THE GODFATHER: Blu-ray re-issue (Paramount, 1972) Paramount Home Video

BEST PICTURE - 1972

To say Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather was a highly anticipated movie for Paramount Pictures in 1972 is an overstatement. Regarded with more trepidation than promise by the executive brain at Gulf + Western, the corporate leviathan having swallowed whole this once proud cornerstone of the motion picture industry for a paltry $600,000 in 1966, Coppola fought a long – and, at times, highly precarious battle, bolstered only by his personal convictions he was making a masterpiece; devoted to will it into existence. Despite his Italian heritage, Coppola thought Mario Puzo’s novel a rather tawdry affair, eventually recognizing its potential as a story of succession; essentially, the time-honored tale of a king with three sons vying to inherit the legacy of an organized crime syndicate they neither understood nor – as fate would decide – could manage without losing their souls. Recently appointed VP in Charge of Production, Robert Evans went to bat for The Godfather, but frequently found himself the lone supportive voice in a boardroom hostile to practically every request Coppola made along this very bumpy and bullet-riddled road to greatness. No one liked the idea of hiring Marlon Brando as the name above the title; Brando’s eccentricities and temperament, legendarily rumored to have delayed every major movie he appeared in since 1962’s disastrous and costly Mutiny on the Bounty. And Paramount was not warming to the subject matter either; what promised to be a clunky gangland ode to hit man stereotypes, shooting off their mouths and pistols, and, turning New York’s east side into a veritable bloody gumbo of discombobulated body parts. Perhaps, they had never read the book, or had and worried – needlessly in the end – that Coppola’s collaborative transformation of Puzo’s prose would cost decidedly more than it was worth.

Like science fiction, mob movies then were considered money-losing B-grade fodder to fill the cheap seats for the Saturday matinee. Indeed, Paramount’s most recent attempt at this sub-genre – Martin Ritt’s The Brotherhood (1968) had been an unmitigated disaster at the box office. Coppola, however, was neither interested in perpetuating the cinema stereotype of the lumbering, fractured-English ‘dumb guinea’ he believed to be wholly untrue, nor extol the virtues of a life in organized crime through the glamorization of the novel’s frequently gruesome vignettes. What appealed chiefly to Coppola was the sense of integrity Puzo’s characters possessed; hard-working men of conscience, devoted to their families, and otherwise believing in the promise of the American dream, only to have their ambitions shattered; forced into impossible situations from which only a life in organized crime could protect them from even more insidious influences in an altogether more corrupt outside world. In retrospect, the exploration of these themes became crystalized as the franchise evolved from one movie into a trilogy; the first, about a man’s brutal sacrifices to provide for his family; the second, an almost biblical parable echoing the sins of the father revisited upon the son; the third, a Shakespearean-structured reflection (nee, nightmare) of the even more careworn cliché, ‘like father/like son’.

In reviewing The Godfather nearly 50 years after its debut, one is immediately struck by how sincere Coppola and Puzo remain to these unlikely truths and, at their core, reverent to these otherwise ‘ordinary’ individuals. The Corleone family is driven neither by greed nor ambition. Held together by a devout patriarch, who sanctions and administers his brand of ‘justice’ from the armchair of his shuttered study, more than anything else, The Godfather is a saga about familial solidarity and the fiery incandescence of that next generation, threatening to dismantle such already flawed, if time-honored ‘principles’ among thieves. There are moments in Coppola’s trilogy (though particularly in the first two movies) that seem more genuine, perhaps even than life itself; Coppola’s vision grim, operatic and fearless in wielding such an awe-inspiring discipline to make a truly unique and very fine work of art. Connie’s wedding, as example, just feels like a memory; the outdoor reception suggestively ‘not staged’ for the Hollywood cameras, but stolen from a series of snapshots; the guests, unaware they are being filmed. It is, of course, a ruse; the sequence expertly paced and edited by Coppola; cut together with all the verisimilitude of an amateur party guest – albeit, one possessing finely honed powers of very keen observation and a photographic eye - let loose with his first Kodachrome camera. We have cinematographer extraordinaire, Gordon Willis to thank for ‘the look’ of The Godfather; the aptly nicknamed ‘prince of darkness’ who, as Coppola once put it, “skates on the outer peripheries of the emulsion”, drawing barely noticeable detail from the murky density of those dimly lit frames. Willis’ copper-toned tinting to invoke the mood of late 40’s Americana set a new standard and established a trend for period picture-making.

