How Would You Recast the Classics

[OldHoss]

Recast the Classics is a game that my wife and I play on long car trips. We take a classic movie and attempt to recast it with actors from the present as if it were going to begin filming tomorrow. However, there are two movies we cannot just seem to successfully recast -- we just come up blank when trying to come up with good modern alternatives.

 

The first movie is The Godfather (1972). Here, it's because the characters are so iconic. I think we have a hard time imagining anyone other than Brando as Don Vito Corleone (even though De Niro would seem like the obvious choice) or Pacino as Michael. And then trying to recast some of the minor characters is just as difficult. I mean, Abe Vigoda IS Tessio; Lenny Montana IS Luca Brasi.

 

The second movie is Hud (1963), which is perhaps my favorite movie of all-time. The problem with this stems from Newman. We cannot think of anyone who could play Hud Bannon, Anti-Hero, nearly as well as Newman. And it almost seems like we need to cast Hud before we can cast anyone else. Although Patricia Neal was amazing as Alma, I wonder if her performance would have been as good had it not been for Newman. Chemistry is a two-way street afterall.

 

I'll be doing a bit of driving come Friday. So, help me out. Let's cast these movies:

 

Hud

Hud Bannon (Newman)

Homer Bannon (Melvyn Douglas)

Alma Brown (Patricia Neal)

Lon Bannon (Brandon De Wilde)

 

 

The Godfather

Don Vito (Brando)

Michael (Pacino)

Sonny (James Caan)

Tom Hagen (Duvall)

Fredo (John Cazale)

Clemenza (Richard Castellano)

Sal Tessio (Abe Vigoda)

Luca Brasi (Lenny Montana)

Kay Adams (Diane Keaton)

Connie (Talia Shire)

Carlo (Gianni Russo)

Paulie Gatto (John Martino)

Moe Greene (Alex Rocco)

Don Emilio Barzini (Richard Conte)

Sollozzo (Al Lettieri)

Don Carmine Cuneo (Rudy Bond)

Don Phillip Tattaglia (Victor Rendina)

Bruno Tattaglia (Tony Giorgio)

Johnny Fontane (Al Martino)

 

Go as far as you can with The Godfather. Some of the minor characters could really be filled by anyone, but I'd love to see who you pick for the bigger roles. I look forward to reading your ideas!

[jjkoestler]

"I just miss the classics, y'know, like The Karate Kid or 'Harold and Maude."

[homer]

This is hard because you basically have to rethink the entire character rather than "which actor would give the same performance" because they most certainly would not. I think that's why remakes of popular movies don't always work - people have the image so ingrained of what the character should be that they don't allow or any other interpretation. having said all that, I'll chime in with a few ideas for the non-Italian actors:

 

Kay Adams - take your pick. I think most solid American actresses could replace her but I'll throw out an Aussie instead: Naomi Watts

Tom Hagan - Ewen McGregor or Ron Livingston

 

And a couple of the "family":

Sonny - Dominic West (McNulty from The Wire)

And the Abe Vigoda character: Domineck Lombardozi (Herc from The Wire)

[DKM4Boston]

Don Vito - I agree with Robert DeNiro

Michael - Jon Hamm (from Mad Men)

Sal Tessio - Frank Vincent (from The Sopranos)

Fredo - Steve Buscemi?

Tom Hagen - Ralph Fiennes

[OldHoss]

This is hard because you basically have to rethink the entire character rather than "which actor would give the same performance" because they most certainly would not. I think that's why remakes of popular movies don't always work - people have the image so ingrained of what the character should be that they don't allow or any other interpretation. having said all that, I'll chime in with a few ideas for the non-Italian actors:

 

Kay Adams - take your pick. I think most solid American actresses could replace her but I'll throw out an Aussie instead: Naomi Watts

Tom Hagan - Ewen McGregor or Ron Livingston

 

And a couple of the "family":

Sonny - Dominic West (McNulty from The Wire)

And the Abe Vigoda character: Domineck Lombardozi (Herc from The Wire)

Exactly...you don't want someone trying to do their best imitation of Brando playing Don Vito Corleone...you want someone who can give new and meaningful life to that character, but yet stay true to the character's essence within the limits of the story. To my mind there is a weariness and a sadness in Brando's protrayal of Don Corleone that goes to the center of that character. Because Brando's protrayal is so good, it's become iconic and I think it's hard to think of anyone but Brando playing that role. I always sensed a disconnect between De Niro's young Vito and Brando's Godfather and I'm just not sure I can see De Niro, as good as he is, provoking that same sort of feeling. But then again, perhaps you want to take the character in a different direction. It's your movie....

[Teatoe993]

"I just miss the classics, y'know, like The Karate Kid or 'Harold and Maude."

 

I've actually watched both flicks on Turner Classic Movies. Still waiting for KKII and the Peter Cetera ballad. "We do not honor bet with coward."