The line of “Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli” of the godfather has a surprising origin

Everything in “The Godfather” by Francis Ford Coppola is perfect, even when it is not. In a script that often reads like poetry, it is well documented that some of the most appreciated moments of one of the greatest crime films ever made were simply happy accidents. The Sonny de James Caan launching money to photographers for a broken camera was an snapshot of spontaneity, and even the opening conversation of Don Corleone was even more disturbing thanks to Marlon Brando bringing a wandering cat on the stage and creating one of the introductions of the most memorable characters in the history of cinema.

Among the essential improvisations that make “The Godfather” a masterpiece is the dark and incredibly heartless death of a traitor – and the recovery of a pastry that would be recited for decades. In the tense and closely orchestrated assassination of Pauli Gatto (John Martino), a respected capo and a devoted member of the Corleone family, Peter Clemenza (Richard Castellano) jumps from his car on a country road to relieve himself and returns to Gatto with a hole in his head, with the shooter Rocco Lampone (Tom Rosqui) for his next orders. It is here that Castellano adds a certain flavor to his line to “leave the pistol” by adding “Take the Cannoli” as a wonderfully dark end. The line has become as sadly famous as “I will make him an offer that he cannot refuse” and “look at how they massacred my boy”. The fascinating story behind it, however, is its surprising origin and its benefits, which led to problems in “The Godfather Part II”.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the story tells that Castellano added the additional detail on the Cannoli after advice from his wife on the screen (and real), Ardell Sheridan, reminding him of taking some on the way back. Consequently, the man who brilliantly brought Clemenza to life so brilliantly extended to what was simply “Leave The Gun”, who made the final version of the film. With a moment as incredible as that, it is understandable why Coppola has kept it in the editing, making room for what would become a line that would reappear in popular culture many times for years. What is soft to be in such a monumental moment, however, is that it would affect the future of Castellano in the Coppola trilogy.

Initially, Castellano had to return to “The Godfather Part II” before the actor made quite bizarre requests. A rumor requirement is that Sheridan wrote all his dialogue in the film, which, of course, would not have gone well. Consequently, Clemenza was killed off screen between the first two films and mentioned only by passing through “The Godfather Part II”. Despite this, it did not stop his inheritance, which was linked to six words and served as a superb overview of the world that Coppola helped to create.

Just like many quotes woven in the tangled history of the rise of Michael Corleone, “Leave The Gun, Take the Cannoli” resisted the test of time because of its effortless way of mixing the world of everyday with the brutal and merciless world to which the Corleone family belongs. Souring like a perfect one-two punch and everything in the same breath, Clemenza’s request is surprisingly nonchalant to eliminate a rat and ensure that he obtains in time the Cannoli command of his wife. This is another excellent example of making these characters, who live in a world that we will never enter, more relatable (and establishes the norm so that other gangster stories follow).

This, with many other elements anchored in the saga of Coppola crime, has helped to establish a standard that all the other equally favored gangster sagas sought to reproduce (and even to approach). Clemenza’s love for food and cooking is no different from the precise garlic cup made by Paulie Cicero (Paul Sorvino) in “Goodfellas” or “Sopranos” constant inhalation of Gabagool which has reached the same status. No matter what, however, this mixture of food and death in a criminal world, we are always obsessed with everyone follows a trace of Cannoli crumbs in Clemenza, his contempt for human life and his strong prioritization of pastry.