Reportedly, Paramount exec, Peter Bart insisted on Coppola’s participation as director, chiefly because he could be had for a bargain basement fee; Coppola’s independent film company – American Zoetrope – having fallen on hard times and a $400,000 deficit still owed to Warner Bros. for cost overruns on George Lucas’ THX 1138 (1971). But Production Head, Robert Evans has always held fast to that decision as ‘good casting’; as only an Italian American would understand the more intricate details and dynamics of the Corleone family unit. To this end, Sergio Leone had been Evans’ first choice to direct, turning to Coppola only after Leone declined the offer; already well into preliminary development on his opus magnum, Once Upon A Time in America, a troubled and lengthy gestation that, for various reasons, would not materialize on the screen until 1984 and even then, recut and bastardized by the studio; unceremoniously dumped on the North American market in an grotesque edit that in no way reflected Leone’s original hope or vision. Considering Evans’ recollections on how Coppola came to be cast as ‘his second’, it is interesting to note Paramount continued to shop around the directorial duties on The Godfather to practically every headlining director of his generation, including Peter Bogdanovich, Peter Yates, Richard Brooks, Arthur Penn, Costa-Gavras, and Otto Preminger. In the meantime, Coppola was belaboring his decision to return to Hollywood. Indeed, he had gone to San Francisco to establish his own film-making paradise away from the crumbling empires of Tinsel Town. Regrettably, American Zoetrope was foundering badly; Coppola’s cohorts, particularly George Lucas, lending their support to his accepting the assignment, merely to pull their beleaguered fledgling out of the red.

Coppola, who admittedly did not care for the subject matter at first, and conceded he did not get all the way through Puzo’s novel before saying ‘yes’ to The Godfather, nevertheless dove headstrong and heart-first into the project, agreeing to $125,000 and 6% of the gross as his recompense. Known for his due diligence in staying within the budgetary parameters outlined by the studio, Coppola seemed a very competent choice. However, it did not take very long for the executive brain trust to rumble with hints of misgiving. Part of the issue was Paramount had not had a major hit in a very long while. Worse, they had all but drained their coffers on a series of expensive flops; Paint Your Wagon (1969), Darling Lili (1970) and Dino De Laurentiis’ costly spectacle, Waterloo (1970) among them. Originally budgeted at $2.5 million, Coppola quickly realized The Godfather could not be made to his specifications without a considerable increase. The studio’s original plan – to shoot on a shoestring in modern-day Kansas City, with interiors lensed under a controlled environment on the Paramount back lot – were eventually vetoed by Coppola, who insisted the novel’s runaway success warranted further consideration; particularly, an adherence to the original 1940’s and early 50’s milieu. Then, as now, shooting ‘in period’ adds not only cache but sizable girth to a film’s budget. Paramount begrudgingly agreed to allow Coppola his extensive shoot in New York and Sicily, upping the ante by $6 million.

The first battle won, almost immediately Coppola’s preliminary search for the perfect cast fell under the scrutiny of Robert Evans and Gulf + Western’s exec’, Charles Bluhdorn, who could only see how the director’s ‘indecisiveness’ was costing the already cash-strapped studio more than $40,000 a day above beyond the allotted budget. Paramount’s VP, Jack Ballard, agreed to keep a watchful eye on Coppola’s development; rumored to have urged his director to consider a ‘big name’ above the title, and even suggesting the fair-haired Ryan O’Neal for the coveted part of the Corleone’s number one son, Michael. However, Coppola was rather determined the part should go to olive-skinned, dark-haired Italian, Al Pacino (a virtual unknown) instead. To elevate the film’s star-powered cache, Coppola had another actor in mind – one, equally as unpopular. From the outset, Coppola had hoped Marlon Brando would accept the part of Don Vito Corleone; the imposing patriarch of this crime family. Indeed, Puzo had confided that in writing the novel he too had used Brando as his template. Robert Evans echoed Coppola’s sentiments; later, even suggesting he had been first to consider Brando for the part. And while Brando expressed a most enthusiastic interest to partake, just as quickly Coppola was informed by Ballard, Brando would never set foot on the Paramount lot ever again.

