The Godfather
Summary
Few viewers could bury the macabre prospect involving a cut off horse head inThe Godfather , and many interview members were left wonder whether a real creature was used to provide the property . Adapted from Mario Puzo ’s novel of the same name , The Godfatheris an larger-than-life gangster movie by conductor Francis Ford Coppola . Often listed among the best movies ever made , The Godfathertells the story of an senesce mafia don who looks back on his deplorable legacy . As Vito Corleone train to pass his conglomerate on to the next coevals , his son Michael struggles with the responsibleness this entail .
While Vito is central to the original movie , The Godfathertrilogyas a whole centers on Michael ’s story . The passage from Vito ’s leadership of the mob family to Michael ’s geological era is mussy , and there are a lot of bloody incidents beforeThe Godfather ’s iconic ending . One of the most memorable is the off - screen killing of manufacturer Jack Woltz ’s prized airstream horse Khartoum . After Woltz refuses to give the mob - affiliated entertainer Johnny Fontane a role in his next projection , he is cajoled by Vito ’s consigliere Tom Hagen . This lead in one of the nastiest scene inall three ofThe Godfathermovies .
Yes, That’s A Real Horse Head In The Godfather
The 1972 Gangster Epic Used A Real Horse’s Head For The Infamous Scene
Tom fails to win over Woltz to throw Fontane since the Hollywood star is n’t afraid of the rout ’s potential reprisal . As a outcome , Woltz wakes up to line up Khartoum ’s severed head in his bed surrounded by a puddle of blood . Shockingly , The Godfatherused a real buck ’s head in this scene , with Coppola complaining that the fake property looked too unrealistic . According toTime magazine publisher , the art director pick out a horse that was before long to be slaughtered from a New Jersey andiron food plant . Coppola himself take that the selected horse ’s mind arrived in a crate of teetotal ice .
It is tough to imagine a phoney horse ’s head count as convincing as the one that Woltz stir up up beside , so Coppola ’s choice was understandable . AlthoughThe Godfather ’s castwere universally brilliant , the picture show ’s success can also be part attributed to this sort of granular detail that went into its production . The Godfather ’s sawbuck brain scene is infamous partially because it use a existent cavalry ’s header , but this is only one of the many element that make the minute so efficient . Tom ’s nonchalant attitude toward Woltz ’s insults in the lead scene set up a sinister shade that shortly escalates .
Why The Godfather’s Horse’s Head Scene Is So Effective
Coppola’s Adaptation Maximizes The Tension Before Its Brutal Reveal
As the camera creeps into the producer ’s lavish sleeping room , the patient frame make the growing tension almost intolerable . The jangling , incessant score ramps up the doubtfulness further , sum up a playful element of dark humor to proceedings . When the big reveal finally happens , Coppola persist with Woltz ’s horrified screaming just a import longer than viewers expect , resulting in a unambiguously disquieting setting . This sort of attention to detail explains howThe Godfather ’s Marlon Brandopulled off play an aging mafia don at only 47.The Godfather ’s immaculate artistry allowed Coppola ’s mobster saga to shine over an array of production problems .
Custom image Sam MacLennan
