Sidney J. Furie

Furie was originally in line to direct Il padrino (1972) for Paramount. Producer Albert S. Ruddy had just come off Lo spavaldo (1970) with Furie, and was handed the task of producing "The Godfather" after "Little Fauss" had been brought in under-budget and under-schedule. Ruddy personally requested Furie to direct the picture, but Francis Ford Coppola's Italian heritage won the day.

The truth is, whether your film is about the great mythological character you have to do right, or it's a little movie that nobody ever heard of, you still approach it like it's the most important thing in the world. But failing goes with the territory. Filmmakers are like gunslingers, and you don't win every duel.