Since 1962’s Mutiny on the Bounty – the landmark release that nearly sank MGM – wild speculations had dogged Brando’s reputation. An article published in The Saturday Evening Post shortly thereafter had ‘Bounty’s’ director, Lewis Milestone vehemently chastising Brando, adding MGM’s mismanagement “deserves what they get when they give a ham actor, a petulant child, complete control over an expensive picture.” For the rest of the decade, Brando would concurrently be accused in the press of selling out in subpar movies or not performing up to expectations in others worthy of his time and talents. His decision to sign a 5-picture deal at Universal quickly soured and virtually all five movies made for that studio failed to perform at the box office. The critics savaged his reputation, suggesting the one-time rebellious stud of such iconic fodder as A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) and The Wild Ones (1953) had inexplicably morphed into an idiotic buffoon and spoiled caricature of his former self. Perhaps, not altogether free of these criticisms, there is little to deny Brando remained as hard-working as any actor throughout the 1960’s; arguably, never intentionally sabotaging a production solely on the basis of satisfying his own ego.

Nevertheless, by 1970, the unflattering ‘un-bankable’ moniker had stuck to Brando’s reputation. Now, the same clout that had afforded Evans the right to turn The Godfather into a prestige picture, was decidedly working against Coppola’s fervent desire to cast Brando in this pivotal lead. Previously considered actors, like Ernest Borgnine, Frank de Kova, John Marley (eventually cast as movie producer, Woltz in the picture) and Richard Conte (hired to portray the beady-eyed and lethal, Don Barzini), paled to Brando’s raw magnetism and marquee-drawing power. Producer, Albert S. Ruddy conceded Brando was the real deal and essential lynchpin for the picture’s success. But Brando, who had made rather a bad enemy of Paramount’s Executive VP, Stanley Jaffe after the release of 1961’s One-Eyed Jacks seemed dead in the water after Jaffe reportedly told Coppola, “As long as I'm president of this studio, Marlon Brando will not be in this picture, and I will no longer allow you to discuss it.” Mercilessly, Coppola persisted; Jaffe eventually relenting, but setting three rather humiliating conditions, in hindsight, probably meant to discourage Brando’s participation. First, Brando would have to do the picture for $50,000 – an embarrassingly low fee for his services. Second, Brando had to sign a contract stipulating any cost overruns incurred from his delays would be covered by him personally. Third, Brando would submit to a screen test to convince the studio he could carry the part.

Coppola attempted to soften this latter blow by suggesting the ‘test’ was for makeup rather than to prove Brando’s acting ability to the studio bosses; Brando, appearing in makeup he conceived for himself, stuffing cotton balls in his mouth to puff out his cheeks.  Utterly impressed by the actor’s transformation, Charles Bluhdorn agreed to hire Brando as Don Vito Corleone; adding a caveat of 1% of the gross on a sliding scale to the actor’s deal for each $10 million over $10 million, or up to 5% if the movie exceeded $60 million – a profit margin no one could have expected the movie to surpass. The deal ought to have made Brando a very rich man, except Brando, already in desperate need of funds, prematurely sold back his points to Paramount for an estimated $100,000; kicking himself in the pants when The Godfather grossed $85.7 million on its initial release, by some conservative estimates, screwing Brando out of an $11 million-dollar profit. “The Godfather was a very unappreciated movie when we were making it,” Coppola would later admit, “The studio was very unhappy with it. They didn't like the cast. They didn't like the way I was shooting it. I was always on the verge of getting fired.”

