The Godfather’s most iconic characters were played by some of the most talented and well-known movie stars today, and Marlon Brando had a great influence on the character he played.The Godfatheris widely regarded as one of the best movies of all time, and though the thirdmovie in theGodfathertrilogywas not as critically acclaimed as the first two, it is now considered an underrated film.The Godfatheris a dark and intense saga of mafia politics and revenge, and tells the story ofthe Corleone mafia family.
There are many memorablecharacters in theGodfathertrilogy, but Marlon Brando’s Don Vito Corleone is arguably the face of the trilogy, even though he only appeared in the firstGodfathermovie. Vito Corleone is the imposing head of the Corleone family, who must decide which of the other New York crime families to ally with. However, he makes the mistake of trusting his son, Sonny, to become the next Corleone family Don, which leads to his downfall. Vito Corleone has a distinctive voice, manner, and appearance, and many of these traits are due to Marlon Brando’s influence.
Don Corleone’s Distinctive Appearance Was Invented When Marlon Brando Stuffed His Cheeks With Tissue During A Screen Test
Marlon Brando Also Contributed His Ideas To Another Key Scene In The Godfather
Paramount Studio didn’t want to cast Marlon Brando inThe Godfather, as Brando had a reputation for being difficult to work with and had a unique approach to acting, rarely memorizing his lines and preferring to improvise. This might have frustrated the studio, but Brando’s creativity and spontaneity often improved his characters. When auditioning forThe Godfather, he used shoe polish to turn his hair black and stuffed tissue in his cheeks. According toThe Hollywood Reporter, Francis Ford Coppola said thatMarlon Brando wanted Vito Corleone “to look like a bulldog.”
Vito Corleone is the most memorable character inThe Godfather, but Marlon Brando is only onscreen for 40 minutes of the 175-minute movie.
While the movie is an adaptation of the novel by Mario Puzo, there are severalmoments inThe Godfatherthat are not in the original scriptor book. Many of these scenes were improvised by Marlon Brando, including a playful scene with Vito Corleone’s grandson. Coppola was unsure how to make the scene realistic, and Brando improvised in a way that he played with children in his own family.When Vito is playing with Michael’s son, he uses an orange peel to give himself vampire fangs, amusing his grandson. The scene perfectly humanizes the imposing character just before his death.
The Godfather Was Not The Only Movie That Marlon Brando Improvised In
Francis Ford Coppola liked Marlon Brando’s idea for Vito Corleone’s appearance, but tissue paper would have been impractical for shooting a movie. By the timeThe Godfatherbegan filming, a dentist had made a proper mouthpiece for Brando. The device, known as a “dental plumper,” was famously uncomfortable. It was fitted to his lower jaw like a dental retainer, with a thin metal wire running across the front of his bottom set of teeth. Two molded resin pieces stuck out at the side, pushing Brando’s cheeks out and giving Vito Corleone his distinctive appearance.
Which Real-Life Gangster Marlon Brando’s The Godfather Character Is Based On
Actor Marlon Brando portrayed the powerful mob boss Vito Corleone in The Godfather series, a character who is based on an array of real life people.
The Godfatherwas one of themovies that defined Marlon Brando’s career, yet he was not onscreen for long. That said,by the time he madeThe Godfather, Brando was memorable no matter how long he appearedin his movies. Brando’s improvising also defined one of his other movies, as he improvised almost all of his lines inApocalypse Now, including an 18-minute speech, which was drastically cut for the final version. These two movies are Brando’s best-known, with him playing powerful characters fighting their eventual death in both, thoughThe Godfather’s Vito Corleone arguably left the best legacy.
