I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale

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.

Like the man's life, this doc is too short (I thought for some reason it was going to be a feature). The material is the basic stuff of a retrospective and tribute with interviews by collaborators and fans (and certainly some names you probably heard of: Pacino, De Niro, Streep, Sam Rockwell, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sidney Lumet, uh, Brett Ratner, sure why not) that go into what this man was like as they knew him from being in person (Streep was married to him for a brief time, she's actually his widow) and from simply watching the Godfather parts 1 and 2 five hundred times.

But, man, what an actor and what a career! Sometimes in those luckiest windows of time and in opportunity (don't forget the luck part of it), quality trumps quantity, and in this case Cazale had one of the major careers in 70's American cinema. It must be akin to one of those early rock and rollers from the 50's (Buddy Holly or the Big Bopper or whoever) who you know when listening to their music it's so pure and raw and emotional and that so many others have borrowed from them, and it's a true tragedy from the abyss of nothingness that they're taken so young.

Good stuff though, again, I wish it was a little longer, like even a short feature instead of this long-short film stuff. But some wonderful breakdowns of these scenes he had as Fredo and the long-haired WTF in Dog Day Afternoon and even the sadness he brought to his small role in The Conversation. A lot of time actors try to go big or go home, or take on roles that will show off what they can DO on CAMERA. Cazale never did that, and one wonders this man in dramas in the 80's and 90's and beyond.

This is a must-see for any fan of 70s movies, or anyone who, like me, grew up in 70s and saw Cazale's films when they first opened. The walk down memory lane provided by the footage of the Godfather films, The Conversation, Dog Day Afternoon and Deer Hunter alone make it worthwhile. But the real treasure, of course, is the chance to revisit Cazale's performances. It sounds clichéd, but there really is no actor like him. It's also marvelous to see the host of the mega-talented actors and directors, including every luminary he worked with, participate & pay tribute to this singular talent. It's a shame there isn't more footage of him, and that he apparently never did a recorded interview. We only see Cazale through the lens of his characters - we never get to see him as just himself.

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.

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