I read the novel a few months after it was first released, and even though I loved it, I never thought of a movie being made from it. Before I first saw the movie I was disappointed in the casting of the sons....I thought Warren Beatty would have made a good "Sonny" (I had never heard of James Caan then), and even though I had already seen Al Pacino in "Panic in Needle Park" and thought he was a decent actor, I was surprised that he was given such a chance to play a big role.

Aside from Brando as The Don, the other big role I was dumbfounded by was Robert Duvall's "Tom Hagen". I had seen him in "M*A*S*H", and thought he was a good comedic actor, and I couldn't understand how he landed the role of the consigliere.

Its funny how after 30 years, and seeing the movie many times my opinions have changed so drastically (I can't see anyone else in those roles now).