The Godfather is one of those rare films where the moments between takes feel just as telling as the scenes that made the cut.

You get Brando sitting there in costume between takes, not doing anything interesting, just waiting. Coppola is off to the side talking with someone, sleeves rolled, hair a mess, looking like he has been on his feet all day. A few of the guys still have their jackets on but the shape is gone, shoulders slumped, ties loosened, shirts wrinkled at the waist. Smoke in the air, chairs pulled around in a rough circle, cables on the floor.

None of it looks precious. It looks like work. And it’s often one of the coolest things to look back on. 

Here is life on the set of ‘The Godfather’.