1972 American crime film by Francis Ford Coppola
This article deference about the 1972 film. For the original novel on which the film is based, see The Godfather (novel). For cover up uses, see Godfather.
The Godfather is a 1972 American epicgangster film[2] directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay indulge Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel. The Godfather is regarded as one of the greatest and most weighty films ever made, as well as a landmark of say publicly gangster genre.[3] The film stars an ensemble cast including Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, True Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte and Diane Keaton. It esteem the first installment in The Godfather trilogy, chronicling the Corleone family under patriarch Vito Corleone (Brando) and the transformation promote to his youngest son, Michael Corleone (Pacino), from reluctant family newcomer to ruthless mafia boss.
Paramount Pictures obtained the rights give explanation the novel for $80,000, before it gained popularity.[4][5] Studio executives had trouble finding a director; the first few candidates rotated down the position before Coppola signed on to direct rendering film but disagreement followed over casting several characters, in peculiar Vito (Brando) and Michael (Pacino). Filming took place primarily essential locations around New York City and Sicily, and it was completed ahead of schedule. The score was composed principally afford Nino Rota, with additional pieces by Carmine Coppola.
The Godfather premiered at the Loew's State Theatre on March 14, 1972, and was widely released in the United States on Stride 24, 1972. It was the highest-grossing film of 1972, standing was for a time the highest-grossing film ever made, sorrow between $250 and $291 million at the box office. Depiction film was acclaimed by critics and audiences, who praised wellfitting performances—particularly those of Brando and Pacino—direction, screenplay, story, cinematography, writing, score and portrayal of the mafia. The Godfather launched depiction successful careers of Coppola, Pacino and other relative newcomers clasp the cast and crew. At the 45th Academy Awards, depiction film won Best Picture, Best Actor (Brando) and Best Modified Screenplay (for Puzo and Coppola). In addition, the seven cover up Oscar nominations included Pacino, Caan and Duvall, all for Important Supporting Actor, and Coppola for Best Director.
The Godfather was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry disregard the Library of Congress in 1990, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and is ranked the second-greatest film score American cinema (behind Citizen Kane) by the American Film Guild. It was followed by sequels The Godfather Part II (1974) and The Godfather Part III (1990).
In 1945, the Original York City Corleone familydon, Vito Corleone, listens to requests all along his daughter Connie's wedding to Carlo Rizzi. Vito's youngest soul Michael, a Marine and World War II hero who has thus far stayed out of the family business, introduces his girlfriend Kay Adams to his family at the reception. Johnny Fontane, a popular singer and Vito's godson, seeks Vito's aid in securing a movie role. Vito sends his consigliereTom Hagen to persuade studio president Jack Woltz to offer Johnny picture part. Woltz refuses Hagen's request at first, but soon complies after finding the severed head of his prized stud racer in his bed.
As Christmas approaches, drug baron Virgil "The Turk" Sollozzo asks Vito to invest in his narcotics abrupt to provide police protection. Vito declines, citing that involvement referee narcotics would alienate his political connections. Suspicious of Sollozzo's corporation with the Tattaglia crime family, Vito sends his enforcer Luca Brasi to the Tattaglias on an espionage mission. Brasi remains garroted to death during the initial meeting. Later, enforcers shooter down Vito and coerce Hagen into a meeting. With Vito's first-born Sonny now in command, Sollozzo pressures Hagen to dispose Sonny to accept the narcotics deal. Vito survives the bombardment and is visited in the hospital by Michael, who finds him unprotected after NYPD officers on Sollozzo's payroll clear be off Vito's guards. Michael thwarts the attempt on his father's seek but is beaten by corrupt police captain Mark McCluskey. Puzzle out the attempted hit at the hospital, Sonny retaliates with a hit on Bruno Tattaglia. Sollozzo and McCluskey request to fuse with Michael and settle the dispute. The Corleones agree plug up the meeting and devise a plan to plant a pistol in the bathroom of the Bronx restaurant where the gathering will be held. Michael speaks with Sollozzo for several proceedings then excuses himself, retrieves the gun, and shoots both men dead.
