The Godfather was beautifully Tragic | First Time Watching | Movie Reaction & Review | Commentary 

Dasha is giving us a reaction that we can't refuse...

Words cannot express how much of a masterpiece this film is. This film has been studied by film scholars everywhere. It is quite possibly the greatest film ever made or amongst the greatest films ever made. There's not much more to say that hasn't already been said other than its 50 years old and I can't think of any film that's an example of perfection than this masterpiece and it's legacy.

When it comes to "old" movies, I definitely recommend Casablanca. It's quite possibly the most "classic" movie of all time...

Dash pronouncing Italian names with rolling R's in her Russian accent with rolling R's is possibly the gRRRRRRRRReatest thing ever.

"happy wife, happy life" 'he closed the door on her' The lie followed by the door closing shot is such a powerful way to show what Michael has become. Truly a masterpiece. The opening scene and closing scene alone are the only reason I favor this over part 2 both masterpieces w different strengths.

The funny thing is when Clemenza tells Rocco "Leave the gun",that was on the script,but he improvised the "take the cannoli" part,and it has become one of the most iconic lines of the film.

Dasha saying she hasn't watched anything from before 1972 makes me want her to see Doctor Zhivago (1965). It's a huge epic and a powerful love story, and it's set in Russia during WW1 which are things that she would find interesting.

You are the only reactor I have seen that caught that Enzo is the guy that the wedding cake baker wanted to marry his daughter. He was thankful for keeping him in the country so he came to thank him personally, playing a part in saving his life. They both helped each other. Nice work noticing it was Enzo!!!!

Dasha: "Horses are so smart and beautiful!" Everyone who's seen the movie: "Ohhhh this is gonna suck..."

Two well-known animal facts about this movie: 1) The cat in the opening scene was not supposed to be in the film. The cat simply wandered onto the set, Marlon Brando picked it up, Coppola liked it and the rest is history. 2) The horse head is not a fake. It was used from a horse that was already scheduled to be put down (so rest assured, no animal cruelty took place). Added fun fact: The Godfather and The Godfather Part: Part II are the only original and sequel movies to both win Best Picture :)

Goodness Dasha ... when you were so empathetically engaged from the scenes of "Carlo" beating "Connie", the killing of "Sonny", and the Don being told of his death, etc, my eyes actually misted over in sympathy with you. As a result, I think that for all the "Reaction podcasts" I have seen concerning "The Godfather", yours is the most sincerely beautiful. Peace and Joy, good health, Blessings and Grace to you and to all of your family and friends from Santa Fe, NM, USA.

Dasha: "Horses are so smart and beautiful!" Salguine: "Uh oh."

There are so many classic films that I'm sure you would enjoy. Casablanca is the most obvious one that springs to mind. The age of any film should not be a limiting factor.

The horse's head scene is one of the best-known film scenes of all time.

Mario Puzo, who wrote "The Godfather" also wrote "Superman: The Movie" (1978), which featured Marlon Brando as Superman's father, Jor-El. There's lots of good movies from the 70's, though a fair amount of them are rather dystopian (a reflection of the times).

“The Godfather” is more “Greek tragedy” in how it’s constructed (thematically) whereas “Goodfellas” is more “documentary-themed” (dramatic reporting). Two different styles and themes-same content matter.

The Johnny Fontaine role is based on Frank Sinatra. He was a big star for awhile and then his career cooled off. He was cast in the movie From Here to Eternity, won an Oscar for his performance, and was back on top. That’s the role Johnny Fontaine asked Don Corleone to help him get.

Making a clear distinction between civilians (non-mob people) and mob guys was a tradition continued from Sicily. The mob guys were the "soldiers". It was also an important factor in being able to corrupt public officials, since if civilians were routinely being killed in the streets, it would be much harder for a neighborhood to function at all.

A suspended sentence means you've been found guilty of a crime. The judge can then suspend the sentence conditionaly, which means they have to meet some criteria the judge sets and if not then they serve the full sentence. Or the judge can suspend the sentence completely and you have no penalty but it stays on your record. Usually a sentence would only be suspended if it's your first offense or there's some extenuating circumstances. For an attempted rape and assault they would have to be very extenuating circumstances. So those guys must have had some connections to get the judge to give that decision.

It was so adorable to watch you enjoy the wedding at the beginning, it's definitely a great moment and a display of Italian weddings. It took me a while to truly enjoy this movie on my own, through watching your reaction and so many others I've seen, I feel like I have new appreciation for what it really is, it's quite an impressive and unique movie.

One of my favorite parts of this movie involve the non-verbal storytelling. No words: but you get the idea 1.Sonny is eating, having sex, or flying into a rage in every in nearly every of his scenes. Sonny is impulsive, practically an animal. In fact, at dinner in his undershirt, he has hairy shoulders, like a gorilla. They dont have to tell you Sonny has a temper....the movie SHOWS you. The only time Sonny is smiling and happy, is when he is at war. 2.Enzo's hands were shaking outside the hospital, but Michael's hands were steady and calm. Michael learned about himself that he is GOOD under this kind of pressure. 3.They dont tell you Michael is in love, they SHOW you how Appolonia stopped him in his tracks. They SHOW you love at first sight. 4.THey show Paulie being a shady character from the beginning, during the wedding, when he's looking at Connies purse full of money. 5.As Michael descends into his father's empire, his clothes and the lighting around him get darker and darker. 6.The introduce Fredo as a drunk brother at the wedding...he's clearly a party animal and not cut out for the business....when you find out later he's banging cocktail waitresses two at a time, you're not surprised.

