“Mario Puzo’s casting for The Godfather, the book, was brilliant. In Mario’s original concept of the book, the character of Michael was younger and more like Sonny – he was a hot-head, a lot more passionate, and had a definite relationship with his mother. There were also other characters that were sort of switched around. For example, in Mario’s book, Tom Hagen was Irish. However, when it came time to cast the film adaptation of The Godfather, Coppola chose to go in a different direction than Puzo had originally intended.”
The blog post goes on to provide a list comparing the actors chosen for the movie to their counterparts in Puzo’s novel:
The Godfather is one of the greatest movies of all time, but it would’ve been a very different movie had the author’s original casting choices been used. Mario Puzo wrote his famous novel, The Godfather, in 1969. The book was an instant success, and by the end of that year Paramount Pictures had purchased the rights to produce a film based on it. Even though Mario Puzo was going to write the screenplay, he still suggested a few actors who should be considered for the roles.
The first actor he wanted to play the role of Don Corleone was Laurence Olivier (Michael Caine’s uncle in Sleuth). Olivier turned down the role because he didn’t want to be associated with such a violent movie. Paramount also wanted Orson Welles (Citizen Kane) as Don Corleone. They were so serious about casting him that they designed all the sets around his girth and height. However, during pre-production Welles quit because he felt there wasn’t enough acting required for his character.
While the producers were searching for a new Don Corleone, Puzo suggested that director Francis Ford Coppola consider Marlon Brando (On The Waterfront) for
Part of the appeal of The Godfather is the way it grounds a classic crime film in a recognizable world. The story and characters feel like they could have happened, or could be happening right now. In fact, the film was highly influenced by real life events, from gangland killings to political corruption.
So it’s no surprise that Francis Ford Coppola wanted his actors to have a similar vibe. While the first two Godfather films are classic Hollywood epics, with elaborate sets and big stars, Coppola also felt that casting real people would make the story more believable for audiences. He even admitted that he hired Marlon Brando on the basis of his similarity to Vito Genovese, one of the most powerful mob bosses in history.
It all came together to create one of the greatest casts ever assembled. Here are just a few examples of how Coppola’s casting choices differed from Mario Puzo’s original novel:
The Godfather is one of the greatest movies of all time. It was released in 1972, and is based on a book that was published in 1969.
The lead role of Michael Corleone was played by Al Pacino. This casting decision was different from what the author Mario Puzo had in mind when he wrote the novel.
According to an article on MentalFloss, Mario Puzo wanted Robert Redford to play Michael Corleone. However, Paramount wanted a less pricey actor for the role, so they did not go with Puzo’s choice.
Robert Redford went on to play great roles in movies such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President’s Men, and Out of Africa. Al Pacino also went on to star in many major movies after playing Michael Corleone, including Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon.
Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather was released on March 24, 1972. It stars Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone, Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen, and James Caan as Santino “Sonny” Corleone. The film received excellent reviews and won three Academy Awards in 1973 for Best Picture, Best Actor (Brandt), and Best Adapted Screenplay.
In Mario Puzo’s novel The Godfather, there are many differences between the characters in the book and the ones portrayed in the movie.
Here are some of them:
Vito Corleone (Brando) is a much different character than Vito Andolini Corleone (played by Marc Anthony). In the book, Vito is a ruthless godfather who has no sense of humor or compassion. In the movie, he is more of a sophisticated businessman who commands respect from his family and friends.
Michael Corleone (Pacino) is portrayed as an honorable man with a strong sense of right and wrong. He has to deal with his father’s death while trying to protect himself from being killed by rival gangs or police officers who want him dead because they believe he was involved
In Mario Puzo’s novel, The Godfather, the character Johnny Fontane never says “I don’t know what to do, Godfather.” Instead, he says “Godfather, I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do.” The line is repeated twice in the novel.
In the movie, it is only said once.
This is a good example of how Coppola differs from the source material in his adaptation.
The film is much more economical than the book. This can be attributed to Coppola’s background as a screenwriter and director. He knows what makes for a good script and he prunes away anything that doesn’t serve that goal.
This is not an indictment of Puzo’s writing skills; they are on full display in the book itself. But screenplays are very different creatures than novels. They have entirely different goals and objectives, after all:
A novel can be sprawling and complex because you don’t have time constraints (generally speaking) whereas a screenplay is always going to need to be short enough to fit into a two-hour (or thereabouts) movie.
Coppola’s adaptation takes this into account and compresses many of the subplots from the
The Godfather is one of the most famous films in movie history. The 1972 film won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and still ranks
