The Godfather (1972)

Taglines:

An offer you can't refuse.

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »

Official Sites:

Official site | Add/edit official sites  »

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian | Latin

Release Date:

24 March 1972 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Mario Puzo's The Godfather See more »

Filming Locations:

110 Longfellow Road, Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA See more »

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$302,393 (USA) (19 March 1972) (6 Screens)

Gross:

$245,066,411 (Worldwide) (11 May 1997)

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Alfran Productions See more »

Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Runtime:

175 min

Sound Mix:

DTS (re-release) | Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Trivia

After Robert Evans insisted that James Caan be cast as Michael, Carmine Caridi was cast in the role of Sonny. According to Evans, he told Francis Ford Coppola that he could cast Al Pacino as Michael as long as he cast Caan as Sonny. Although Caan had been Coppola's first choice, he decided that Caridi was better for the role and did not want to recast Caan. Evans insisted on Caan because he wanted at least one "name" actor to play one of the brothers and because the 6'4" Caridi would tower over Pacino on screen. Caridi was later given a small part in The Godfather: Part II. There is a rumor that Burt Reynolds was originally cast as Sonny Corleone but Marlon Brando wouldn't act with him, considering him more a TV star. See more »

Goofs

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Tom Hagen is trying to convince Sonny not to go to war after Vito Corleone is shot, he states that the Corleone family will be outcasts and all the five families will go after the Corleone family. However, the Corleone family is one of the five families, so he should have said that the other four families will go after the Corleone family. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Bonasera: I believe in America. America has made my fortune. And I raised my daughter in the American fashion. I gave her freedom but I taught her never to dishonor her family. She found a "boy friend," not an Italian. She went to the movies with him. She stayed out late. I didn't protest. Two months ago he took her for a drive, with another boy friend. They made her drink whiskey and then they tried to take advantage of her. She resisted. She kept her honor. So they beat her. Like an animal. When I went to the hospital her nose was broken. Her jaw was shattered, held together by wire. She couldn't even weep because of the pain. But I wept. Why did I weep? She was the light of my life. A beautiful girl. Now she will never be beautiful again.
[He breaks down at this point, and the Don gestures to his son to get him a drink]
Bonasera: Sorry...
[He regains his composure and carries on]
Bonasera: I went to the police, like a good American. These two boys were brought to trial. The judge sentenced them to three years in prison, and suspended the sentence. Suspended sentence! They went free that very day! I stood in the courtroom like a fool, and those two bastards, they smiled at me. Then I said to my wife, "For justice, we must go to Don Corleone."
Don Corleone: Why did you go to the police? Why didn't you come to me first?
Bonasera: What do you want of me? Tell me anything. But do what I beg you to do.
Don Corleone: What is that?
[Bonasera gets up from his seat and whispers into the Don's ear; for a long moment the Don is silent]
[...]
See more »

Crazy Credits

Although Mario Puzo is given possessory credit at the beginning, and is
credited as a screenwriter at the end, no credit is given to him on-screen
as author of the original novel, even though that credit is given on the
poster. This credit does appear in the second film, however. See more »

Connections

Spoofed in Coonskin (1975) See more »

Soundtracks

"All Of My Life"
(1944)
Written by Irving Berlin See more »