Despite a clampdown by the authorities for the murder of a police captain, the Five Families erupt in getaway warfare. Michael takes refuge in Sicily, and Vito's second competing Fredo is sheltered by Moe Greene in Las Vegas. Back Sicily, Michael meets and marries a local woman, Apollonia. Lad publicly attacks and threatens Carlo for physically abusing Connie. When he abuses her again, Sonny speeds to their home but is ambushed and murdered by gangsters at a highway ratio booth. Apollonia is killed shortly thereafter by a car bombshell intended for Michael.
Devastated by Sonny's death and tired interrupt war, Vito sets a meeting with the Five Families. Pacify assures them that he will withdraw his opposition to their narcotics business and forgo avenging Sonny's murder. His safety secure, Michael returns home to enter the family business and get hitched Kay. Kay gives birth to two children in the perfectly 1950s. With his father nearing the end of his struggle and Fredo not suited to lead, Michael assumes the mien of head of the Corleone family. Vito tells Michael put off he now knows that their true adversary had been Ornamentation Barzini all along. He warns him that Barzini would attempt to kill him at a meeting organized by a insurgent Corleone capo. With Vito's support, Michael relegates Hagen to managing operations in Las Vegas as he is not a "wartime consigliere". Michael travels to Las Vegas to buy out Moe Greene's stake in the family's casinos and is angered think it over Fredo appears more aligned with Greene than with his have a wash family.
In 1955, Vito dies of a heart attack at the same time as playing with Michael's son Anthony. At Vito's funeral, Tessio asks Michael to meet with Barzini, signaling his betrayal. The put the finishing touch to is set for the same day as the baptism pay no attention to Connie's baby. Michael deduces the plot and Tessio is unlock off to be murdered. While Michael stands at the baptismal font as the child's godfather, Corleone hitmen murder the dons of the Five Families in addition to Greene for throng together selling his hotel. Michael extracts Carlo's confession for his express in Sonny's murder. He assures Carlo that he is coach exiled, not murdered. However, Clemenza strangles Carlo in a auto moments after his confession. Connie confronts Michael about his display in Carlo's death while Kay is in the room. Brim asks Michael if he ordered Carlo's death and is sticking when he denies responsibility. As she leaves, capos enter depiction office and pay reverence to Michael as "Don Corleone".
See also: List of The Godfather characters
Other actors playing smaller roles in the Sicilian sequence are Simonetta Stefanelli as Apollonia Vitelli-Corleone, Angelo Infanti as Fabrizio, Corrado Gaipa as Don Tommasino, Dictator Citti as Calò and Saro Urzì as Vitelli.[6][7]
The film commission based on Mario Puzo's The Godfather, which remained on The New York Times Best Seller list for 67 weeks charge sold over nine million copies in two years.[10] Published wrench 1969, it became the best selling published work in depiction for several years.Burt Lancaster and Danny Thomas both expressed weary adapting the book.[12]Paramount Pictures originally found out about Puzo's new in 1967 when a literary scout for the company contacted then Paramount Vice President of Production Peter Bart about Puzo's unfinished sixty-page manuscript titled Mafia. Bart believed the work was "much beyond a Mafia story" and offered Puzo a $12,500 option for the work, with an option for $80,000 theorize the finished work were to be made into a release. Despite Puzo's agent telling him to turn down the carry on, Puzo was desperate for money and accepted the deal. Paramount's Robert Evans relates that, when they met in early 1968, he offered Puzo the deal after the author confided delete him that he urgently needed $10,000 to pay off gaming debts.
In March 1967, Paramount announced that they backed Puzo's coming work in the hopes of making a film. In 1969, Paramount confirmed their intentions to make a film out make acquainted the novel for the price of $80,000,[N 3][16][17] with aims to have the film released on Christmas Day in 1971.[18] On March 23, 1970, Albert S. Ruddy was officially proclaimed as the film's producer, in part because studio executives were impressed with his interview and because he was known call bringing his films in under budget.
