Marlon Brando’s portrayal of Don Corleone in The Godfather franchise was perhaps not only his most iconic role but also one of the most memorable and impactful characters in all of cinema history. Starring a vast number of big-name actors like Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, and Robert De Niro, the trilogy has become a cult classic and developable a massive following in the fifty years since the release of the first film from the franchise.
It is, however, quite interesting to find out that one of the most iconic scenes from the franchise was almost completely ruined by an animal that was completely unscripted.
Marlon Brando’s Iconic Scene In The Godfather Was Part Compromised
Despite The Godfather being released in 1972, the scene that introduces Marlon Brando‘s Don Corleone remains, to this date, one of the most iconic and memorable scenes ever. While many have copied it or tried to make parodies of it, none have come even close to the original. The scene in question here showcases Brando sitting on a chair with a cat in his lap as he talked to an undertaker named Bonasera.
“The cat in Marlon’s hands was not planned for,” director Francis Ford Coppola said later. “I saw the cat running around the studio, and took it and put it in his hands without a word.”
What many may not know, however, is the cat in this scene was completely unscripted. Brando had a reputation for being good with kids and animals, so when director Francis Ford Coppola found a stray cat wandering around the studio, he decided to add it into the scene, putting it in Brando’s hands without saying a word and giving even more depth to an already complex character.
The Cat Almost Ruined Marlon Brando’s Iconic Scene From The Godfather
While Francis Ford Coppola ended up creating one of the most iconic scenes in cinematic history because of this decision, it proved to have caused some problems at that moment. The director then went on to reveal that when the crew went back to hear the audio on the shot, much of Marlon Brando’s dialogue was not audible.
The would seem that during the scene, the cat ended up purring quite a lot, so much so that the actor’s voice was not properly audible. This made the production team fear that they would have to put subtitles on a very important scene. While everything ended up working out, the cat’s purring is still audible in the final cut of the film.
Source: Entertainment Now
