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Who was missed more?
#6646
02/07/04 06:37 PM
02/07/04 06:37 PM
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 379
Southeast USA
Don Vanchenzo
OP
Capo
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OP
Capo
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 379
Southeast USA
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Who was missed more: Richard Castellano in Godfather II; or Robert Duvall in Godfather III? My vote is for Clemenza; although, Hagan saving us from BJ would have been merciful. 
"The Godfather was a man to whom everybody came for help and never were they disappointed. He made no empty promises, nor the craven excuse that his hands were tied by more powerful forces in the world than himself. It was not necessary that he be your friend, it was not even important that you had no means with which to repay him. Only one thing was required. That you, yourself, proclaim your friendship. And then, no matter how poor or powerless the supplicant, the Godfather would take that person's troubles to his heart. He would let nothing stand in the way to a solution of that person's woe. His reward? Friendship, the respectful title 'Don' and sometimes the more affectionate salutation of 'Godfather.' Perhaps, to show respect only, never for profit, some humble gift - a gallon or homemade wine or a basket of fresh baked goods on a holiday. It was understood to proclaim that you were in his debt and that he had the right to call upon you at any time to redeem the debt by some small service." -- Mario Puzo, The Godfather (1969).
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Re: Who was missed more?
#6652
02/08/04 02:37 AM
02/08/04 02:37 AM
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 310
EnzoBaker
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Capo
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 310
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In both cases, FFC should have just recast the characters rather than writing the characters out because the original actors would not return, and then writing in an almost identical character to take their place.
They could have just cast Gazza to play "Pete Clemenza" rather than "Frankie Pentangeli" and really, who would have been that upset by it? Nobody was that upset when they recast Vito Corleone, for cripe's sake.
Nobody had any problem adjusting after 10 seconds, "OK Marlon Brando isn't playing Vito anymore, DeNiro is," there wouldn't have been any problem getting people to believe Gazza was Clemenza.
In GF II in particular, they go to the trouble in the flashback sequences to set up how Clemenza actually led Vito across the line into criminal activity, it would have been more powerful in the 1959 sequences to show Clemenza finally cracking and betraying the Family in his final desperation.
The movie was great anyway, but there is this kind of jarring transition where Pentangeli appears virtually out of nowhere - no appearance, not even a reference in GF I. (The Hyman Roth character also suffers from this 'out of nowhere' syndrome.)
I'm surprised they didn't throw in a short scene like the deleted scene on the DVD where the younger characters of Roth and Pentangeli are at least introduced to establish that they didn't just parachute into the movie in 1958.
It would have been better IMO to simply cast Gazza as Clemenza and take it from there.
Same thing with Hagen in GF III. To me one of the subtexts which develops toward the end of GF II is whether Hagen's loyalty is absolute. Michael indicates on a couple occasions that he has doubts about Hagen's loyalty (the 'can't i get a straight answer from you,' the job offer from the competing casino) and it certainly would have been interesting to see in the Sixties and Seventies how that relationship progressed.
I mean, we have the boathouse scene, where Michael tells Hagen, "You're my brother, Tom," and Hagen says, "I always wanted to be thought of as a brother - a real brother," which seems to indicate that Hagen is in for life. But don't forget that Hagen also knows what happens to Fredo. So I would guess that at some time in the future there would come a few "moments of truth" regarding Hagen's role in the family.
When Duvall wouldn't sign on they filled the script holes with George Hamilton doing the Hagen-as-lawyer role and the Andrew Hagen episodes for the 'family' end of it - which to me were complete throwaway scenes.
If I were FFC, if Duvall wouldn't sign on I would have recast the role - Michael Moriarity for instance is a guy who resembles Duvall and probably could have done a good job - and simply kept Tom Hagen in the completed script.
"You did good."
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Re: Who was missed more?
#6653
02/08/04 03:38 AM
02/08/04 03:38 AM
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 365
National City, CA
Caporegime
Capo
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Capo
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 365
National City, CA
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My vote would have to go to Duvall only because of how bad BJ fit into the trilogy. If it were up to me I'd have both Duvall and Castellano.
Sal: "Tom, can you get me off the hook? For old times' sake?"
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Re: Who was missed more?
#6655
02/08/04 11:58 AM
02/08/04 11:58 AM
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,393
Tampa, Florida
johnny ola
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Underboss
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,393
Tampa, Florida
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In both cases, FFC should have just recast the characters rather than writing the characters out because the original actors would not return, and then writing in an almost identical character to take their place.
Enzo, I disagree. I think recasting the original actors would have diluted the appeal of the films. Yes they, subsituted DeNiro as Vito, but they were Vito at much different ages. Also it took a actor of DeNiros ability to portray a "young" Vito, following in the mold that Brando portrayed an "older" Vito. 
I love my Chrysler and tuna fish sandwiches.
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