Archive of films I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale / I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale
USA
2009, 40 min
Section:
Out of the Past
Year: 2015
“Sure, that’s Fredo,” responds a random passerby after the director of the documentary shows him a photograph. John Cazale, one of the most intriguing character actors of the 1970s. Five roles, a premature death. The Godfather: Parts I and II, The Conversation, Dog Day Afternoon, The Deer Hunter. Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Francis Ford Coppola – these and more admire the human qualities and acting prowess of the man with a gloomy expression.
Synopsis
“Sure, that’s Fredo,” responds a random passerby after the director of this documentary portrait shows him a photograph of the conspicuously familiar face of an actor whose name he can’t quite remember. John Cazale (1935–1978), one of the most intriguing acting personalities of the 1970s, appeared in five famous films before his exceptionally promising career was cut short by a debilitating illness and premature death. The Godfather: Parts I and II, The Conversation, Dog Day Afternoon, and The Deer Hunter. All five movies were nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award, and that’s thanks in part to the unmistakable charisma of this multifaceted actor. Many admire the human qualities and acting prowess of the man with a gloomy expression and sometimes a thin mustache, including his close friend Al Pacino, onetime partner Meryl Streep, Francis Ford Coppola, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, Sidney Lumet, and Brett Ratner.
Karel Och
About the director

Richard Shepard (b. 1965, New York City), screenwriter, director, and producer, has won an Emmy and an award from the Directors Guild of America. He is known to viewers at home and abroad as the filmmaker behind Matador (2005) with Pierce Brosnan, The Hunting Party (2007) with Richard Gere, and Dom Hemingway (2013) with Jude Law. He attended NYU’s film school but didn’t graduate because he failed a required science class. He is still awaiting his honorary degree.
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About the film
Color, HD CAM
Section: | Out of the Past |
---|---|
Director: | Richard Shepard |
Screenplay: | Matt Austin, Michael Facciolo, Kari Hollend, Lenny Panzer |
Dir. of Photography: | Jim Mullen, Kort Waddell |
Music: | Adam Gorgoni |
Editor: | Adam Lichtenstein |
Producer: | Brett Ratner, Stacey Reiss, Richard Shepard |
Production: | RatPac Documentary Films |
Sales: | Kew Media Group |