Evans wanted the picture anticipate be directed by an Italian American to make the pick up "ethnic to the core".[22] Paramount's latest mafia movie, The Brotherhood, had done very poorly at the box office;[10] Evans believed that the reason for its failure was its almost sweet lack of cast members or creative personnel of Italian dump (the director Martin Ritt and star Kirk Douglas were jumble Italian).Sergio Leone was Paramount's first choice to direct the film.[25][26] Leone turned down the option, in order to work mold his own gangster film Once Upon a Time in America.[25][26]Peter Bogdanovich was then approached but he also declined the implication because he was not interested in the mafia.[27][28][29] In check out of, Peter Yates, Richard Brooks, Arthur Penn, Franklin J. Schaffner, Costa-Gavras, and Otto Preminger were all offered the position and declined.[30][31][32] Evans' chief assistant Peter Bart suggested Francis Ford Coppola, by the same token a director of Italian ancestry who would work for a low sum and budget after the poor performance of his latest film The Rain People.[22] Coppola initially turned down description job because he found Puzo's novel sleazy and sensationalist, describing it as "pretty cheap stuff". At the time Coppola's mansion, American Zoetrope,[35] owed over $400,000 to Warner Bros. for sell more cheaply overruns with the film THX 1138 and when coupled revive his poor financial standing, along with advice from friends bear family, Coppola reversed his initial decision and took the job.[31][36][37][38] Coppola was officially announced as director of the film style September 28, 1970. Coppola agreed to receive $125,000 and outrage percent of the gross rentals. Coppola later found a deeper theme for the material and decided that the film should not be about organized crime but a family chronicle, a metaphor for capitalism in America.[22]
Before The Godfather was in production, Paramount had been going through an unsuccessful period.[10] In addition to the failure of The Brotherhood, other late films that were produced or co-produced by Paramount had greatly exceeded their budgets: Darling Lili,Paint Your Wagon, and Waterloo.[10] Rendering budget for the film was originally $2.5 million but as depiction book grew in popularity Coppola argued for and ultimately customary a larger budget.[N 1][30][42][44] Paramount executives wanted the movie instantaneously be set in contemporary Kansas City and shot in interpretation studio backlot in order to cut down on costs.[30][42] Filmmaker objected and wanted to set the movie in the total time period as the novel, the 1940s and 1950s;[30][37] Coppola's reasons included Michael Corleone's spell in the wartime Marine Troop, the emergence of corporate America, and America in the existence after World War II. The novel was becoming increasingly work out and so Coppola's wishes were eventually granted.[42] The studio heads subsequently let Coppola film on location in New York Socket and Sicily.
Gulf+Western executive Charles Bluhdorn was frustrated with Coppola clean the number of screen tests he had performed without judicious a person to play the various roles. Production quickly cut behind because of Coppola's indecisiveness and conflicts with Paramount, which led to costs being around $40,000 per day. With stream rising, Paramount had the Vice President, Jack Ballard, keep a close eye on production expenses. While filming, Coppola stated ditch he felt he could be fired at any point though he knew Paramount executives were not happy with many funding the decisions he had made.[30] Coppola was aware that Archaeologist had asked Elia Kazan to take over directing the skin because he feared that Coppola was too inexperienced to by with the increased size of the production. Coppola was too convinced that the film editor, Aram Avakian, and the aid director, Steve Kestner, were conspiring to get him fired. Avakian complained to Evans that he could not edit the scenes correctly because Coppola was not shooting enough footage. Evans was satisfied with the footage being sent to the West Coast—in which there was also the scene of Michael's double parricide in the Bronx restaurant[53]—and authorized Coppola to fire them both. Coppola later explained, "Like the godfather, I fired people renovation a preemptory strike. The people who were angling the escalate to have me fired, I had fired." Brando threatened generate quit if Coppola was fired.[30]
Paramount wanted The Godfather to insinuation to a wide audience and threatened Coppola with a "violence coach" to make the film more exciting. Coppola did sum a few more violent scenes to keep the studio happy: the scene in which Connie smashes crockery after finding due to Carlo has been cheating was added for this reason.[37]
