How Much Screen Time Marlon Brando Actually Has In The Godfather

Marlon Brando is at the forefront of The Godfather, but it’s curious how long he’s actually in the legendary film. He has long been considered one of the most influential actors of all time, racking up accolades throughout his career, including an Academy Award for his leading role in Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece. Brando portrays the infamous Vito Corleone, a character inspired by various real-life mafia bosses, from Carlo Gambino to Frank Costello. Despite being labeled as its protagonist, Brando’s screen time as Vito may prove that he never had a claim to being the story’s “The Godfather.”

Brando’s performance in the gangster epic is not the only one that had critics buzzing, as some of his co-stars are also nominated for Oscars, including Al Pacino for best supporting actor. Pacino portrayed Michael Corleone, the youngest son of Vito, and returned to reprise his role in The Godfather Part II and The Godfather Part III. Many people, including Pacino himself, believe that he was the true lead of the first film, despite not making the Best Actor cut at the Academy Awards until Part II rolled around. That honor was given to the established Brando, disregarding his lack of screen time.

Marlon Brando Has Less Than An Hour Of Screen Time In The Godfather

Vito Corleone Was Cemented In History After Only 40 Minutes

Coppola, a leading figure behind modern Hollywood, continues to bring legendary casts together, with his newest epic, Megalopolis, hitting theaters later this year. The Godfather was the big break that defined his legendary reputation, however. The characters that he adapted are forever engraved in cinema history, especially Marlon Brando’s Vito Corleone. Studio executives actually considered many other actors for the important role, arguing that Brando was too much of a powerhouse. That said, Coppola fought hard to have a name like his attached to his project. The result of this collaboration was an instant classic that grew into The Godfather trilogy that won many Oscars.

The Godfather was a major commercial success, dominating the box office with $250 million globally and currently sitting at #2 on IMDB’s top 250. A huge chunk of that success is widely credited to Brando, even though he just appeared in less than an hour of the story. In total, of the 175-minute runtime of The Godfather, Vito Corleone is on-screen for only 40 minutes, meaning that Brando acted in less than a quarter of the movie. Impressively, that 40 minutes boosted him into the conversation of the best leading men to ever do it. In comparison, Pacino has over 1 hour and 6 minutes of screen time in the film.

Marlon Brando’s Lack Of Screen Time Confirms That Vito Isn’t The Movie’s “Godfather”

Al Pacino As Michael Corleone Makes A Better Lead

Brando being nominated at the Academy Awards as the film’s lead actor didn’t go over smoothly, as Pacino famously opted out of that year’s ceremony, even though he was still nominated under the supporting actor category. Reportedly, Pacino’s bitterness stems from having more screen time than any other actor in The Godfather and a whopping 26 minutes more than the proclaimed lead, although the actor recently debunked the claim (via THR). Brando did not return for any appearances in the sequels, resulting in Pacino taking his throne as Michael led the rest of the trilogy,

Brando’s star power could be a major reason for his push during the award season, as he stood out in the ensemble cast. Pacino was a lesser-known stage actor at the time. Vito was the obvious lead character in the 1969 novel that The Godfather was adapted from, but Coppola chose to greatly highlight Michael’s role in the crime family, which brought many iconic quotes and moments. The dominant screen time, along with Pacino’s commitment to the trilogy proves that he was always the true “Godfather.” In the 52 years since the polarizing release of the original movie, both men have received grand amounts of praise for their roles and Pacino has claimed that he holds no grudge against Brando.

Source: THR