When we talk about a movie like The Godfather today, it's hard to believe there was a time when they didn't think it would make any money or be successful.But you gotta remember, back in the '60s, gangster movies were absolute box office poison. Paramount had just watched Kirk Douglas tank in The Brotherhood, so the idea of another expensive Italian-American mob movie was... not exactly a winning proposition.So, when studio exec Robert Evans snagged the rights to Mario Puzo’s novel, it wasn't a guaranteed hit. It was a gamble.In order to make the movie, Evans put producer Al Ruddy on the case to find a director who made sense for the project.And that's where this weird series of events begins.Let's dive in. - YouTubewww.youtube.comThe Search for a Director Finding someone to direct the movie was reportedly a nightmare. The studio's wish list seemed like a bunch of unattainable guys: Arthur Penn, Otto Preminger, Peter Bogdanovich, Orson Welles, Sergio Leone...But they all said no.Paramount really wanted someone to take this job, but no one was stepping forward. So they turned to a young director whose biggest hit was a musical called Finian's Rainbow, named Francis Ford Coppola.They thought he had two big things going for him.He was Italian-American.He'd probably do it for cheap.As it turns out, Coppola didn't want to do it either. He read Puzo's novel and thought it was lowbrow, beneath his artistic aspirations.But one person stepped forward and told Coppola he was making a huge mistake. And...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Tuesday, 11 November