7 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘The Godfather’

It’s been more than five decades since Francis Coppola’s The Godfather changed the definition of Hollywood classics forever.

Released in 1972, the mafia drama created a landmark, being the highest-grossing film and earning several Academy Awards.

And that’s precisely why Don Vito Corleone’s one-liner, “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse,” storms fans globally!

7 Surprising Facts About ‘The Godfather’ You Didn’t Know

One of America’s greatest films, The Godfather, set the bar higher with its realistic arc.

Themes like family, power, politics, and betrayal kept fans hooked till the last minute.

And of course, the film was a happy bypass for those who did not read the original novel. The 3-hour-long mafia movie lived up to the hype.

From intentional low-light shooting, director crisis, and more, here are 7 unknown facts about The Godfather that will surprise you.

#1. Why Is Everything So Dark?

One of the most obvious observations on watching The Godfather left fans asking, ‘Why is it so dark?’.

Well, we’re not talking about the dark themes, but the entire film seems to have been shot in low lighting.

Production curtailment? No budget? Power cut? The real reason will actually surprise you!

Well, the minimal lighting was used as a genius way to hide the excessive makeup put on by Marlon Brando for his titular role.

Trivia suggests that the actor used to sit for 3 hours straight for makeup, which also included heavy dental prosthetics to plump his jaws.

Moreover, the imminent darkness was also a personal stylistic choice for cinematographer Gordon Willis.

#2. The Great World War II Reference

The film’s plotline dates back to World War II. Although The Godfather was shot way later, the makers did not skip making a factual reference.

So the film featured a lot of cars. On a closer inspection, these cars can be seen having wooden bumpers in place of the usual chrome ones.

Well, this was indeed done by many car owners back in the days of the war, where they gave away the chrome ones to help in war needs. Wooden ones then replaced them.

#3. The Godfather Or A Cheap Gangster Movie?

The Godfather is now considered the gold standard of Hollywood, but did you know that the makers initially planned to make it a cheap mafia movie shot in Kansas?

Paramount Pictures originally wanted to build the film as a low-budget gangster drama made with only $2.5 million.

Since they were financially broke at that time, they were not interested in making a period war film.

However, Francis Coppola got the storyline revamped, which motivated the makers to amp up the budget, and finally, it was made as desired.

#4. Coppola Almost Got Fired

A film without a director? That’s precisely what was about to happen with The Godfather!

Francis Coppola’s spat with the makers of the film is not an unknown fact. The producers even felt that he deliberately delayed the film and overspent its budget.

They eventually raised the project’s budget from $2.5 million to $6 million. It was only then that Coppola saved his job by delivering in half the budget ahead of schedule.

#5. Mama Corleone Was Younger Than Her Kids

Remember Morgana King a.k.a Mama Corleone from The Godfather?

Well, the actress who played a mother to three grown-up men ended up facing ageism on the sets!

While Morgana became one of the few actresses who aged on-screen for a motherly role, she was, in fact, just 10 years older than James Caan and Al Pacino and five years older than John Cazale in real life.

Pretty crazy.

#6. George Lucas’ Secret Godfather Gig

Hard work with no credit? That’s what George Lucas got after clubbing the iconic crime-series montage for The Godfather.

The screenwriter was great friends with Francis Coppola and was more than happy to use pictures from real-life crime scenes and put them in the intro sequence of the film.

However, in return, Coppola skipped adding a screen mention of his dear friend Lucas for making one of the most iconic crime film montages to date.

#7. Why Oranges = Death

Another plot twist that no one saw coming was the film’s connection with oranges.

Only a curious observer will know how all scenes with the citrus fruit in the background foreshadow someone’s death in the movie.

Deliberate strategy or just a casual coincidence?

Well, neither is the reason, since Coppola thought that oranges brought a pop of color to the otherwise dark film.

Shocked, surprised, or just curious? Let us know your thoughts on these lesser-known trivia about The Godfather!