Coppola’s one ally throughout the shoot was Brando, who steadfastly threatened to walk off the picture should Coppola be unceremoniously terminated; a not altogether unlikely prospect. On his best behavior throughout filming, Brando also served as something of the head of an impressive array of up and coming talent; including Pacino, Robert Duvall, James Caan and Diane Keaton, all readily in awe to be working in such esteemed company. Still, as the daily rushes were being screened back at Paramount, the execs began to grumble The Godfather lacked both the impetus and violence readers of the novel would be expecting. Coppola’s take on the tale was too subdued, too Italian perhaps, for their tastes. Unable to see the merit in his vision, rumors abounded the studio was preparing to replace Coppola with ‘another’ director. But Coppola’s reprieve would come when executives screened the now infamous cop-killing scene in which Michael unexpectedly assassinates corrupt Capt. McCluskey (Sterling Hayden) and his crime syndicate mouthpiece, Virgil Sollozzo (Al Lettieri), thereby setting his feet upon a lifelong path of self-destruction only partially born out in the first film. It must be said the sequence, apart from its potency in the first movie, set a new standard for screen violence, in the process, creating the prototype all future mob movies would follow; the ghastliness of seeing the back of a man’s head blown apart by a gunshot, ratchet up in The Godfather’s other outstanding shocker; Sonny Corleone’s (James Caan) horrifically cold-blooded assassination at the toll booth; a veritable blood-bath with Caan’s body riddled by rigged explosive squibs. Whether or not Coppola resented being forced to add such graphic vignettes to his familial saga is unclear. What is for certain is Coppola was intimidated by the studio’s decision to hire a ‘violence coach’ to augment his work should he be unwilling to comply with their edicts on his own.

After a riveting preamble in which Bonasera (Salvatore Corsitto); a grieving father pleads with Don Corleone (Marlon Brando) to avenge the brutal beating of his daughter by her boyfriend and his friends, The Godfather opens on the occasion of Vito’s daughter, Connie’s wedding. It is a spectacularly staged sequence on the grounds of the Corleone compound; marred only by the presence of FBI agents perusing the parking lot and jotting down various license plates to run their background checks. These ebullient snapshots from a sun-filtered afternoon are intercut with the Don entertaining various requests in his cloistered study; an old Sicilian custom. We are introduced to the rest of the Corleone clan; Sonny and Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall) – a onetime urchin the Don took in a reared as his own who, having completed his law degree, now acts as consigliere; an exalted position. We also meet various members of the Don’s inner circle; his lieutenant, Clemenza (Richard S. Castellano), hitman, Luca Brazi (Lenny Montana); devoted thug muscle come to pay his respects, and the Corleone’s driver, Paulie Gatto (John Martino in a part originally intended for Robert DeNiro, who actually screen tested for the role). Also in attendance is rival mob boss, Don Barzini (Richard Conte), Tessio (Abe Vigoda), and the Don’s bodyguard, Al Neri (Richard Bright).

The suddenly arrival of bobbysoxer-heartthrob, and the Don’s godson, singer, Johnny Fontaine (Al Martino) creates a minor stir. Indeed, the ‘stir’ extended off-screen; reportedly, Frank Sinatra not at all pleased with the transparent parallels drawn between himself and the fictional Fontaine; rumored to have made several veiled attempts through third parties to have the depiction removed from the film. As an interesting side note: Al Martino, then a popular nightclub singer was initially given the part of Johnny Fontaine at the behest of his agent, Al Ruddy. However, when Coppola came to the project, he replaced Martino with singer, Vic Damone. And here is where the waters between truth and fiction become muddied: Damone, accepting, but then inexplicably dropping out, citing the part as both too small and anti-Italian. But perhaps Martino’s reinstatement had more to do with his contacting Russell A. Bufalino; a well-known crime boss who also happened to be Martino’s godfather.  Whatever the case, Martino was in and Damone out.

While Sonny’s wife, Sandra (Julie Gregg) is busy extolling the virtues of her husband’s sexual prowess to some of her girlfriends, Sonny is off seducing one of the bridesmaids, Lucy Mancini (Jeannie Linero). Meanwhile, the Corleone’s youngest son, Michael, arrives with his girlfriend, Kay Adams. Michael is the pride and joy of the family; a decorated war hero, newly discharged from the army. Michael explains to Kay that although his family is involved in organized crime, he has remained apart from any involvement in these greyer areas of ‘the family business.’  Meanwhile, in the Don’s study, Johnny Fontaine implores his godfather to ‘convince’ Hollywood mogul, Jack Woltz (John Marley) to give him a career-defining part in his next movie. The Don sends Tom Hagen to make Woltz ‘an offer he can’t refuse’. And while Woltz initially seems receptive to at least listening to this proposal, he suddenly becomes volatile, ordering Tom from his mansion and flat out refusing to grant his request. This leads to the first iconic moment in The Godfather; Woltz, awakening in his Beverly Hills mansion the next morning, making the grisly discovery of the severed head of his prized stallion lying between the blood-soaked bed sheets. The head was real, bought by Coppola’s property master from a local dog food manufacturer who would have discarded it anyway.

