Brando's Cat in The Godfather: Real Power Behind the Throne?
Director Francis Ford Coppola found a stray cat and it ended up starring in the movie with Brando Godfather Don Corleone.
Comrades, if you have seen the movie, The Godfather, then you are familiar with the kitteh that steals the famous opening scene from Marlon Brando in The Godfather movie. Surely you want to know more about it, so allow Great Teacher Meow to educate you.
History of The Cat in “The Godfather” Movie:
There was never a cat in The Godfather script, and the gray and white cat held in the opening scene of The Godfather (1972) was a stray cat that director, Francis Ford Coppola, found on the Paramount movie lot during filming.
Where did the cat come from? It appears that the cat wanted to be famous so it traveled to Hollywood and then easily manipulated humans including Francis Ford Coppola and Marlon Brando to cast it in the movie.
Coppola himself added the cat, believing that it would help show the Godfather, Don Vito Corleone‘s, soft side. (During the movie, The Godfather strokes the cat while deciding who should live or die)
Here is video of the cat stealing the opening scene of The Godfather from Marlon Brando:
Witnesses say the cat purred so loudly during filming that it overpowered some of Marlon Brando‘s lines, which later had to be edited and looped.
Was the Kitty the Real Godfather?
As you can imagine, after The Godfather was released in 1972, conspiracy theories quickly surfaced as to the real role of the cat in the movie. Upon critical viewing, most cat owners quickly realize that the cat is the power behind the throne of the Corleone family.
In fact, several of the murders The Godfather appear to be ordered by the cat in cluding Virgil, “The Turk” Sollozzo and Paulie Gatto.
Why? Coppola gives the audience a hint, as “Gatto” is the Italian word for cat.
Also, Marlon Brando himself was a self-described Cat-Servant, and was once was quoted as saying, “I live in my cat’s house.”
So, you see comrade, even in movies the kitty is the power behind the throne. I believe it is what you humans might call, art imitating life?
Chairman Meow haz spoken.