Posted on 08/13/2011 4:18:16 PM PDT by EveningStar
Would Lord Laurence Olivier have made a better Don Vito Corleone than Marlon Brando in The Godfatherc?
Coppola's casting choices were unpopular with studio executives at Paramount Pictures, particularly Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone. Coppola's first two choices for the role were both Brando and Laurence Olivier, but Olivier's agent refused the role, saying, "Lord Olivier is not taking any jobs. He's very sick. He's gonna die soon and he's not interested" (Olivier lived 18 years after the refusal)...
Very surprised to see “Uncle Junior Soprano” played Johnny Ola in Godfather II.
He was great. Died of bone cancer I think.
Maybe somebody can help me out with this: What exactly did Fredo do to help Hyman Roth and Johnny Ola, thereby betraying his brother Michael?
I only found out recently that when he died, he was with Meryl Streep....and DeNiro personally bankrolled the insurance with the movie studio so he could be in The Deerhunter.
I’m not sure, but I think he inadvertently helped them set up Michael that time they shot up Michael’s house and tried to kill him.
Bingo! The family used people’s vices as a means of income; they were going to drink or gamble anyway.
The Solazzo thing with drugs turned off Don Corleone who saw it as a different means of corruption. That went against the younger, greedier Dons who didn’t emigrate here and go through the hardships he did as a young man. That is why they tried to bump him off and lead to “the mattresses.”
Speculation was he was the one who opened the curtains in the bedroom when they tried to kill Michael. He also provided key information to the Congressional Committee who was investigating the Corleone Family, knowing the key Senator on the committee was on Roth’s payroll.
Cazale was dying of cancer. His last movie was the Deer Hunter, I believe, and he died soon after it was completed.
I have, and he lived across the street from a good friend of mine just north of Detroit. In fact, he owned a huge vacant lot next to my friend's house where he supplied soccer nets and installed a goal post for the local kids to either play soccer or practice field goal kicking. He was also active in my friend's Catholic church........
For all intents and purposes, he was a wonderful old man to his neighbors but his "business" finally landed him in prison.........
It's typical hollywood hype, today's mobsters are your friendly neighbors taking their kids to soccer and ball practice or having the grandkids over for the weekend..........
He died even before completion, they altered the filming schedule, so they could film his scenes first.
I thought Brando was great in the Godfather, in fact it is the only movie I have seen him in where I didn’t think he was over acting. I am certainly not a Brando fan, I think in most of his movies he sucks. but I am no critic, I thought Betty Davis was overacting in most of her movies too and though most Hollywood interviews called her beautiful I thought she was a dog.
However, Fredo claims he had nothing to do with the hit attempt, and only wanted to break out on his own with Roth's help, since he knew he would always be the runt in the Corleone clan with no chance for his own family.
I only wish in Godfather II, they had Clemenza, instead of Pentageli. We never really learn what happend to Clemenza, other than the guy saying, “That was no heart attack.”
That is the stereotype.
Brando killed it (no pun intended).
BTTT
Goidfather II wasn’t too bad , although the flashbacks were the best part of it, but Godfather III Reeked, it sucked so bad. I have never been able to watch it in it’s entirety.
There were a lot of rumors about Brando’s sexuality.
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