The Godfather is one of the most iconic films of all time.
Released in 1972, the flick has cemented itself as one of the greatest films ever made. It stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, and James Caan and has an almost perfect 9.2/10 rating on IMDb.
But fans of the iconic film are only just realising one behind-the-scenes fact about how some of the most famous scenes were filmed – and it’s all about how actor Marlon Brando delivered his lines.
Brando starred in the film as Vito Corleone, the head of a mafia family who decides to hand his empire over to his youngest son, Michael, played by Al Pacino. But Brando didn’t always learn his lines before scenes were filmed.
Instead, he would sometimes get other actors in the scene to hold up his lines for him so that he could glance at them whenever he forgot what he was supposed to say next.
A picture shared on X by the account All The Right Movies shows fellow actor Robert Duvall holding Brando’s lines against his chest. Duvall would have his back to the camera during the scene so the script would not be visible.
The account wrote: “One of the most famous behind-the-scenes shots from THE GODFATHER (1972), Robert Duvall holding up Marlon Brando’s lines, mid-scene.”
It’s unclear what scene the cast was filming when the picture was taken, but it appears that it could be immediately after the horse’s head scene in California when the group are prepping for their meeting with Virgil Sollozzo (Al Lettieri).
This image has also been shared on Reddit in the past and has left fans gobsmacked – as many had no idea that this is how some of the scenes were filmed.
One person said: “That’s awesome. It’s well-known that Brando wouldn’t memorise lines, and cue cards had to be held up off-camera, but that’s a whole different level.
“To Brando’s credit, while memorisation wasn’t his thing for whatever reason, he was able to still deliver his consistently phenomenal performances while secretly and invisibly glancing at the cards for his next lines.”
Another added: “Great actor but quite a nightmare to work with, from what I’ve heard.”
However, Brando’s inability to learn his lines may not have been his own fault. One fan on Reddit shared some quotes from assistant producer Ira Zuckerman’s day-by-day account of the filming process from his book, The Godfather Journal, in which he claimed there were constant last-minute changes to the script.
One quote from the book taken from the 28th day of filming read: “Because script changes are made every day, cue cards are being prepared for Brando. Between takes now he often mouths his lines and walks through the action, trying to get the feel of the scene, while director and crew attend to technical problems.”
Another from the 33rd day states: “Last-minute script revisions of the scenes to be filmed today are still being typed; they are distributed immediately after lunch. Again, cue cards must be made for Brando as the changes are too numerous for him to commit to memory in the time available.”
The fan on Reddit then added: “I’m not saying that Brando is blame-free himself. There’s no mention in the book of any other actors needing cue cards. But the rewrites were also clearly a factor.”