Here’s to one of the greatest actor’s of a generation. Still missed and a gift to all who’ve seen him, here’s to the great, John Cazale (August 12, 1935–March 12, 1978).
Produced by Brett Ratner and directed by Richard Shepard, I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale is a 40-minute HBO documentary on John Cazale that every one of those fans should see. Featuring extensive movie clips of Cazale’s best moments, and packed with fantastic interview segments, I Knew It Was You (the title is a line from The Godfather Part II, of course) is a long overdue retrospective on one of the best actors of the 1970s – and while the short film will undoubtedly appeal to those who already know and love Mr. Cazale, it also works as an excellent introduction to a performer that every film fan should get to know. Those interviewed include directors Francis Ford Coppola and Sidney Lumet, and co-workers of Cazale like Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Gene Hackman, Richard Dreyfuss, John Savage, Olympia Dukakis, Carol Kane, and his former fiancee, the wonderful Meryl Streep (I guess Deer Hunter director Michael Cimino was not interested in participating, which is sort of a shame).
Also on board is film historian Mark Harris, who offers some great insights, as well as “current” actors like Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, all of whom have some very specific praise for John Cazale’s acting chops. Throw in a few touching thoughts from John’s brother and some personal friends, combined with a fast-paced but informative look at Cazale’s early life and his theater work, and the result is a superlative little documentary that wouldn’t be more effective at twice the running time. It’s a sweet, sincere, and entirely fascinating look at an actor we should all miss from time to time. –Scott Weinberg
In the screenplay, Cazale’s role was written to be a smart-ass street kid. But Al Pacino came to me and said, ‘Sidney, please, I beg you, read John Cazale for it.’ And when John came in I was so discouraged and thought ‘Al must be out of his mind.’ This guy looks thirty, thirty-two, and that’s the last thing I want in this part. But Al had great taste in actors, and I hadn’t yet seen him in The Godfather. And Cazale came in, and then he read, and my heart broke… One of the things that I love about the casting of John Cazale was that he had a tremendous sadness about him. I don’t know where it came from; I don’t believe in invading the privacy of the actors that I work with, or getting into their heads. But my God – it’s there – in every shot of him. And not just in this movie, but in Godfather II also. When Al asked him during a scene, ‘Is there any country you want to go to?’ Cazale improvised his answer by saying, after long thought, ‘Wyoming.’ To me that was the funniest, saddest line in the movie, and my favorite, because in the script he wasn’t supposed to say anything. I almost ruined the take because I started to laugh so hard… but it was a brilliant, brilliant, ad lib.” –Sidney Lumet
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