To visually create the realism of the book, 90% of the picture was shot on locations in and around New York City,
03:11including a secluded side street on Staten Island, which represented the Corleone family compound.
03:17Scenes such as this one between Michael and his girl Kay were filmed against the background of the wedding.
03:23of the Don's daughter.
03:24A sequence which took a week to shoot and employed almost 750 extras.
03:30She really thinks Michael's going to come out of this whole situation to possibly run for the presidency.
03:37You know, she thinks that's perfectly logical that her son Michael could be the president of the United States.
03:42Whereas Sonny, Sonny's just a good boy and she's probably been protecting him all his life against all of the hassles that he found to get involved with.
03:54I'll do it.
03:57You don't forget, two shots of pizza in the head as soon as you come out the door.
04:01Let's go.
04:02How long do you think it'll be before I can come back?
04:10At least a year, maybe.
04:13Listen, I'm a square wood mom. You know, you're not seeing her before you leave.
04:17I'll get a message to that girlfriend when I think the time is right.
04:24A way of life is brought to the screen more understandably and ominously than was ever thought possible.
04:45Bargini's dead. Today I settle all family business, so don't tell me you're innocent, Carl. Admit what you did. Come on.
04:57Don't be afraid, Carl. Come on. You think I make my sister a widow?
05:02It makes things come alive. If he touches...
05:13Actor Richard Castellano as Clemenza.
05:15Feel the texture. If he tastes wine or any set, you can almost taste it yourself.
05:23He plays a guy who's 65 years old, who ages 10 years in it. It's amazing. He comes in the morning. He looks great, you know.
05:30He's healthy and young looking. He puts on that makeup and for the rest of the day, he's sort of, you know, this old guy.
05:39I watch his scenes because he brings a dimension to this Don that is so beautiful.
05:46Just, I love watching him. I love the character that he becomes.
05:50That man from the other side of the world who is very family orientated and family minded and everything he does is for his family.
05:59And that's the way he extends himself to his friends. And I don't know. Marlon has that deep warmth.
06:06He really has that marvelous eye of an actor.
06:11This morning, the Don died in the scene and it was heartbreaking to see this old man die.
06:15It's just, you know, I didn't want to see that image go away, you know.
06:20It hurt. It really hurt to think that Don Corleone was dead.
06:27See, there was a necessity for Don Corleone, for Mr. Brando's characterization.
06:42There's a necessity for the syndicate, for if there were no necessity, it wouldn't exist.
07:03The making of a motion picture based upon a great novel has the tremendous problem of visually satisfying every satisfied reader.
07:24No role was more difficult to cast than that of Don Vito Corleone, the godfather.
07:34Actor Marlon Brando was director Coppola's only choice for that role.
07:39If you'd come to me in friendship, then the scum that ruined your daughter would be suffering this very day.
07:48And if by chance an honest man like yourself should make enemies, then he would become my enemies.
