The Godfather Scene You Might Not Know Was Improvised
“The Godfather” is a movie that is so richly layered, thoughtfully structured and expertly performed that it has a feeling of verisimilitude in every frame. Though painstakingly scripted by Mario Puzo and director Francis Ford Coppola, the film rarely feels staged or stilted. The most authentically chaotic sequence in the film is undoubtedly the opening scenes depicting the wedding of Connie Corleone (Talia Shire) to Carlo Rizzi (Gianni Russo), during which the whole Corleone clan celebrate on their New York City grounds while Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) entertains requests from his family members and business associates.
Of course, the Corleone’s are a crime family, a powerful Mafia organization who are under constant scrutiny and observation by the authorities. It’s within this hotbed of celebration, observation, and barely-restrained tension that one of the film’s famous moments occurs courtesy of the elder Corleone son, Sonny (James Caan). It’s a moment that feels utterly authentic — but, as it turns out, was unscripted, and completely improvised by Caan.
