Classic Trailer: The Godfather
Forty years ago this weekend, the box office was ruled by The Godfather. The Italian-American crime epic, which cemented Francis Ford Coppola's status as a respected director and made a star out of young Al Pacino, was resoundingly successful, both commercially and critically, but its development was far from easy.
Coppola, who frequently clashed with Paramount Pictures during production, had to fight fiercely for his casting choices. Among other possibilities for Vito Corleone, portrayed to Oscar-winning effect by Marlon Brando, were Laurence Olivier and Ernest Borgnine, while his son, Michael, played by Pacino in a career-making role, had Robert Redford, Jack Nicholson, and Warren Beatty as potentials for the part.
In the end, of course, the trio of Coppola, Brando, and Pacino, along with a stellar supporting cast, proved to be a formidable combination, resulting in one of the best films ever made. Coppola, remarkably just at the beginning of a thriving artistic era, went on to make The Conversation and The Godfather: Part II, a movie arguably even than its predecessor.
Stay tuned to CM for our full review of The Godfather.
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