HOLLYWOOD BEAT
Where Have I Seen That Face Before? Sterling Hayden: Actor, Author, Sailor
“Mandrake, have you ever seen a Commie drink a glass of water?”
— as Capt. Jack D. Ripper
This past month when I read Mario Puzo’s The Godfather for the first time in 50 years it quite naturally stirred in me a desire to re-visit the blockbuster film that followed, especially since it’s considered one of the greatest films of all time. Like all great films with memorable lines, this one itself has become a classic, “We’ll make an offer he can’t refuse.”
Marlon Brando’s performance as Don Vito Corleone is perfection. Brando so embodies the essence of the Don, and steals every scene just by his being there in character.
But there are also many other memorable scenes. Of those that come to mind the first is that little surprise that Director Jack Woltz finds in his bed the day after he refuses to accept Don Corleone’s proposal.
Another, and the one that triggered this blog post, was the scene in which Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) goes to meet with a man named Solozzo, head of another mob family, and Captain McCluskey, the crooked Irish cop who previously damaged the side of Michael’s face with a knuckle sandwich.