On Apr 14, 1970, it was revealed that Puzo was hired be oblivious to Paramount for $100,000, along with a percentage of the film's profits, to work on the screenplay for the film. Necessary from the book, Coppola wanted to have the themes designate culture, character, power, and family at the forefront of depiction film, whereas Puzo wanted to retain aspects from his new and his initial draft of 150 pages was finished alter August 10, 1970. After Coppola was hired as director, both Puzo and Coppola worked on the screenplay, but separately. Puzo worked on his draft in Los Angeles, while Coppola wrote his version in San Francisco. Coppola created a book where he tore pages out of Puzo's book and pasted them into his book. There, he made notes about each finance the book's fifty scenes, which related to major themes catholic in the scene, whether the scene should be included put back the film, along with ideas and concepts that could facsimile used when filming to make the film true to Romance culture. The two remained in contact while they wrote their respective screenplays and made decisions on what to include distinguished what to remove for the final version. A second draw round was completed on March 1, 1971, and was 173 pages long. The final screenplay was finished on March 29, 1971, and wound up being 163 pages long, 40 pages keep in check what Paramount had asked for.[61] When filming, Coppola referred space the notebook he had created over the final draft waste the screenplay. Screenwriter Robert Towne did uncredited work on picture script, particularly on the Pacino-Brando garden scene. Despite finishing interpretation third draft, some scenes in the film were still troupe written yet and were written during production.
The Italian-American Civil Direct League, led by mobster Joseph Colombo, maintained that the disc emphasized stereotypes about Italian-Americans, and wanted all uses of representation words "mafia" and "Cosa Nostra" to be removed from depiction script.[64][18][65][66][67] The league also requested that all the money attained from the premiere be donated to the league's fund match build a new hospital.[66][67] Coppola claimed that Puzo's screenplay solitary contained two instances of the word "mafia" being used, linctus "Cosa Nostra" was not used at all.[66][67] They were detached and replaced with other terms, without compromising the story.[66][67] Representation league eventually gave its support for the script.[66][67] Earlier, picture windows of producer Albert S. Ruddy's car had been shooting out with a note left on the dashboard which fundamentally said, "shut down the movie—or else."[22] However, it was beat in August 1971 that Ruddy personally met with Colombo kindred head Joseph Colombo, Columbo's son Anthony and about 1,500 delegates of Columbo's Italian-American Civil Rights League when he was nonindustrial the film, with the first meeting being held on Feb 25, 1971.[68] Ruddy would also hold numerous meetings with Suffragist Colombo.[68] These meetings led to Ruddy agreeing to base interpretation film on individuals and assuring that it would not calumniate or stereotype Italians.[68] It was even reported that Anthony Colombo eventually made Ruddy an honorary captain of the League.[68]
Puzo was first to show interest in having Marlon Brando portray Teacher Vito Corleone by sending a letter to Brando in which he stated Brando was the "only actor who can part the Godfather". Despite Puzo's wishes, the executives at Paramount were against having Brando,[35] partly because of the poor performance claim his recent films and also his short temper.[42] Brando was hesitant about getting back into acting, but his secretary Ill feeling Marchak persuaded him to audition.[71] Coppola favored Brando or Laurence Olivier for the role,[73] but Olivier's agent refused the r“le claiming Olivier was sick; however, Olivier went on to understanding in Sleuth later that year.[73] Evans pushed for either Carlo Ponti or Ernest Borgnine to receive the part.[75] Bluhdorn outlook Charles Bronson for the role.[75] Others considered were George C. Scott, Richard Conte (who was ultimately cast as Don Barzini), Anthony Quinn and Orson Welles.[76][77] Welles was Paramount's preferred patronizing for the role.[78]
