The Offer: the series chronicles mafia pressure and Frank Sinatra’s attempted boycott of the film The Godfather

There are endless legends surrounding the filming of The Godfather. Fifty years after its premiere, some are confirmed and others are twisted to the limit of the unreliable. The Series The Offerone of the streaming tanks this fall, discussing some of those revealed secrets.

It is made from fiction, but with the guarantee of the existence of Albert S. Ruddy, the factotum of the film based on Mario Puzo’s novel, as one of the producers of the series.

In the ten-episode story that premiered on the Paramount+ platform (they are also available on Flow), Ruddy is played by Miles Teller.

The other great responsible for Ninong Robert “Bob” Evans, the corrupt president of Paramount studios and the first to trust Ruddy’s instincts, finally made it to theaters.

The Inauguration of Matthew Goode

british artist matthew goode incorporates the charismatic -and often parodied- Evans, who like Ruddy obeys the demanding orders of Francis Ford Coppola (David Fogler), and he sacrificed his personal life for a project that was on the brink of collapse all the time. Time will prove them right.

“Al (Ruddy) is 92 years old and still full of life. We see it through his eyes, because he’s the producer physically on set. Still I can’t believe I was the only one who produced that film. This is his filmmaking journey, “Goode explains in Clarion in a Zoom chat.

Goode is known for more supporting roles in match point by Woody Allen, Guards or the series downton abbey. Here he delivers a brilliant picture -perhaps the best of his career- of playboy who has been married seven times, involved in cocaine trafficking casesurvived a stroke and died in 2019 at the age of 89.

But The Offer was limited to the two busy years he took Ninongone of his first successes and part of a list of films he directed that brought Paramount to the top of Hollywood, such as son of rosemary, Harold and Maude o Chinatown.

The pressure of the mafia and Sinatra

“The Offer is the story of how it was made Ninong, and all the problems they had to face. It focuses on a wonderful man, Al Ruddy, who is also the producer of our series, ”said the 44-year-old actor from Exeter, in the south of England.

The series shows how reality transcends fiction, along with Italian-American organized crime leaders lobbying to boycott the film from the start. And with Ruddy’s smooth handling of script changes until make friends with Joseph Colombo (Giovanni Ribisi), the capo of five families in the early ’70s.

A the ongoing extortion of the mafia and Frank Sinatraconvinced that Johnny Fontane -the fictional singer in Puzo’s book- was based on him, the convergence among the same ranks of heavyweights as Francis Ford Coppola, Marlon Brando, james caan and a young Al Pacino.

To top it off, the Paramount listed Ninong in low budget moviesa decision that led to friction between Ruddy and Coppola, determined to comply at all costs with the ambitious plan of shooting his masterpiece.

Al Ruddy the Juggler

“When I was studying dramatic arts, I knew there were various legends, rumors that had reached England about casting difficulties. And obviously the famous stories of some disputes in the relationship between Bob and Francis Ford Coppola “, Goode confessed.

Some of the myriad mishaps were first revealed by Ruddy, that is Can’t even relax after the movie, because some Paramount executives considered Coppola’s nearly three -hour final cut too long.

“When I started reading the script and doing more research, I really thought a miracle that the film made it into theaters. That’s the most fascinating part. How Al Ruddy did it: It’s like a juggling lesson, having to deal with the mob on one side, and everyone else on the other side. He will be remembered as one of the great physical producers, ”he added.

Then define a The Offer as “a letter of love to the creation of The Godfather, to the genius of Al and to all who made it.”

-What aspect of that complex process might surprise a movie fan?

good: I think of everything. There are some secrets you get like “Uh, I can’t believe I don’t know this”. The Sinatra thing, perhaps; or the wonderful pictures of some of the treacherous relationships between them … It was like a rollercoaster ride and the ups and downs of how this film went to theaters and became one of the most beloved of all time.

Bob Evans, Created by Goode

To land on the skin of Bob Evans, Goode had to pour out his British accent. On screen, he achieves a great dandy composition that speaks at full speed and is recognizable to all by his mirror style.

-What did you learn from this character and how did you interact with him?

-Goode: He was an eccentric and wonderful man. What I learned from him was how much he invested and exposed himself to undertake a project. He has made some of the craziest movies. It was not done Harold and Maudeand then made Chinatowna film about incest and water.

I mean, is responsible for bringing unusual themes to the big screen. And aside from being a great professional, he has a pretty insane personal life. It wasn’t fully visible in the series, but it had a lot of ups and downs. It was a joy to research him and find something remarkable in his life every day. This is a very good role.

-Is this the most eccentric paper you have to do? Is it challenging in terms of characterization?

good: Well, I’m English, so I’ve already made some broken characters. But for now, I have the scariest expectations. Mainly because not only did he have a weird lifestyle and move into the film world in weird ways … and was brilliant, but because the guy dressed, looked and spoke the way I was afraid I wouldn’t get caught.

But hey, I did research, I worked hard. And then, sometimes Dexter Fletcher -executive producer and director of several episodes The Offer-, gave me the confidence to go on set and leave everything, it was one of the experiences I enjoyed most as an actor. Until now. I’m glad.

Another fan of The Godfather

Although a priori, it seems like a series reserved for fans and nerds of The Godfather who may know some of these stories in its realization, The Offer it is also an ode to cinema in general That’s the golden age of Paramount Pictures.

“It’s not a remake of Ninong. I think if you like cinema in general, we show how hard it is to make any movie. Always lotto. Except there it would go down on records as one of the greatest in history, if not the greatest”, Thinks Goode.

-There’s an idea around The Godfather that if you don’t watch it, you’re not a real fan of the movie. What do you think there?

good: I did not subscribe. If you haven’t seen it yet, you’re in luck because you still have a chance to see it for the first time.. I saw her when I was 18, just when I finished high school, and I fell in love with her for many reasons.

At the time, I had never seen any film like this. To this day I still have an intense admiration for photography directors, I find the shots and lights masterful. They are incredible. If you haven’t seen it yet, go for it.. I like slow -moving movies. And we were lucky that Bob and Francis got the cut of almost three hours that the film deserves.

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