Did they already know it? Did they have to learn? Or did they just recite lines?

Does anybody know?

Good question.

I mean, it wouldn't be that hard to just recite lines in Italian would it? I've done some impersonations of DeNiro when he speaks Italian and it doesn't seem that hard.

"Mio padre se chiamo Antonio Andolini, e quisto e per ti!!"

I've seen GFI & II a million times and I can't decide. I am fairly fluent, but I might not sound too authentic if I were reading lines. Also, my Dad used to laugh at my Italian because I had the accents all wrong. I kind of picked up on that when Pacino and De Niro were speaking. So, even if they could speak Italian, they did not grow up in an exclusively Italian speaking environment, so their Italian might be halting. Also, they may not speak Sicilian dialect. In additon, De Niro is half Irish. It's a toss up.

According to Harlan Lebo in "The Godfather Legacy" (a must-read for all on these boards), DeNiro went to Sicily and boned up intensively for his role in GFII.

Actually, he's a quarter Irish, a quarter French, a quarter Belgian, and a quarter Italian.

DeNiro's dialect was pretty authentic. Pacino, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as good at it. However, I think that it fit his character. Michael, who didn't want anything to do with the "business", probably would've gone out of his way not to speak Italian. He always wanted to be perceived as being more American, another reason that he was attracted to Kay in all her WASPishness.

that was before he got involved in family business, though.

Anyway, I agree that Pacino's Italian was not as good as DeNiro's. In GF2 Bob spoke Italian in almost all the Sicilian flashbacks, I believe, and he sounded credible as a fresh Italian emigrant. On the contrary Pacino was given too few Italian lines to judge him, but definitely he sounded less Italian and more American!

yes, but it's that Italian quater that made him "DeNiro"!!!!!

In addition to the book Turnbull mentioned (I just got it BTW), I seem to remember them talking about DeNiro learning Sicilian either on the bonus disk or during the FFC commentary while II is being played. I don't remember what was mentioned of Pacino, though.

DeNiro did immerse himself in Sicilian dialect, I dunno about Pacino. Great call on those of you who knew De Niro is only a quarter Italian.

You can generally tell how well versed one is in a foreign language based on how fast they speak it. If you notice, most Italians who speak Italian first, talk very quickly to each other--so fast so that you would have difficulty understanding them even if you knew some italian. That's what I remember about my Italian relatives. DeNiro definitely spoke it faster than Pacino. The one who seemed to speak it the fastest was Young Clemenza and I don't even think he is really Italian--I think he might be Jewish or something. Also Genco was pretty proficient in it.

~~ Lollie

In GF One, Michael speaks very limited Italian. He gives up and reverts back to English during his conversation with Sollozzo. While in Sicily, he often required help translating from Fabrizzio.

In GF Two, we hear Michael using Italian a little more often and he seems to speak it more fluently. He seems more inclined and more comfortable speaking Italian more often. For example, he speaks a lot of Italian with Tom and his mother, even though it isn't necessary for him to do so, since both Tom and Carmela speak perfect English.

I wonder what made Michael learn Italian more, and want to use it more often. Did his exile in Sicily make him want to go back to his roots, perhaps?

Yeah, I think he learned more because of his exile in sicily and his relationship with Apollinia. The movie would have lost so much of it's quality if Italian wasn't spoken throughout it

In gf 1 director’s commentary, coppola says pacino didn’t know Italian. He read lines as best he could.

Really? Thats interesting, he sounds like he knows what he is on about to me anyways! lol.

DonVitoCorleone
quote:
Actually, he's a quarter Irish, a quarter French, a quarter Belgian, and a quarter Italian.
___________________________________________
A quarter Belgian??? *Amused* Really? Nice.
The quarter French has made his first name. Otherwise it would have been RobertO.
But he definitely looks Italian, with his Maffia-boss look, and his thick ... How do you say that in English? Your second lip, the one closest to the ground, the bottomlip, the underlip???

Niether knew them fleuntly, Deniro was comfortable with it, like he a little bit, Pacino only knew common phrases, so he had to kinda learn it, this was one of two reasons for the sicily scene with vitelli and he had fabrizio translate. One reason is that pacino wasnt that good with italian and that coppola doesnt really like the use of subtitles. And also another interesting fact, at the time of the movie Pacino did not know how to drive a car.

How old was he then?
And how old were Brando and Caan and Deniro?

brando i think was in his late 40s, pacino and deniro probly like 30, im not sure tho u can look it up, but with pacino not being able to drive you got to remember he grew up in south bronx where it was comon for many people not to learn how to drive becuase there is no need of it

actually belgian isn't really an ethnicity! belgium is parted into Wallonia, the french-speaking southwest and Flanders, the dutch-speaking northeast!

and Bruno Kirby, the young clemenza, is italian! his real name is Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu Jr.!

Al I think there have been wars over this issue.

I worked out the Ages..
(Godfather Part II)
Al Pacino - 34
Robert DeNiro - 31

(The Godfather)
Marlon Brando - 48

well, not wars, but still tensions until today. after all this country was totaly artificially "built" by france to get a buffer zone between them and germany. you won't find a belgian who says he's only belgian. he's eighter flemish or wallonian. but we degress...

It wouldn't have been too hard for DeNiro and Pacino to learn.