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Has the godfather gone too far? The controversial use of real horse heads in an iconic scene!

Has the godfather gone too far? The controversial use of real horse heads in an iconic scene!

Has the godfather gone too far? The controversial use of real horse heads in an iconic scene!
Has the godfather gone too far? The controversial use of real horse heads in an iconic scene! (Photo by Facebook)

The scene made jaws drop and deservedly so Godfather its rude representative. Jack Waltz wakes up with a terrible surprise: the head of his prized horse splits his pillow. Did Coppola use a real horse head for this scene? Yes, and the story behind it? Even wilder.

Released in 1972, The Godfather was Coppola’s adaptation of Mario Puzo’s novel. Coppola’s obsession with authenticity extended to every detail, large and small, right down to the wood-bumper World War II cars. First priority wasn’t thrilled with Coppola’s intensity, but they let him ride when they saw what he was creating, until the scene with the horse’s head.

The scene unfolds like this: Johnny Fontaine is desperate for a role in a big-budget war movie. But the catch? Producer Jack Waltz despises Fontane and is not going to cast his actors. Cue Don Corleone who sends his advisor Tom Hagen to “negotiate”. Volz blows him away and the crowd sends a brutal message — one that ends at the foot of your bed.

One startling morning, Volz finds the severed head of his prized racehorse, Khartoum, waiting for him under a sheet. It’s a cruel message he can’t ignore, and he eventually passes the role on to Fontana.

So how did Coppola pull off this grimly realistic shot? Here’s the real scoop. The head was real, but it wasn’t killed for the movie. In the commentary for the DVD, Coppola explained that the production team took him at the slaughterhouse. There, horses were processed into dog food. A crew member selected a head that looked just like Volz’s fictional purebred dog, and the slaughterhouse shipped it to the set, keeping it on ice. While this was a concern, the head was technically a byproduct and was not clearly killed for the Godfather.

Even so, the horse’s head moment remains highly controversial, especially since the treatment of animals on film sets was much more lenient in the 70s. This was long before Hollywood introduced the “No Animals Harm” disclaimer we’re so used to seeing.

With this move, Coppola undoubtedly set a new standard for cinematic realism, but it divided audiences and activists. Some fans see it as a bold choice that made The Godfather memorable, while others still cringe at the reference.

Despite all the hype, one thing can be said: the infamous horse head scene in The Godfather continues to loom large even 50 years later. And whether you’re a fan or a critic, it’s impossible to forget the film’s deep commitment to bringing Mario Puzo’s novel to life—even if that meant going too far.

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