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David Perlmutter's avatar

Not so much "Saint Brando" as "Saint Francis (Coppola)", since he directed the thing.

John DeVore's avatar

As a kid, when I used to tell my brother to “Never tell anyone outside the family what you’re thinking," I'm more or less paraphrasing mafia wisdom from The Godfather, who Saint Brando played.

David Perlmutter's avatar

Of course. The problem in my mind that is that Marlon Brando was not a saint to anyone who knew him...

John DeVore's avatar

I understand your point, but in the context of the essay, that's immaterial. Fourteen-year-old me, in 1990, had no perspective/opinion/awareness on Brando's personal life or personal failings. I am not actually calling the man a saint.

David Perlmutter's avatar

You rarely do at that age. I didn't figure out the flaws of some of the things I like until I got older.

John DeVore's avatar

I did listen to a 'You Must Remember This' Hollywood podcast episode (which is very good IMO) about Brando. Wild career.

The Politiwitch's avatar

I have the same tradition but Thanksgiving instead of Christmas. Nothing hurts like a betrayal from the family - great piece ❤️❤️❤️

David Korabell's avatar

This reminded me of a family story, perhaps a bit off-topic.

My parents grew up during the Great Depression as well. My father grew up in 1930s New York City. My paternal grandfather ran a laundry. These are all objective facts.

The story is regarding my paternal grandmother's valuable jewelry. The tale was that much of it came from laundry customers who left in their clothes and never returned to collect the jewelry or garments. Considering the place and time, as children, we often speculated on what might have happened to such clientele.

And yes, my father was a huge fan of the first two Godfather movies as well.

Caleb Reed's avatar

I love this! It's perfect 😍. I can feel your disappointment that day. And you are absolutely correct that this was one of the first Hollywood money grabs. The movie should never have been made.