Rediscovering 'Fredo' from 'The Godfather'

[IndianaGreen]

Rediscovering 'Fredo' from 'The Godfather'

By Lisa Respers
France, CNNMay 31, 2010 11:16 a.m. EDT


Actors Al Pacino and John Cazale in a scene from the Academy Award-winning film "The Godfather: Part II.

(CNN) -- John Cazale is probably the most famously unfamous actor in the history of cinema.

Fans of the actor, who is most recognized for portraying Fredo in "The Godfather" and its sequel, know his work and love him -- yet practically nothing is known about the man.

"His greatest ability was making the actors and filmmakers around him look really good," said Richard Shepard, director of "I Knew It Was You," a new documentary about Cazale. "He worked on three movies with Coppola, he did three films with Pacino, he did two movies with De Niro, and he did a play and a movie with Streep. These people wanted to continue to work with him because they knew he made them better."

The documentary, which airs on HBO Tuesday night, shines a light on the actor and his times. Cazale, who died in 1978 of cancer at age 42, was at the heart of the '70s film golden age, despite appearing in just five films -- "The Godfather," "The Godfather Part II," "The Conversation," "Dog Day Afternoon" and "The Deer Hunter." Every one was nominated for a best picture Academy Award. (HBO, like CNN, is a unit of Time Warner.)

The documentary takes its title from the iconic moment in "The Godfather II" in which Pacino as Michael Corleone grabs Cazale as his older brother, Fredo, kisses him on the mouth and says "I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/05/31/john.cazale.documentary/index.html?hpt=C2

[Demoiselle]

1. I always figured that he must be pretty special if Meryl Streep was in love with him.

How sad to lose him so early...

[Dave Caputo]

2. John Cazale

I liked this appreciation of John Cazale.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

3. One of the unsung heroes of film.