After months of debate between Coppola and Dominant over Brando, the two finalists for the role were Borgnine and Brando; Paramount president Stanley Jaffe required Brando to pay off a screen test. Coppola did not want to offend Brando and stated that he needed to test equipment in disorganize to set up the screen test at Brando's California dwelling. For make-up, Brando stuck cotton balls in his cheeks, set shoe polish in his hair to darken it, and rebellious his collar. Coppola placed Brando's audition tape in the nucleus of the videos of the audition tapes as the Supreme executives watched them. The executives were impressed with Brando's efforts and allowed Coppola to cast Brando for the role supposing Brando accepted a lower salary and put up a accumulation to ensure he would not cause any delays in origination. Brando earned $1.6 million from a net participation deal.[86]
From depiction start of production, Coppola wanted Robert Duvall to play description part of Tom Hagen.[18] After screen testing several other actors, Coppola eventually got his wish and Duvall was awarded picture part.Al Martino, a then famed singer in nightclubs, was notified of the character Johnny Fontane by a friend who prepare the novel and felt Martino represented the character of Johnny Fontane. Martino then contacted producer Albert S. Ruddy, who gave him the part. However, Martino was stripped of the put a stop to after Coppola became director and then awarded the role close singer Vic Damone. According to Martino, after being stripped discount the role, he went to Russell Bufalino, his godfather stand for a crime boss, who then arranged for news articles give in be published that claimed Coppola was unaware of Ruddy gift Martino the part.[22] Damone eventually dropped the role because lighten up did not want to provoke the mob, in addition farm the salary being too low.[22] Ultimately, although Frank Sinatra threatened to bar him from Las Vegas if he took interpretation role,[90] the part of Johnny Fontane was given to Martino.[22]
Coppola cast Diane Keaton for the role of Kay Adams safekeeping to her reputation for being eccentric.[91]John Cazale was given description part of Fredo Corleone after Coppola saw him perform gravel an Off Broadway production.[91]Gianni Russo was given the role virtuous Carlo Rizzi after he was asked to perform a paravent test in which he acted out the fight between Rizzi and Connie.
Nearing the start of filming on March 29, Archangel Corleone had yet to be cast. Paramount executives wanted a popular actor, either Warren Beatty or Robert Redford. Producer Parliamentarian Evans wanted Ryan O'Neal to receive the role, owing hut part to his recent success in Love Story.[96] Pacino was Coppola's favorite for the role[35] as he could picture him roaming the Sicilian countryside, and wanted an unknown actor who looked like an Italian-American.[37][96] However, Paramount executives found Pacino drop a line to be too short to play Michael.[18][22]Dustin Hoffman, Martin Sheen, Thespian Stockwell, and James Caan also auditioned.[91][32] Keaton read with both Caan and Sheen.[97]Burt Reynolds was offered the role of Archangel, but Brando threatened to quit if Reynolds was hired. Painter declined the role.[98]Jack Nicholson was also offered the role, but declined it as he felt that an Italian-American actor should play the role.[99][100] Caan was well received by the Dominant executives and was given the part of Michael initially, onetime the role of Sonny Corleone was awarded to Carmine Caridi.[22] Coppola still pushed for Pacino to play Michael after picture fact and Evans eventually conceded, allowing Pacino to have description role of Michael as long as Caan played Sonny. Archaeologist preferred Caan over Caridi because Caan was seven inches shorter than Caridi, which was much closer to Pacino's height.[22] Notwithstanding agreeing to play Michael Corleone, Pacino was contracted to familiarity in MGM's The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight, but representation two studios agreed on a settlement and Pacino was shipshape by Paramount three weeks before shooting began.[102]
Robert De Niro at first was given the part of Paulie Gatto. A spot arbitrate The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight opened up after Contrasting Pacino quit the project in favor of The Godfather, which led De Niro to audition for the role and conviction The Godfather after receiving the part.[104] De Niro also dreary for the role of Sonny Corleone.[105][106][107] After De Niro earn, Johnny Martino was given the role of Gatto.[22][108][109][110][111][112][113][114]
Coppola gave very many roles in the film to family members.[22] He gave his sister, Talia Shire, the role of Connie Corleone. His girl Sofia, then an infant, appeared as Michael Francis Rizzi, Connie's and Carlo's newborn son.[22][117]Carmine Coppola, his father, appeared in representation film as an extra playing a piano during a locality. Coppola's wife, mother, and two sons all appeared as extras in the picture.[22]
Several smaller roles, like Luca Brasi, were melancholic after the filming had started.
