"You like race horses? I love 'em. Beautiful, expensive Racehorses. You are looking at six hundred thousand on four hoofs...I bet even Russina Czars never paid that kind of dough for a single horse."
Jack Woltz (John Marley) in The Godfather, screenplay by Mario Puzo & Francis Ford Coppola
If you’ve never seen The Godfather there is a major hole in your film history knowledge. Write a note to screenwrtier/ director Francis Ford Coppola begging for forgiveness, buy a bottle of his wine (unless you’re under 21), and watch that film before you read this post. (After all, it is #2 on the AFI’s 100 years 100 Movies list.)
The horse’s head scene is not only the most memorable, the most visceral scene in The Godfather trilogy, it is one of the most memorable in film history. It’s also the one scene that, to me, technically makes the least sense. I’ve watched The Godfather many times and there is no doubt that the scene works every time.
My problem is a logical one. How did they get the horses head in the bed without waking the Hollywood studio head who was sleeping in it? Sure we could jump through some hoops and say he was drugged and all and anybody ruthless enough to do such a heinous act could figure out how to pull it off.
Still, it just seems like a flaw. Maybe I’m the only one who this bugs. And this is not to take anything from one of the greatest films ever made. I have the deepest respect for Coppola as a writer and a director. There is no screenwriter I have written about on this blog that I’d rather sit down and have a meal with than Coppola. (Okay, maybe Billy Wilder, but that’s kind of hard these days.)
If anything, it shows the genius of Coppola as a writer and director to change what was originally written by Mario Puzo in the book so that it would have the maximum impact on the audiences. Here’s how Coppola explains the scene on The Godfather DVD commentary:
“Interesting about the horse’s head scene— that was at the time a very, very famous scene in the book, and the way it’s described in the book Woltz wakes up and he looks and the horse’s head is there on the bedpost. And I just felt it would it be more horrible not to just have the horse there, but that he feels something wet in his bed and he turns down the sheets and he sees blood. And at first he thinks, ‘my god it could be me, I’ve been stabled or something.’ And as he pulls the sheet he sees the horse’s head right under the covers, so it’s quite different than in the book in the film—it’s maybe more effective, I’m not sure. I think that moment of doubt, that maybe it was his own wound bleeding maybe contributed to the horror.”
It’s a scene that lasts only one minute*, but that is embedded on audiences for a lifetime. Yes, the horse’s head on the bedpost does make more sense and is more plausible, but would have been far less effective. (Remember Hitchcock thought those that spoke in terms of plausibility were boring.)
The lesson here is the drama of the reveal trumps logic.
*And for the directors out there, the horse’s head scene consists mostly of one long take of dolly shot, followed by three quick shots reaction shots after the revel of the horse’s head. Filmmaking at it’s best.
Related post: Screenwriting and the Little Fat Girl in Ohio
The Francis Ford Coppola Way
[...] If you’ve never seen The Godfather there is a major hole in your film history knowledge. Write a note to screenwrtier/ director Francis Ford Coppola begging for forgiveness, buy a bottle of his wine (unless you’re under 21), and watch this film before you read this post. The horse’s head scene is not only the most [...] Original Source… [...]
I feel ashamed. I’ll begin drafting my letter of apology to Francis Ford Coppola. And I’ll buy some wine. And I’ll wait to read the post…
Cindy, here’s a good place to start…
Coppola’s winery has an inexpensive red wine called Rosso that they describe as, “Made in the same spirit as the first California table wines, Rosso is made from a blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sirah. The supple texture and rich, juicy flavors of plum, cherries, mocha, and strawberry jam make this wine a perfect accompaniment to any meal.”
I’m more a film snob than a wine snob, but I think Rosso is pretty good and it’s been on special at my local grocery for $7.99 (complete with a little trattoria-styled glass, the kind that pops up from time to time in “The Godfather”).
Thanks for the wine recommendation. Since I’ve now finally confessed to missing a film classic like “The Godfather,” it brings to mind a couple of other movies I MAY have inadvertently missed over the years that I cannot admit to on a public forum for fear of the backlash I could face. But here’s a hint and I can just deny it later if guessed…They both begin with the letter “C.” And absolutely NO ONE who considers him/herself a screenwriter should have either of these holes in their film history either. Basically I’ve missed the “trinity” of great films…but don’t ask me how many times I’ve seen “The Goonies”…because I’ll deny that too.
I’ll take great movies staring with “C” for $50…”Chinatown” & “Citizen Kane.”
Everyone has holes in their film appreciation, but I’m really a fan of knowing really well one or two films in your preferred genre. Really well could mean 10-20-50 times. It could be “The Godfather” or it could be “The Goonies.”
And really, if you write a screenplay like “The Goonies” these days you’ll have a better of getting it made than writing another 3 hour mafia drama.
Uh…I guess there are in fact THREE classics beginning with the letter “C” that I’ve missed…since I forgot about Citizen Kane. The situation is worse than I realized, and that’s only one letter!
And I totally agree with knowing movies in your preferred genre well. There are those few movies I really study and have seen dozens of times; Picking them apart and trying to garner any wisdom from them.
(And for the record, I probably wouldn’t go so far as to say “The Goonies” is my “preferred genre;” just one of the few movies we owned on VHS when I grew up overseas. Just recently a friend from high school asked me if I could still recite Chunk’s “blender scene” like I used to. I could.)
Don’t even tell me you haven’t seen “Casablanca”…
Things are worse than I thought. While you’re in the “C” section you might as well pick up “City Lights” and “Close in Counters of the Third Kind,” “The Caine Mutiny,” “Cool Hand Luke,” “The Conversation,” The Color Purple,” “Cleopatra”…that’s a good start.
BTW-Diablo Cody has mentioned “The Goonies” a few times on her blog and in interviews. Hmmm, don’t remember her ever mentioning “Casablanca.” So maybe you’re in good screenwriting company.
Chinatown? Citizen Kane? Casablanca??? Me not having seen them??? I don’t know what you’re talking about… But I do know what I’ll be doing this weekend…
And for a little Goonie trivia, I saw that “The Goonies” was listed as one of the top ten films for “A movie you watched as a child that you should not watch again as an adult.” Interesting.
Checkout ONE BAD MICE FILM for FREE. Go to http://www.spike.com and search for ONE BAD MICE FILM.
[...] ”You like race horses? I love ‘em. Beautiful, expensive Racehorses. You are looking at six hundred thousand on four hoofs…I bet even Russina Czars never paid that kind of dough for a single horse.” Jack Woltz (John Marley) in The Godfather, screenplay by Mario Puzo & Francis Ford Coppola If you’ve never seen The Godfather there is a [...] Original Source… [...]