The one scene that saved Francis Ford Coppola from being fired from ‘The Godfather’
The career of Francis Ford Coppola is one of the most resolute in cinema history. Aside from his most recent picture, Megalopolis, falling down at the box office and gaining little critical acclaime, Coppola’s position at the top of the directorial pile has rarely been debated. His movies are some of the most beloved in all of the industry, but one picture stands out among the rest.
Undoubtedly, The Godfather will remain one of the most widely adored films of all time for decades to come. Equally, it would be no surprise if, in a hundred years, when reflecting on the best and brightest of 20th-century cinema, the film’s director, Francis Ford Coppola, is equally revered for his contributions. While the film stands as one of Coppola’s most brilliant works, the reality is that he was very nearly fired from his role.
Scrolling through the greatest films of the century, and even today, many directors have suffered a similar fate — axed by the production team before the film can see the light of day and the director’s project can be brought to fruition. It feels strange to imagine another director enacting someone like Coppola’s vision, but that nearly happened on The Godfather’s set as the filmmaker pushed his bosses to the edge. In fact, associate directors were sent to the set in advance of Coppola being removed and the studio needing to take over the reins. The director looked all but done-for, until one scene saved his neck from the chopping block.
Released in 1972, The Godfather was the moment that the world took notice of Francis Ford Coppola. His epic mafia extravaganza was a subtle and sophisticated affair and lacked the firepower Paramount Pictures were expecting. The director had only secured the job following the success of his previous movie, The Rain People, and wasn’t even the first choice for the directorial role. The job had previously been offered to Arthur Penn, Elia Kazan, Richard Brooks and Costa-Gravas, who all turned it down before Coppola got the nod. It would turn out to be the greatest career move he ever made.
Now famed for its use of subtlety and complete enchantment of narrative, Coppola’s film was beginning to look like a borefest when Paramount began previewing the project. The heavy dialogue and gentle use of violence had left the executives worried they had a flop on their hands. This was supposed to be a movie about the mob and they wanted blood, guts, sex, and drugs, and Coppola’s use of understated menace and intrigue was struggling to land in Paramount’s smoky offices.
As such, the studio continually threatened to fire Coppola in an attempt to provoke him into making the movie they wanted. It was nothing new in the wicked world of Hollywood, and the director seemingly took no notice of the threats and, instead, used them to continue his work in defiance. However, that didn’t stop Paramount sending stand-in directors to monitor the progress of the film. It was a way for the studio to not only impose their threatening behaviour, but also get the lowdown on the running of the project.
Considering Coppola’s affinity with the script, the cast, and the choices that had already underpinned so much of the production, it’s hard to imagine him ever being kicked off the project. However, the growing demand for a hit and the executives’ unwillingness to see Coppola’s vision for the picture meant that was exactly what was happening until one scene saved his bacon.
When shooting the scene where Michael Corleone murders Sollozzo and McCluskey, the audible gasps on set and the intensity of Pacino’s performance convinced the stand-in directors and the studio that their worries were misplaced. This wasn’t just any mob movie, this was set to be a genre-defining, game-changing cinematic experience that would, arguably, change the industry for good.
A powerhouse scene that sets up the saga and creates an unstoppable narrative, Pacino is mesmeric, and the work on screen is out of this world. With this one delivery, Coppola’s job was safe, It was clear that Coppola had it under control and that his vision was being enacted in the letter. It remains one of the most arresting scenes in the film, and one can understand how it would allay any fears for the production.
