I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale (2009) Reviews

• worthy profile

  didi-52009-10-17

  John Cazale only made five films - but all classics. The Godfather, The Godfather II, The Conversation, Dog Day Afternoon, The Deer Hunter. A superb actor, he died early and has largely been forgotten. However this touching and incisive tribute goes some way to addressing that. Showing footage from his films interspersed with talking heads of film critics, colleagues (Coppola, Pacino), former fiancée (Meryl Streep, who is gracious in her praise), this profile is excellent, highlighting his theatre career and his influence on those who worked with him or saw his performances. There is little doubt that Cazale had the makings of greatness, despite being unconventionally good-looking. He's always been an actor I've noticed, particularly as Fredo in The Godfather and Sal in Dog Day Afternoon. This film hints at what could have been had he lived. A short but sweet documentary, 'I Knew It Was You' is well worth a look if you are a fan of classic cinema, whether you're aware of Cazale's work or not.

• A Tribute to John Cazale

  Rodrigo_Amaro2010-04-03

  Fredo in the two first episodes of "The Godfather" films; Sal in the acclaimed "Dog Day Afternoon"; Stan in the wonderful "The Conversation" and another character named Stan in "The Deer Hunter". Only five movies to make John Cazale a recognizable face in the 1970's. As it was showed in this brilliant documentary he's known by his work and his character and not much by his name. Sadly he died very young and didn't had the chance to show his great talent in more movies. In "I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale" we see the Cazale in multiple faces, as a cinema actor, as a stage actor, the married man (married with Meryl Streep) and the excellent human being he was. Actors and directors who met him like Robert De Niro, Sidney Lumet, Francis Ford Coppola, Gene Hackman and Meryl Streep and fans of his work like Sam Rockwell, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Steve Buscemi, Brett Ratner and many others paid a tribute to this honored actor who gaves us so much in such a shortened life. They talk about their favorite moments with him on and off screen, how he has in person, and his final moments before dying of cancer. Many people don't know but all of his five movies are listed in IMDb 250 greatest movies of all time and also included in AFI's list. Unfortunately he didn't received the attention he deserved in life, wasn't nominated for an Academy Award and only received one nomination to the Golden Globes (Actor in a Supporting role for "Dog Day Afternoon"), but his performances lasted long enough to be presented to many generations. Very good documentary. 10/10

• A good overdue tribute to a could have been great who's life ended to short.

  blanbrn2010-06-02

  Just watched this doc on HBO even though short it was informative, moving, and a nice tribute to a fallen great that many people don't remember. Unless your probably a major film buff or historian you don't remember John Cazale. Yet Cazale was a good supporting player on many of the historical film classics of the 70's as with his help each film that he appeared in "The Godfather", "Godfather II", "The Conversation", "Dog Day Afternoon", and "The Deer Hunter" all received academy award nominations for best picture. The doc also tells of his humble start on Broadway as a struggling actor as he worked his way up to get noticed. Interviews and insights are given from greats like Steve Buscemi, Coppola, De Niro, Dreyfuss, Sidney Lumet, Al Pacino, and Gene Hackman. Also revealing and touching is the interview with the great Meryl Streep who had a brief romance with John on the set of his last film "The Deer Hunter"(1978), this is when Cazale would learn he was eat up with bone cancer and die shortly thereafter. Touching tribute that was overdue and it educated and informed many who didn't know anything about John Cazale as it showed if he had lived as to what might have been.

• An Important Actor from an Important American Period

  theumpteenthtimes2011-01-20

  The biggest shock to me when viewing I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale was coming to the realization that this actor, who I had been watching over and over again in some of my favorite films ever, had actually only made five films. Five! The greatest period of American Cinema is undoubtedly the "Hollywood Renaissance," spanning from the introduction of "Easy Rider" up until the blockbuster phenomenon created by films like "Jaws" and "Star Wars," and all five films John Cazale appeared in were made during this creative period in which writers and directors had more to say about what happened in a film than the studio heads. "The Godfather," "The Conversation," "The Godfather Two," "Dog Day Afternoon," "and "The Deer Hunter," the five films that make up the John Cazale catalog, are some of the greatest and most memorable films ever made in this country. And if you don't know who John Cazale is by name, then perhaps you know him by at least one of the five characters he played on screen, most likely the frail, weakest son of the Corleone family in The Godfather, "Fredo." Just about anyone and everyone that ever acted or worked with Cazale appears in this documentary, including Al Pacino, Robert Deniro, Gene Hackman, Francis Ford Coppola, Fred Roos, Sidney Lumet, Carol Kane, Jon Savage, Richard Dreyfuss, Israel Horovitz, Olympia Dukakis and Meryl Streep, who we learn had a longstanding love affair with Cazale and was with him until he died of lung cancer at 42. Younger actors like Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Sam Rockwell and Steve Buscemi, who grew up watching Cazale's films, also contribute, helping to articulate Cazale's relevance. With this caliber of contributors, this film quickly gets to the crux of who Cazale was as actor, as well as a human being. And though this documentary is only an hour long (It was made for HBO), it is still a dense, powerful story of a man, an actor, that was able to make a permanent mark on American Cinema that will resonate for as long as movies exist. READ MORE REVIEWS at theumpteenthtimes.com "Reel" Film Reviews for Real Moviegoers

• Supporting Star

  Prismark102013-10-04

  In the days before the internet a popular question to film magazines was: 'Whatever happened to John Cazale?' People who first saw him in The Godfather films and then saw him pop up in Dog Day Afternoon, The Conversation and The Deer Hunter were flummoxed that this brilliant, distinctive looking actor came out from nowhere, appeared in the great films of the 1970s and then promptly disappeared. If John Cazale were still alive now he would be a celebrated actor and likely to have Oscar and Tony awards under his belt. Unfortunately Cazale died of cancer in 1978. He left a legacy in movie history of five performances in five films that were all nominated for the Best Picture Oscars, three of them actually winning the Best Picture Oscar. Actors, friends, family, collaborators discuss John Cazale, his life on screen and stage where he was also a celebrated performer. For the first time you get to find out a little more of John Cazale the man and performer. Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and for his first appearance on screen in several years, Gene Hackman all reminiscence about him.