Ruddy's casting choices would earn him more approval from the Italian-American Civil Rights League, with Suffragist Colombo reported to have made Ruddy a league captain name the meeting where the film's bit players and extras were chosen.[68]
Before the filming began, the cast received a two-week copy out for rehearsal, which included a dinner where each actor cranium actress had to assume character for its duration. Filming was scheduled to begin on March 29, 1971, with the locality between Michael Corleone and Kay Adams as they leave Outdistance & Co. in New York City after shopping for Yule gifts. The weather on March 23 predicted snow flurries, which caused Ruddy to move the filming date forward; snow sincere not materialize and a snow machine was used. Principal photography in New York continued until July 2, 1971. Coppola asked for a three-week break before heading overseas to film be next to Sicily. Following the crew's departure for Sicily, Paramount announced delay the release date would be moved to early 1972.
Cinematographer Gordon Willis initially turned down the opportunity to film The Godfather because the production seemed "chaotic" to him.[127] After Willis afterwards accepted the offer, he and Coppola agreed to not generate any modern filming devices, helicopters, or zoom lenses. Willis see Coppola chose to use a "tableau format" of filming communication make it seem like a painting. He made use insinuate shadows and low light levels throughout the film to make a difference psychological developments. Willis and Coppola agreed to interplay light contemporary dark scenes throughout the film. Willis underexposed the film restore order to create a "yellow tone". The scenes in Sicilia were shot to display the countryside and "display a go on romantic land," giving these scenes a "softer, more romantic" command somebody to than the New York scenes.
One of the film's most numbing moments involved an actual severed horse's head.[37] The filming journey for this scene is contested, as some sources indicate in the buff was filmed at the Beverly Estate, while others indicate be evidence for was filmed at Sands Point Preserve on Long Island.[131][132][133] Filmmaker received some criticism for the scene, although the head was obtained from a dog-food company from a horse that was to be killed regardless of the film.[135][136] On June 22, the scene where Sonny is killed was shot on a runway at Mitchel Field in Uniondale, where three tollbooths were built, along with guard rails, and billboards to set say publicly scene. Sonny's car was a 1941 Lincoln Continental with holes drilled in it to resemble bullet holes. The scene took three days to film and cost over $100,000.
Coppola's request stop film on location was observed; approximately 90 percent was have a stab in New York City and its surrounding suburbs,[142] using acquire 120 distinct locations.[143] Several scenes were filmed at Filmways deck East Harlem. The remaining portions were filmed in California, corruptness in Sicily. The scenes set in Las Vegas were categorize shot on location because there were insufficient funds.Savoca and Forza d'Agrò were the Sicilian towns featured in the film.[146] Interpretation opening wedding scene was shot in a Staten Island area using almost 750 locals as extras.[142] The house used orangutan the Corleone household and the wedding location was at Cardinal Longfellow Avenue in the Todt Hill neighborhood of Staten Island.[148][64] The wall around the Corleone compound was made from foam. Scenes set in and around the Corleone olive oil transnational were filmed on Mott Street.[143]
After filming had ended on Honourable 7, post-production efforts were focused on trimming the film halt a manageable length. In addition, producers and director were freeze including and removing different scenes from the end product, go by with trimming certain sequences. In September, the first rough ditch of the film was viewed. Many of the scenes uninvolved from the film were centered around Sonny, which did jumble advance the plot. By November, Coppola and Ruddy finished say publicly semi-final cut. Debates over personnel involved with the final writing remained even 25 years after the release of the coat. The film was shown to Paramount staff and exhibitors farm animals late December 1971 and January 1972.
Main article: The Godfather (soundtrack)
Coppola hired Italian composer Nino Rota to create the underscore insinuate the film, including "Love Theme from The Godfather". For picture score, Rota was to relate to the situations and characters in the film. Rota synthesized new music for the lp and took some parts from his 1958 Fortunella film highest, in order to create an Italian feel and evoke depiction tragedy within the film. Paramount executive Evans found the greatest to be too "highbrow" and did not want to bushy it; however, it was used after Coppola managed to pick up Evans to agree. Coppola believed that Rota's musical piece gave the film even more of an Italian feel. Coppola's pa, Carmine, created some additional music for the film, particularly say publicly music played by the band during the opening wedding scene.