We need to get Dasha to watch Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, since pop culture didn't ruin iconic scenes for her :)

Lenny Montana, who played Luca Brasi, was an actual Colombo family enforcer in real life. He was very nervous about acting in front of Marlon Brando. Totally afraid of Brando.

Solotso to Tom Hagan: I want you to help me and help your family. Dasha: That’s not how you ask for help. Best reaction of the week! 🤭😆

I always enjoy what a good heart you have ,seeing you get emotional over the wrongs done to people.it is nice to see a reactor that has a heart .

@16:50, this is such a happy and sad moment for Vito Corleone. He didn’t want Michael to be involved in the family business. He wanted Michael his youngest son to go into business or politics to go legit. But he realizes (even before Sonny’s death) that Michael is the only one who could succeed him. Michael is definitely his father’s son. Without Michael stepping up their family would have been wiped out.

Dasha I don’t know if you noticed but the actress who played Connie is Talia Shire who also played Adrian in the Rocky movies.

Dear Dasha: I enjoy your reactions, including this one. "Johnny Fontaine", in case someone else has not already told you, is supposed to be Frank Sinatra. Of course they could not actually call him that in the film. But Sinatra had close ties with the Mafia, and definitely got a lot of help from them, and had a really difficult life in many ways. If you have the time, I recommend reading the book; it will give you a lot of the backstory that will help you understand the film.

In Italian "vaffanculo" which in the sicilian dialect of the movie is "vaffangulo" basically means F*ckoff

Watch Godfather 2. It's even better. Some prefer it over the first one. Then please check out Godfather 3 which is a very divisive movie but please don't listen to comments about skipping it. You should watch the new director's cut of 3 called "Godfather Coda". The entire trilogy is amazing and is a rollercoaster of emotions.

Dashas reactions are actually real unliker most other reaction channels.. shows a lot of empathy in Dashas beautiful heart

@6:00, you notice how Tom just sets on the side and chuckles. Growing up with Vito Corleone as his father figure he probably got or heard that talk a LOT. At least in this instance he is totally an observer.

I love the 70's picture shows. Marvel movies were wonderfully non-existent back them.

In "The Godfather, Part II," you'll see both a continuation of the story of Michael Corleone as Don and the back story of Vito Corleone [Robert DeNiro is stellar as a younger Vito] interwoven. It's a masterful compare and contrast between Vito and Michael. You'll also see why Michael sends Tom Hagen ahead to Las Vegas. I cannot recommend seeing "The Godfather, Part II" more highly. You need to watch it.

The singer is Frank sinatra. The bandleader was Tommy Dorsey, the film director was Jack Warner (Warner bros/ WB) the film was "from here to eternity"

"Big Snot..." ha ha... Love ya, Dash You're the best!

"The Godfather, Part II" is at least as good, if not better than "The Godfather." I watched "The Godfather" in a theater a couple of months ago; this is the 50th anniversary of the release of "The Godfather." The acting, the writing, the cinematography, the sound, etc. are master classes in moviemaking. It justly is considered one of the best movies ever made. It is so iconic that fifty years later, people make memes about it. To me, it and its sequel are the best tragedies in American cinema. Vito and Michael Corleone are two of the most memorable characters in cinema.

28:27 dasha, i think it's wonderful when you show this anger 😡👍🏼 totally justified reaction

Marlon Brando the guy who played Vito Corleone is often credited as the Greatest actor of all time,

Easily one of the best movies ever made.

10:56 I just love how Dasha said Don Corleonee with russian-italian accent an again great reacction waiting for more classics like this

This is a real treat. You're watching one of the most masterful performances of acting, screenwriting, cinematography, directing, everything, that exists on film today.

36:15 is the greatest scene in all of the Godfather! Dog Day Afternoon is another great Al Pacino movie!

Fun Facts: The cat during the opening scene basically wandered onto set. Brando (Godfather) started playing with the cat because it actually made the character an actual PERSON, not just a figure. This "improvised" interaction elevated the scene by visually showing that as "hard and rough" he might be, he was still a "caring and softhearted" individual if not involved in "family business". Luca Brazi(?), the actor was so nervous working with Brando, that he actually FORGOT his lines. Hence the "stutter". Again, it was an "accident" on set, but showed the "power" that the Godfather projected. That a "brute" like Luca would be concerned about "making a mistake while speaking to him" showed that there was a "clear threat" underlying every interaction. Real-life "mafia members" held such a level of influence on the unions working the movie, that they were able to arrange to have the actual word "Mafia" NEVER appear in this movie at all. Obviously, "family" or "Family business" were used, but NOT "Mafia". The "Horse in bed" scene misses a few "implied power of influence" because of the number of staff and security that would be required to pull it off in the middle of the night undetected. Michael (Al Pacino) was still a "unknown actor" to the general public. The studio didn't want him, or several other cast members because it was seen as a "risk" using "unknowns". Yet, this movie propelled Al Pacino into the top-tier of actors for over 40 years and is still considered one of his "best performances". Which given the films he has been in, that is saying a LOT about him and this movie.

