The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't

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On the 35th anniversary of the release of the landmark film "The Godfather," (March 15, 1972) we look back at the time and place of the film's conception and shooting. Forces in the film industry were in conflict: Hollywood was on the decline toward cultural irrelevance, conglomerates were taking over the storied movie studios and a new generation of auteur filmmakers including the young and then unknown Francis Coppola were emerging from film schools. The studio hated Coppola's ideas for casting, visual style and almost everything else, as they hoped for a quick, inexpensive exploitation of a pulpy best-seller. But one year later, said then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger at the world premiere in New York City: "...this picture is going to be just huge around the world, because if you can cry for a leading character who has killed 100s of people when he- when he dies, and you cry for him when he's dying, that's touching greatness, and this man, Coppola, has touched greatness."