http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/trivia

Cool facts about The GodFather.

DS

Very interesting. I especially like the point about all of the food and drink in the movie. How very Italian!!

Burt Reynolds could have been Michael


DS

Yes, some really good stuff! I've read some other books that have included much of this information. However I don't recall ever hearing that George Lucas was involved in creating a certain scene in GF! Very very interesting tid bit!


Don Cardi

That's wicked DS, thanks for posting! I just know I'm going to spend the whole of tomorrow trying to drop those facts into general conversation and having everyone rolling their eyes at me

Thanks DS, very interesting. I knew some of them. However, didn't know that Pacino badly injured is leg while filming the "exit" from the McCluskey/Sollozo shooting??? Didn't he simply walk quickly out of the restaurant?



TIS

About the scene where Sonny is killed: There were female crew members around, and Caan claims that "if they weren't around, I wouldn't have done [the scene]".

I don't get it...

Also, does anyone know what Anthony Gounaris has done since then? Imdb doesn't have anything else in his filmography, so he must not have been an actor... who was he, what's his story, and what is he doing now?

Hi Zia!

Yea, I don't get what Caan meant by that remark either.


TIS

Pacino injured himself AFTER that.... In a scene that ended up on the cutting room floor he attempted to jump into Tessio's car (after leaving the restaurant) and thats when the injury happened.

Brando putting the cotton in his cheeks was widely known, but I've learned since I've been here mostly, that he was quite a prankster as well. As mentioned in the link, adding weights to his hospital bed, so it would make it heavier to lift.

And yet another injury when Caan, during the scene in which it beats Carlo, actually breaking two of Russo's ribs and elbow! Ouch!!! I guess Carlo really did get the sh*t beaten out of him.

Damn, it would have been so cool just to scene any one of the GF scenes being filmed.

TIS

A few comments on the IMDb's trivia -

They mention that the Italian word "strunz" means "asshole". Thats incorrect - it means "shit" (as in "turd").

They mention that Santino died in 1951 - we know better; he died in either 1947 or '48.

They assume Vito was shot in late 1945 (which is correct), but for the wrong reason. They mention a boxing poster being in view for a fight between Jake LaMotta and Tomy Bell on January 9, 1946 (the fight was actually January 11th) BUT that could have still meant that Vito was shot in early 1946. The best evidence is seeing the back headline of the paper that Mike was reading about his father getting shot - that headline reports a boxing victory of middleweight Tony Janiro (over Humberto Zavala) on December 21, 1945.

Ha ha!! You know I know that word, "strunz" (only my family would say "strunza"). All us Italian Americans who don't know Italian seem to know the "bad" words. We all know culo. Of course there's mamaluc (sp?), which I was told never to say. Again, my parents pronounciation would be "mamalucca/o". Don't know if it's slangy or what, but that's how they pronounced it. See, I know Italian. Btw, do they use that word in GF?

Sorry, didn't mean to turn this into a "sh*t" thread.

TIS

If we are talking dirty...
Merdone!

And to back up that evidence let's remember that when we see Tom being taken hostage by Sollozo, he is Christmas shopping and is carrying packages of gifts, and when he is released we see a background of Christmas trees that are for sale on a lot.


Don Cardi

Cool facts is right. Thanks for sharing!

Jack Nicolson could have been Michael!

DS

Anyone who have seen the audition where De Niro plays Sonny? (in the DVD Collection) Christ, that's a funny scene!

Is that the scene where James Caan says: "I don't want my brother coming out of that toilet with just his dick in his hand"? If so, I have it on Midi-file (with Robert De Niro). It is quite funny... It goes like this: "You gonna take both of them? You gonna take both of them? (yes 2 times, and shouting) And you know what they're gonna do to you? You'll have to get really close, that's what you have to do. Really close..." then only mumbling:)
Maybe the exact order of words is wrong, but it's close to what he said.

IMDB also has Part II and Part III trivia.

The Godfather: Part II trivia is here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071562/trivia .

The Godfather: Part III trivia is here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099674/trivia .

Hi Brian_S and welcome!!

Interesting tidbits:

Would anyone have ever noticed this:


"Originally the actors in the flashback scenes wore pants with zippers. One of the musicians pointed out that the zipper had not been invented at that time, so some scenes had to be re-shot with button-fly trousers."

Also historic that Brando & DeNiro are the only actors to win oscars for portraying the same character.


This is interesting as well:

"As the "deceased" Mama Corleone, Morgana King only appeared in the coffin for the establishing shot where her face is clearly visible. In all other shots, Coppola's mother, Italia Coppola, stood in for Ms. King since she (King) initially refused to be in the coffin at all."


TIS

How hard can it be to lie in a room with Robert Duvall and John Cazale for a couple of hours? And get paid for the privelege? Geez, some of these actor-y types...!

I have a book around here somewhere that says Pacino almost didn't get the role because he looked TOO Italian. Whoever thought that was drinking too much chianti, I think.

Mamaluke was the word we sometimes used to refer to blacks. I never heard it used to mean anything else. I remember coolee which was a form of culo. Of course, my neighborhood was largely Napolitan so some words and meanings were different.