We jump ahead to Christmas 1945. Backed by the Tattaglia crime syndicate, Virgil ‘the Turk’ Sollozzo makes his pitch to the Don to invest in his narcotics business, suggesting the Don might offer him protection via his political and police connections. Concerned his high-profile contacts will frown upon such a venture, Don Corleone declines, telling Sollozzo he will remain neutral. Suspicious, the Don sends Luca Brasi to cautiously observe. Sollozzo, under Bruno Tattaglia’s (Tony Giorgio) watchful eye, makes Luca a faux offer to leave the Corleone family and join them. Believing he will be able to keep closer tabs on the Tattaglias from within their organization, Luca falls for their trap by accepting the offer and is garroted; his bullet-proof vest sent to the Corleone home with a dead mackerel wrapped inside; an old Sicilian message to mark the murder. In the meantime, an attempt on the Don’s life is made – shot six times in the back while shopping a street vendor for fruit. Tom Hagen is kidnapped by Sollozzo and ordered to ‘make the peace’ with Sonny over the drug deal.

Wisely assuming Paulie’s conspicuous absence at the time of the Don’s shooting means he was likely ‘encouraged’ by the other side (as chauffeur, Paulie would have been expected to defend the Don), Sonny orders a hit; Clemenza and Rocco driving with Paulie to a remote location under a false pretext, before shooting him in the back of the head).  Making an impromptu visit to the hospital, Michael discovers someone has ordered all his father’s bodyguards to stand down; the corridors virtually emptied of any hospital personnel, save one nurse whom Michael orders to help him relocate his father’s bed to another room because he has wisely assessed Sollozzo is sending henchmen to finish the job. Michael’s clash with corrupt Police Captain McKluskey, also on Sollozzo’s payroll and chiefly responsible for removing the Don’s protection, results in a broken jaw and Michael’s pivotal decision to enter ‘the family business’ in the worst of all possible ways; avenging his disgrace as well as the attempt on his father’s life by gunning down McKluskey and Sollozzo in cold blood. Exiled to Sicily, Michael is placed under the care of loyal family friend, Don Tomassino (Corrado Gaipa) who periodically keeps him informed of developments in America. Michael also meets Apollonia, the daughter of a local restaurateur. Their carefully observed courtship blossoms into romance and the two are eventually wed. Alas, the bliss is short-lived. Word arrives from America Sonny has been assassinated after flying off the handle in Connie’s defense; Carlo severely beaten his pregnant wife and, on the Tattaglia’s payroll as an informer who helped in Sonny’s ambush at the toll booth. Not long thereafter, Don Tomassino informs Michael it is not safe for him to remain in Sicily; prophetic words, as a car bomb, meant for Michael, kills Apollonia instead.

We jump cut a year into the future; Michael, returned home under a safe guarantee and free to pursue Kay as his wife. She is reluctant, though nevertheless willing. Michael pursues an ambitious campaign to move the Corleone’s crime syndicate out west to Nevada; tempting high roller, Moe Greene (Alex Rocco) with a buy out. Greene, however, is incensed he should give up one of the most lucrative gambling houses in Vegas simply to satisfy Michael. After the Don passes away from natural causes, Michael learns of both Tessio and Carlo’s involvement with Don Barzini and the Tattaglias; ordering an aggressive vengeance on all of the five families and Moe Greene. In the ensuing bloodbath, Michael is the only one left standing; confronting Carlo at the family home. Pretending to have decided on exile as punishment for his involvement, Michael hands Carlo a plane ticket and orders him to leave for the airport at once. Yet, only a few paces out of the Corleone compound, Carlo is garroted by Clemenza; Connie, arriving as Michael and Kay are moving in to confront her brother about the murder. Michael lies to Kay about his involvement. She naively believes him, but begins to suspect her deal in marriage has been made with the devil as Michael entertains a select group of his late father’s loyal contacts who refer to him as ‘Don Corleone.’ 

