After a back-to-back screening of Part 1 and 2 of The Godfather [2] during the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival [3], what better way to end the annual affair than by inviting the whole cast and crew of the iconic mobster saga to New York City? Co-founder of the festival as well as one of the stars of The Godfather, Robert De Niro [4], organized a special reunion for the grand finale at the famous Radio City Music Hall [5]. He was joined by the entire star-studded cast which included Al Pacino [6], Robert Duvall [7], James Caan [8], Diane Keaton [9], Talia Shire [10], and director Francis Ford Coppola [11]. 

45 Years of The Godfather

2017 also signifies the 45th anniversary of Part 1 so it was the perfect occasion for this special Q&A moderated by director Taylor Hackford [12] which allowed fans to catch a glimpse of what went on behind the scenes during the making of the legendary movies. The series is based on Mario Puzo [13]’s best-selling novel of the same title and follows the story of a fictional New York crime family, the Corleones. The movies not only went on to achieve critical acclaim, including a total of nine Academy Awards, but more importantly, they left a mark on popular culture forever.

The Discussion

The conversation focused on the first film, possibly one of the most influential cinematographic masterpieces of all time, and its director, Francis Ford Coppola, led most of the dialogue. He talked about his thoughts on the original novel on which the movies are based as well as his phone conversation with Marlon Brando who was actually turning down a different role Coppola had in mind for him at the time. He even mentioned how he had to convince Paramount Picures [14] that Al Pacino was the right choice for the lead, despite the fact that they thought he was way too short for the part. It was a night to remember as all the cast members exchanged personal stories from the set and the best part about it was that even if you couldn’t make it to the discussion, it was streamed live on Facebook so that anyone can join in on the fun.

Diane Keaton closed the night by telling a story about how she recently rewatched The Godfather from her laptop after not seeing it for a long time. She said how in awe she was at how “every choice Coppola made was so authentically perfect.” For those who missed out on the biggest reunion of the year, it can still be viewed on Tribeca Film Festival’s Facebook from the comfort of your home.