Just when Pacino thought he was out, they pulled him back in.

They're damn lucky that someone had the stones to cast Pacino.

nobody could have done it better than pacino

Pacino is the perfect Michael. Compared to the others, Al had a youthful spirit but a haunting quality when he needed to be serious

Sonny and James Caan were like a pair of gloves .You cannot replace him with anyone else. If you ever had an elder brother who is short tempered but who also loves you,you would totally identify Mikey's relation with Sonny.

2:09 James Caan was just born to play Sonny

Al Pacino is Michael Corleone!

Oh my God when De Niro goes on camera, what a natural mobster he is just flawless.

Coppola's casting was genius.

i cant fucking get over how gorgeous al pacino was

godfather is a piece of art.

The world would have been a different place today if someone other than Al Pacino played Michael

Diane's reaction when Al is Micheal, compared to James playing Micheal is hilarious

AL not being michael sounds crazy

Al Pacino was perfect face for this movie. Young innocent beautiful men on the beginning and then also gangster who always want to live normal life. I cannot imagine somebody else to play instead.

When Diane Keaton smiles, it’s something else.

Pacino was so good lookin! Incredible actor too. He had it all and then some. I don't get it that they thought he was dull. He was so good in this.

You gotta trust. Point is, Pacino was not ready, he rose to the occasion and stayed there.

Pacino was perfect. Diane Keaton was so emotive in the screen tests. They should have duplicated that in the movie. She is so alive and flirtatious. DeNiro as Sonny was interesting.

I initially thought Martin Sheen was John Cazale.

That was the best part. He literally grown into Michael right on the screen. Michael's character grow into the Godfather as a result of fate and circumstances.

Nobody except Pacino could play Michael. He just fit the part so well

Wow, shows you how great these actors are when you see them do the role they weren’t cast for, and realizing what an important process casting really is.

Been crushing on Young Al Pacino in GF1 aka Micheal Corleone. He looked very handsome 😍

Diane Keaton... Wow.. She is so natural.

Daaamn Diane Keaton was soooo beautiful

can tell when Diane with Al she is so happy got stars in her eyes and so do Al they were clicked,and Jimmy really can't play the Cold Mike,he is always good for happy,funny,positive,sunny boy character

I'm glad James Caan didn't get cast as Michael. He was way too charming in that audition footage, his personality was perfect for Sonny.

that restaurant scene WAS indeed one of his best acting part.

"he undresses you with his eyes..." that's exactly right.. (fainting here)

Can you imagine having to fight the studio and put your career on the line to have Al Pacino on your movie

“Bada-bing! All over your nice Ivy League suit.” Always loved that line. He was really trying to put Michael in his place.

Pacino's voice changed so much

Pacino was beautiful. And no one could have done it better. However would have loved to see deniro in it as well.

Al was a rough painting in Godfather 1. In Godfather 2 and 3, he was a work of art.

Pacino was perfect. My older brother looked just like him. And we are Sicilian. And I am prejudiced.

In the early scenes, the Michael character was a spectator, not an active participant in organized crime. It was too soon for him to "assert" himself, that was going to be part of his character arc.

Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, my two moooooost favourite actors by far.........

Diane Keaton was a mesmerizing cutie - an innocent beauty

that why the directors get most of the credit, they gotta defend their cast selection against the producers and whatnot, i cant imagine someone else playing mike

Alpacino is just FLAWLESS

Salozo character had the best accent. The others sounded forced. When he's speaking in dialect its spot on.

Legendary casting. In spite of all the practical and political controversies, it is actually rare to get the original first choices for all the major characters in a major production (in this case, Pacino, DuVall, Caan, Brando, Keaton). Coppola deserves HUGE credit for persevering with his artistic first choices in face of gigantic resistance from Paramount. And hence the phenomenal quality of these two movies, since the casting and acting are based purely on artistic values rather than studio appeasement.

There is no one on planet earth at that time nor is there now that could play Michael Corleone better than Pacino. He literally is the character. The GF movies are packed with legends and great actors but if they picked the wrong Michael, I don’t think it would be what it is today.

How gorgeous Al Pacino was! So cute and adorable.

i cant imagine Martin Sheen playing Michael Corleone

If I hadn't watched godfather and was to select one of these guys I would straightway select al Pacino as Michael because he perfectly fits the character described in the novel. Full marks to Francis ford's conviction

It’s interesting to see that during the testing, Pacino doesn’t strike me as particularly impressive, yet in the movie there’s absolutely nobody who could’ve done it better. He IS Michael Corleone…

Al definitely looked more like the clean cut Ivy League educated war hero.

Every time I watch this masterpiece it becomes more and more a loved family member. It is perfection. Rare.

Pacino was mesmerizing in part I.

Diane Keaton has bedroom eyes. So beautiful. DeNiro was so good that you had to bring him back.

Anyone who doubts the work that actors and directors do need only compare the feckless, downright silly reading that Pacino and Keaton give in their audition, to the taut, controlled performance of the wedding reception scene that made it into the movie. A simply amazing transformation that was wrought upon every frame of the picture. I don't think anyone in that film ever went on to do anything better ever again.

