Sonny's Missed Punch

I would theorize that by the time they noticed it in editing it was too costly to go back and reshoot. Remember that it was a very complex scene involving extras, city streets, etc. Even a film like "The Godfather" didn't have an unlimited budget.

But, yeah, that part always bothers me too,

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Great answer. Very true!

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Just my speculation but...this film was before the explosion of VHS tapes and home entertainment systems, so most people probably didn't get to watch a film over and over again like they can today...unless you liked going to the theater a lot.

So the filmmakers probably didn't think most people would notice the mistake as the scene is full of action and fast paced...I don't think its that obvious to casual viewers, unless you've watched the scene several times.

Nowadays with Blu Ray and DVD every little mistake can stand out like a sore thumb, and people can go through scenes like an archaeologist which was impossible back in the day.

Just a guess

This answer should be repeated to anyone that asks that question. Bravo...

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"So the filmmakers probably didn't think most people would notice the mistake as the scene is full of action and fast paced...I don't think its that obvious to casual viewers, unless you've watched the scene several times."

It was blatantly obvious to me, and I just watched it for the first time last night. There wasn't anything subtle about it that would require someone to watch it several time in order to notice it. This is the closest his fist comes to the other guy's face during that punch:

https://i.imgur.com/FoKKqa5.jpg

He missed the punch by about 2 feet and the camera was at the perfect angle to clearly see just how big of a miss it was. You'd have to be blind to not notice it. Had the camera been behind Sonny it wouldn't have been so noticeable; maybe not noticeable at all.

They should have done another take. That drastically whiffed punch takes you right out of the movie, i.e., suspension of disbelief comes to a screeching halt there. Instead of seeing Sonny Corleone beating up his brother-in-law, suddenly we clearly see two actors "play-fighting".

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"Just my speculation but...this film was before the explosion of VHS tapes and home entertainment systems, so most people probably didn't get to watch a film over and over again like they can today...unless you liked going to the theater a lot."

I saw it on the big screen just once and it was even more obvious than on tv.

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Bro, it was noticable back in the VHS days.

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I saw the film in the theater in 1972, and I do remember the audience laughing at that missed punch.

But..it was likely allowed for the reasons detailed in the above thread and...

...in real life

...sometimes guys swing hard and miss even while delivering blows. Its like a golf swing that misses the ball.

So maybe its not a gaffe at all. In terms of the story, this is: "Sonny swings so hard on one punch that he misses his target entirely."

Or maybe not.

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