Francis Ford Coppola reveals the unexpected reason The Godfather became a classic The Oscar-winning director says it wasn’t the mob violence or Marlon Brando’s performance that made the 1972 film a hit – but something far more domestic.
In the conversation, which took place at London’s acclaimed River Café restaurant, Rogers recalled how The Godfather was the first time she saw the kind of Italian cuisine she grew up with depicted on screen, noting: “When we went out to an Italian restaurant we would have veal parmesan, we would have the meatballs and spaghetti – the food of The Godfather.”.
Francis Ford Coppola has revealed the unexpected reason he believes The Godfather became one of the most successful films of all time – and it has nothing to do with mobsters, violence, or even Marlon Brando.
“Although I must say that the reason I'm convinced that The Godfather was successful was because it was the first gangster film that had a lot of kids running around in the scenes,” Coppola said.
In a December 2024 interview with The Washington Post, he revealed how he made a series of bold demands that he assumed would deter Paramount from greenlighting the movie – including insisting on calling the sequel The Godfather Part II, a decision that would forever change the way franchises were titled.
