I saw ‘The Godfather’ for the first time during my college days, on a friend’s laptop. And that is also the first time when I saw Al Pacino, in the role of Michael Corleone, the youngest son of Don Corleone, played by Marlon Brando (And went home with an Oscar). Strangely this little man got me curious to know more about him. There is something in his eyes that will haunt you. With one look, he could send chills down your spine. Not in a horrific way but in a threatening way.
Later I went on watching his films one after another. He did many different kinds of roles; a friend, a lover, a father, a cop, an idiot and even a gay! (cruising). But nothing ever came close to Michael Corleone. He was just tailor made for that role. And the credit must be given to the director, Francis Ford Coppola (of course, the entire cast was outstanding). So what made this character and his casting so memorable…?
Well for one thing, it broke the stereotype. A typical mafia ‘Don’ was supposed to be walking tall over six feet and weighing over a couple of hundred pounds. And our Pacino was just about five feet five inch tall.. ! And the other thing is his characterization. The way he slowly commands over his father’s empire and at the same time, wins over the family’s approval. Though initially no one’s ready to accept him as the boss, eventually he proves his mettle and fills in his father’s shoes.
Though Pacino was praised a lot for his role in The Godfather part one, his performance was largely overshadowed by Marlon Brando’s image. It was in the second part, he completely stole the show. He was more confident, self assured than before. May be that’s the way his character was scripted, but it was a feast to see him deliver his best ever performance, with subtle expressions, restrained movements and measured dialogues (No ‘Ooh Aah’s at that time!)
Now, after 44 years, everybody can say that his casting for the role was perfect. But he was not the first choice then. Not by the executives of paramount or by other members of the team, except for the director. Many stars at that time like Robert Redford, Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, Ryan O’Neal and Robert De Niro etc were screen tested and almost everybody’s convinced with Robert Redford. But Francis Coppola was stuck with Al Pacino and persuaded the paramount executives to cast him in. And finally the producers gave in and Pacino got the role of Michael. After it’s release, ‘The Godfather’ was a roaring success, both critically and commercially. It was made with a meager budget of 6 to 7 million and went on to collect about 245 million dollars. Al Pacino became a star overnight with this film and even got an Academy nomination for the best actor in a supporting role. And the rest is all history…
Dr.Naresh.com 