Rumor has it, the powers that be at Paramount received veiled threats from several mob bosses regarding the use of the words, ‘mafia’ and ‘Cosa Nostra’ – neither appearing in the original Godfather’s dialogue, though each prominently featured in The Godfather Part II, during Michael’s interrogation by the Senate Committee investigating organized crime. Indeed, the Italian-American Civil Rights League had its own misgivings about various aspects of the original script, gravely concerned it glorified stereotypes and whitewashed all Italians in an unflattering light. Underestimating Coppola’s resolve and purpose, not only to make a good picture, but also to honor his Italian-American ancestry with faithful depictions, Coppola worked diligently and in close collaboration with cinematographer, Gordon Willis on establishing the sepia and Kodachrome look of The Godfather; bathed in brassy copper hues for the exteriors, and saturated in oppressively dark shadows for its interiors. Coppola applied ‘old school’ principles in shooting the film; no zoom lenses or clever aerial photography; but expertly composed master shots with as much attention paid to detail in the backgrounds as to what was happening in the foreground.

During post-production, Coppola made a fortuitous decision in hiring Nino Rota to compose the underscore, a veritable potpourri of since iconic themes, almost disregarded wholesale by Robert Evans as being ‘too highbrow’, but rescued by Coppola’s own last-minute stubbornness. For some time thereafter, The Godfather Waltz became a very popular selection to introduce all fathers of the bride at weddings. Coppola’s fine touches and tinkering cost The Godfather its planned Christmas release; the picture, debuting the following March to almost unanimous acclaim and record box office; earning $81.5 million in North America alone, displacing the all-time record holder, Gone With The Wind (1939); a hallowed position briefly held until the release of Jaws (1975). Nominated for 7 Golden Globes and 11 Academy Awards (and winning 5 and 3 respectively, including Globes and Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture), it was inevitable Paramount would order up a sequel. Coppola’s place in the cinema firmament – precarious a few scant years before by a few abysmal misfires – had suddenly, and justly, been secured for the ages.

It has been eleven years since Paramount Home Video first released The Godfather: The Coppola Restorations on Blu-ray – at the time, a ground-breaking and very costly last-ditch effort to rescue the fragile and decaying emulsion off the original camera negatives. I recall so well popping these discs into my Blu-ray player back in 2008, not exactly certain what to expect – having experienced the first two Godfather movies only in deplorably faded and grainy home video masters. But herein, and quite unexpectedly, I was suddenly surprised by an extraordinarily revitalized picture element, under the supervision of film preservationist, Robert A. Harris. Gordon Willis’ sepia-richness restored, I can honestly say I was immediately and overwhelmingly blown away by the results. Alas, not so much anymore - as hi-def mastering technologies have steadily improved – or rather, caught up to where these efforts were eleven years ahead, but also, as imperfections that seemed minor and forgivable back in 2008, now appear as absent-minded oversights in need of correction.

It bears further mention that by the time Mr. Harris and his team got their hands on these original camera negatives they were so utterly dirty and in such a delicate state of disrepair, they could no longer be run through any standard film laboratory printing equipment, resulting in a digital, rather than photo-chemical restoration. These elements have been reassembled in 1080p, utilizing the very best archival materials culled from innumerable sources; all of them scanned in at 4K resolution, then dumbed down to 1080p. Thousands of instances of dirt and scratches were digitally removed. Alas, Gordon Willis’ exceptionally dim cinematography reveals some glaring nicks and chips and occasional dot crawl still present. The original grain structure is exceptionally well preserved, save a few brief shots and/or cutaways in which it can appear slightly exaggerated and/or clumpy. Concurrently, the audio masters herein also have been given a superior cleanup in 5.1 DTS. The only extra included on the ‘single’ disc releases of The Godfather and its subsequent sequels are an audio commentary from Francis Ford Coppola. For those relishing a densely packed Godfather Trilogy experience, my best recommendation is that you purchase the complete trilogy, reviewed elsewhere in this blog. Either way, The Godfather on Blu-ray comes highly recommended. Could it look better. Yes, in native 4K. Hopefully, Paramount Home Video gets around to this.

FILM RATING (out of 5 – 5 being the best)

5+

VIDEO/AUDIO

4.5

EXTRAS

1