On this day in 1971, Francis Ford Coppola woke up to start production on The Godfather. Finalizing the script while on set and primarily concerned about collaborating with the actors, Coppola left most all of the decisions about visuals to his director of photography, Gordon Willis. Meticulous and slow-going in his lighting set-ups, Willis irked Coppola more and more as the production fell behind in its shooting schedule. On top of that, the mob thwarted the moviemaker’s ability to shoot in particular locations at specific times.
Although the movie release on March 15, 1972 ushered in both positive reviews and box office numbers, the production experience made Coppola question whether or not he wanted to direct the sequel. He relented—and returned in 1974 with The Godfather: Part II, often cited as the best of his mafia trilogy.
Quotable: “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” -Marlon Brando as Don Corleone in The Godfather.
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