Big Screen Little Screen

“The first conference was a pep talk intended for me. This was going to be the big movie for Paramount. This picture would save Paramount. I love that kind of stuff – it makes me feel important and I work twice as hard. We talked casting. I suggested Marlon Brando for the role of the Godfather. They were kind to me but I got the impression my stock had dropped 50 points. Al Ruddy suggested Robert Redford for the role of Michael, and I didn’t care how nice a guy he was, his stock dropped 50 points.”

The Godfather author Mario Puzo on how he came to write the record setting bestseller and screenplay for the film, how he pushed for Brando, Al Pacino’s early struggles in casting (and how Coppola kept him on despite the studio’s wishes), and the trouble with Frank Sinatra - an excerpt from the new, 700 dollar Taschen coffee table book, The Godfather Family Album, featuring over 400 previously unseen images from the set by photographer Steve Shapiro.

How They Shot The Godfather - Daily Mail (via HuffPost)