I don't know if this was brought up in any of the threads, but are there things in the film that catch your eye? I have GF1 on my iPod and I was watching it on my laptop tonight and noticed in the scene when Don Corleone is picking up oranges from the stand there's a sign that says "Jake LaMotta vs Tommy Bell" and the date is set for January 11th. I looked up this fight and it is set in the year 1946.

Are there small things in the film that catch your eye?

Appolonia's boobs.

I'm not usually consciously aware of the minor but since I've watched the GF movies so many times I find myself "looking for" background stuff now. Turnbull is fond of pointing out how exacting FFC was in his detail to authenticity (as is witnessed in the photo in the above post) and more often than not that detail proves uncannily effective.

Then again there's that 1972 Florida inspection sticker on Michael's car in Miami.

Thanks, SC. I'd like to go through some of my favorites again:
--The "Dewey for President" poster on the wall when Sonny beats up Carlo. Some here think that it puts the time frame ca. 1949-50 because Dewey was the GOP candidate in '48. But he also ran in '44, and I'm putting the time frame at '46.
--The wool ribbons in the girls' hair at Connie's wedding, and the short ties on the men. That's because the usual materials (silk, rayon) were grabbed up by the War Department for parachutes.
--The old guy who sings at the wedding has his glasses in his breast pocket--exactly where an old guy would put them because he's too vain to wear them while performing.
--"Da wooden bumpiz" on Clemenza's '46 Cad. Detroit did ship 'em with wooden bumpers because of chromium shortages backed up from the war. (But Cad didn't start selling '46 models until May of '46--maybe Clem got a Mafia-only deal.)
--Every bit of the Havana sequence, which is so authentic that college professors teaching Cuban history advise their students to see II to get a feeling for what Cuba was like on the eve of the Castro takeover. One of the most brilliant details: the crowds attacking parking meters. Really happened: Batista promised that the revenue from the meters would go to a childrens' hospital, but he diverted them to his brother in law.
--All the cars.

The fact that all characters drank alcohol pretty casually in almost every scene inspired me to make this clip

When Michael is in Sicily and they show the black & white posters on the stone walls announcing death notices...I instantly recognized those because it was the same graphic or template they were still using in the '80's when I was in Italy with the navy. They probably still use them today?

In GF when Sonny is beating up Carlo; the yellow Rheingold beer truck in the background. Rheingold was a popular New York City beer.

In Clemenza's basement when he is teaching Michael to shoot; a picture of a Pope pinned to the wall.

To the left outside of Louis Italian American Restaurant, there is
a vintage poster advertising Palisades Park Amusement Park. That was a hugely popular place in the New York metro area back in the day, and was located in Cliff Side Park / Fort Lee, New Jersey. In fact it had just closed the year before the Godfather came out. So it's closing must have been in the news around the time this was filmed. I remember that place, and have photos of me there in the late 1960's. It's now the site of apartment buildings.

Yeah I remember Palisades Amusement Park. They had a great jingle..."Skip the bother and skip the fuss// take the public service bus// Public service sure is great// it takes you right up to the gate// of Palisades!

But I digress.

I love the wall behind Clemenza and Michael in Clemenza's basement. There's a picture of a woman and another one of the Pope (Pius XII I believe).

How about Freddie Canon singing about the Park. One of my favorites at the time.

There are two scenes where we see kids fighting on the street: When Sollozzo visits the Corleones and almost the same game at the christmas shopping scene.

In the novel, Stracci's first name is Anthony; in the film it's Victor.

The air conditioner window unit at Clemenza's house.

Tom carrying his briefcase to his initial meeting with Woltz. Why?

Tattaglia whispering to an aide at the Don's meeting. Why was that in that scene?

Kay escorting her class' kids across the street. How did Mike know she would be there?

Sonny biting his fist when he sees Connie's black eye. I remember people doing that.

The long collar ends on Vito's shirt at the Don's meeting. Very similar to the Wiseguys in the "Analyze" movies and some other more recent gangster movies.