Al Pacino, the best actor of the last 50 years.

Love the tracking problems with the video. That takes me back!!

Its the theme music that help elevated this movie

Al Pacino❤

1:53 what a smile

That same non assertive attitude that they at first DIDNT WANT FROM AL, actually in the end play perfect for the plot! We seeing eventually this quiet non assertive Michael become a cold ruthless DON! Perfect 💢 it help make the movie great!!!!

can't believe James Caan and Al Pacino are of the same age! James Caan looked like 10 years older!

The casting for The Godfather was perfect, even with the benefit of hindsight. Although both producer Bob Evans and director Coppola wanted ethnic authenticity, the 3 major exceptions--with Jews Jimmy Caan and Abe Vigoda playing Italians and Italian Alex Rocco playing a Jew--were still brilliant casting. From this clip, I can imagine Martin Sheen competently playing Fredo, perhaps, but John Cazale was perfect, and if that weren't obvious in The Godfather, it was certainly obvious in The Godfather II. Incidentally, one of my great memories was running into John Cazale. In the early 1970s, I was 17 years old and taking a walk in Greenwich Village, New York, where I lived, heading east on 8th Street from University Place toward 2nd Avenue. At the southeast corner of 8th and Greene Streets, suddenly, I recognized John walking the opposite direction on 8th. I was so star stuck that I could only inarticularly express how much I enjoyed his work. But John was gracious and seemed to appreciate me acknowledging him and saying hello.

Pacino's voice was so high pitched during godfather he lost his voice by mid 80s .. He used to look cutiepid during godfather but in 80s he started looking like a hot daddy material

At the time of the production, none of them would have thought that The Godfather would turn into a cinematic icon in the entire film history.

Al Pacino made his trademark in the trilogy...with his gaze still...fixed...unblinking...

Diane Keaton.....wow!!!!!!

8:21 The movement of Bob's eyes.... Some anxiety if he was finally the chosen for FFC cast....

Al Pacino owns Michael. End of the story.

Diane Keaton was real cute back then in the early 1970’s.

And Al Pacino proceeds to deliver 1 of the all-time great performances. Him as Michael Corleone is the absolute pinnacle of acting! Just goes to show you how much Hollywood producers know. Smh. Leave the casting to the director!

Diane Keaton was adorable back in the day.

3:44 Al Pacino's delivery is exquisite, but Diane Keaton's reaction makes the scene. That look of restrained shock. And consider this: she's heard Pacino and other fine actors say this line to her over and over again through countless screen tests followed by rehearsals and separate "takes". Being the actress that Keaton is, she's hearing it "for the first time." No anticipation. No "indicating"

Such a beautiful couple

De Niro as Sonny would have been great. But no one would have gone to see the sequels with him dead. Instead he stole GF II.

Anykne else think young diane keaton is just adorable😀😍

Diane Keaton es súper talentosa.

Al Pacino ... the best EVER 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

When James Caan reads his first line as “Michael “ I was expecting him to immediately stop in the middle and say “Sorry sorry, this just ain’t working. It ain’t right. I feel it. You feel it? This doesn’t fit.”

01:14 a little Tony Montana coming out of Michael Corleone

I can’t even see anyone but Al Pacino as Michael. Or James Caan as Sonny

Sonny as Michael is a cursed timeline for sure

One of the best movies ever made

Keaton, Duvall, Caan and Coppola knew that Pacino was perfect for the roll...

That is why Cappola was King. He knew what he wanted.

They were right ..those eyes of Pacino are unmatched when he gets that look of evil..when he became the Don and in Part 2 when Kay tells him she had an abortion.." The eyes chico, they never lie"

Damn I bet all those people feel like right now because he turn into one of the best actors of all time.

Wow. Just. Wow.

Diane Keaton....such adorable and beauty woman...

Just adore young Al Pacino. And De Niro, too! 💪💪💪

I gotta be honest deniro looked cool as sonny and intimidating but james caan brought almost a comedian's charisma, he was so animated

Diane Keaten is adorable

This is why this movie was so iconic: the storyline, the actors and the scenes were absolutely, exceptional. "The Godfather" historically raised the bar in film making to higher dimensions. The producers failed to understand the storyline and characters from "The Godfather". The only producer/director, who was on the ball with the project, was Frances Ford Coppola. Al Pacino played the character of Michael perfectly how it was meant to be. Positive creativity is a progressing, developing and evolving process, that doesn't allow any form of prejudices to get involved. Coppola, Pacino and Company understood that. 😀😀😀

Damn it, now I have to go see all three parts again

all 4 brothers sure LOOKED like "brothers" didn't they?

James Kahn is an honorary Italian!!

Pacino on the movie : " I was out" Pacino in the movie : You're out ,Tom"

they didn't kicked out Al because he made an offer they can't refuse

Without Al Pacino God Father would not be this good.

Francis Ford Coppola had the courage to stay the course of his vision and the rest is history

Talk about transformation! Check out 4:46-4:53.

This is gold. Thank you!