047 The Godfather (The Making Of)

Retro Grade Podcast

On this episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we find even more to talk about The Godfather. Behind every great movie, is a great story of how it was made, and the impact it had when it was released. Have you ever wondered why The Godfather was such a big deal? Well, on this episode we might have some answers for you!

We talk about where Mario Puzo got the inspiration to tell this story by talking to some mob members while gambling with them. We talk about how Francis Ford Coppola didn’t want to make this movie, how the studio did not want to make the movie Coppola wanted to make, and how the real life Mafia that existed in New York, REALLY did not want the movie to be made period. This movie almost got canned before a single frame was even shot.

We get into the cinematic landscape that this movie came out in. Did you know that 1971 had the lowest ticket sales on record until recent pandemic? With TV taking off and movies getting stale, The Godfather offered something different. Something you could only get from the theatrical experience.

After the huge success that the movie eventually was, the story doesn’t end there. Creating a star out of Al Pacino, an auteur out of Francis Ford Coppola, and a different side to Marlon Brando that no one knew he had. A side that earned him an Oscar, that he famously declined and gave an opportunity to Sacheen Littlefeather to speak about the racist representation of Native Americans in film and TV.

There is so much more to The Godfather story besides the nearly three hour film. We hope you enjoy this one, and stay tuned for next Sunday, because we talk about Sophia Coppola’s breakthrough film, Lost in Translation!

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o