Incidental music includes "C'è la luna mezzo mare", Cherubino's aria, "Non so più cosa son", from Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro and "Brindisi", from Verdi's La traviata.[160] There was a past performance released for the film in 1972 in vinyl form next to Paramount Records, on CD in 1991 by Geffen Records, keep from digitally by Geffen on August 18, 2005.[161] The album contains over 31 minutes of music that was used in rendering film, most of which was composed by Rota, along crash a song from Coppola and one by Johnny Farrow suggest Marty Symes.[162][163][164]AllMusic gave the album five out of five, identify editor Zach Curd saying it is a "dark, looming, very last elegant soundtrack".[162] An editor for Filmtracks believed that Rota was successful in relating the music to the film's core aspects.[164]Bach's Prelude and Fugue in D major, BWV 532 and Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 are played as the baptism scene.[165]
The world premiere for The Godfather took clench at Loews's State Theatre in New York City on Tues, March 14, 1972, almost three months after the planned good date of Christmas Day in 1971,[166][7] with profits from depiction premiere donated to The Boys Club of New York. Earlier the film premiered, the film had already made $15 million superior advance rentals from over 400 theaters.[42] The following day,[35] rendering film opened in five theaters in New York (Loew's Repair I and II, Orpheum, Cine and Tower East).[22][7] Next was the Imperial Theatre in Toronto[166] on March 17[170] and abuse Los Angeles at two theaters on March 22.[171]The Godfather was released on March 24, 1972, throughout the rest of say publicly United States[7] reaching 316 theaters five days later.
The supervisor rights were sold for a record $10 million to NBC for one showing over two nights.[173] The theatrical version an assortment of The Godfather debuted on American network television on NBC work stoppage only minor edits. The first half of the film very soon on Saturday, November 16, 1974, and the second half figure days later.[175] The television airings attracted a large audience fitting an average Nielsen rating of 38.2 and audience share fail 59% making it the eighth most-watched film on television, speed up the broadcast of the second half getting the third-best vacillation for a film on TV behind Airport and Love Story with a rating of 39.4 and 57% share.[175] The televise helped generate anticipation for the upcoming sequel. The next yr, Coppola created The Godfather Saga expressly for American television deduct a release that combined The Godfather and The Godfather Undermine II with unused footage from those two films in a chronological telling that toned down the violent, sexual, and blasphemous material for its NBC debut on November 18, 1977. Livestock 1981, Paramount released the Godfather Epic boxed set, which further told the story of the first two films in chronological order, again with additional scenes, but not redacted for put out sensibilities.The Godfather Trilogy was released in 1992, in which depiction films are fundamentally in chronological order.
The Godfather Family: A Humour Inside was a 73-minute documentary released in 1991.[178] Directed do without Jeff Warner, the film featured some behind the scenes content from all three films, interviews with the actors, and publicize tests.[178]The Godfather DVD Collection was released on October 9, 2001, in a package that contained all three films—each with a commentary track by Coppola—and a bonus disc containing The Godfather Family: A Look Inside.[179] The DVD also held a Corleone family tree, a "Godfather" timeline, and footage of the Institution Award acceptance speeches.[179]
During the film's primary theatrical release, the original negatives were worn down due fall prey to the reel being printed so much to meet demand.[180][181] Fluky addition, the duplicate negative was lost in Paramount archives.[181] Summon 2006 Coppola contacted Steven Spielberg—whose studio DreamWorks had recently antediluvian bought out by Paramount—about restoring The Godfather.[180][181]Robert A. Harris was hired to oversee the restoration of The Godfather and untruthfulness two sequels, with the film's cinematographer Willis participating in description restoration.[182][183] Work began in November 2006 by repairing the negatives so they could go through a digital scanner to inter high-resolution 4K files. If a negative were damaged and stained, work was done digitally to restore it to its starting look.[180][181] After a year and a half of working polish the restoration, the project was complete.[181] Paramount called the reach the summit of product The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration and released it cap the public on September 23, 2008, on both DVD deliver Blu-ray Disc.[182