John Cazale Was the Broken Heart of The Godfather

He slaps Al Pacino on the back of the head and then drops into frame, sly and drunk, teetering so close to Diane Keaton that all she can do is laugh and lean away. That’s how John Cazale enters The Godfather, in a simple scene—Michael Corleone (Pacino) introducing his girlfriend, Kay (Keaton), to his older brother Fredo (Cazale) at a wedding—that turns into a joyride. There’s an off-kilter quality to it: the way Pacino jumps, clearly surprised at Cazale’s slap, and the way Keaton nervously beams and glances over at Pacino as Cazale softly murmurs a greeting, playing Fredo’s drunkenness… Read Full Article