@ 4:31 Hey Dasha, if you want to know the interesting backstory on Luca Brasi, why the Godfather actually feared him, why Luca the actor was so nervous here, more on the actor himself and his bizarre story look for the YT video "The Horrifying Origin Story Of Luca Brasi". ✌😎

Loved how you figured out things so quickly. I've seen many reactions to this and you in picked up different plot points faster than most BTW the actress who plays Connie , Don Corleone's daughter is Talia Shire who is also the Director's sister and she played Adrianne in Rocky which you've seen.

Sonny was done dirty! Still an iconic death scene that still sits with me! Great reaction! keep them coming

33:07 LMAO!! You are so precious! I had to keep rewinding that part. Thank you, I needed that laugh today

"Horses are so smart and beautiful." Oh you poor sweet child.

*Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb* might be a good movie to watch. It was made in 1964, one year after the Cuban missile crisis, and it's about the Cold War and nuclear weapons. It's also a very funny comedy.

Can't blame you for saying this one is one of your favorites Dasha. This one is a major classic. Glad you liked it. One of my favorites too.

Your command of American English slang and colloquialism is so darned good! Very impressive. Keep up the great reactions!

Did you notice that Clemeza - who was the first one to laugh at Michael - was also the first one to kiss his hand and call him 'Don Corleone' at the end?

What I love about this film is it does a great job of expressing the cycle of violence. Blood begets blood. The conflict of the movie is that tensions boiled over and blood was spilled unjustly, in response a cycle of retribution brings down everything Vito Corleone had spent so long building up. If and when you watch pt.2, compare how Vito and Micheal deal with conflict, and what seems to be important for them, the comparison of the two is what I believe to be the core narrative of the second movie.

Even though sonny was a hot head, he wasn't a bully or cruel. In the book it explains this, he doesn't beat Carlo so bad because he wasn't defending himself, he also has a good sense of humor. It also shows that he's not dumb, he isn't a good Don with the long run strategy but when it comes to tactical urban warefare, he was very,very talented with coordinated assaults and plots Also in the book, Fredo wasn't just a wimp. He was weak and he wasn't fit to be Don, but he was very well liked,charismatic and respected (though not the same type of respect vito had) Another thing from the book. The undertaker was so afraid because he assumed Vito would keep him in debt or make him hold drugs or commit murder.. But the only favor vito asked was for him to use his skills as an undertaker (which he already does) vito doesn't oppress anyone and doesn't ask them to do things they wouldn't want to. He simply helps them because he can and only asks for small,reasonable favors in exchange (for helping the baker he would've been happy with cakes for events)

U actually did a very good job of explaining the unique ness of this film that makes it much different from all other mob movies , no other reactors ever mention that so I give u thumbs up 👍

“He was slipping coz he was picking up fruits?!” Never heard Sollozzo’s BS called out like that! 😂

This is such a great movie. One thing you will notice upon rewatching is anytime Oranges appear on the screen, something bad is about to happen.

I love that you're into the genre! It's not often you get a mob/gangster tale these days, but they've been some of the best throughout the decades.

"Leave the gun, take the Canoli" is an iconic line. Loved seeing you pose and repeat it. Love your reactions!

@42:10 “Happy wife, happy life” 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻😂🤣

Fun fact: The actor playing the hitman that shoots the one mob boss who's trapped in the revolving doors is the same one that played the loanshark that was using Rocky Balboa as his leg-breaker in the movie "Rocky".

Hello Dasha a few things: Notice how the movie started, with a door opening up and giving you a seat into this world. At the end you are escorted out of this world and the door closes behind you, their world continues but you are no longer there to see what is going on. Also Connie played by Talia Shire is the sister of the director of Francis Ford Coppola and played Adrianna in Rocky

When the delightful Dasha asked "What does vaffanculo mean" I nearly sprayed my tea all over my smartphone screen.😂

The Godfather is a great classic movie, probably the most quoted movie ever. When I was a teenager, I did a close imitation of the Godfather.... never ask me about my business. It was good to see your dog in the video. He is smart and cute.

The oldest movie I ever watched is one of my top 5 movies. 12 Angry Men. The 1957 version. No, really! It's amazing. I've showed it to 4 friends who only ever watched recent blockbusters from box office and they considered it in their top 10 at least.

The Godfather is my favorite movie. The classic films never disappoint and always surprise.

A "suspended sentence" is an agreement that you can go free but if you break a set of rules, you'll have to do all the time you were convicted for. So they got to go home.

Yes Caroline is an Italian dessert. Its a fried pastry shell tgats very flaky and filled with a cream filling made from ricotta cheese and lemon or orange zest. I highly recommend them. When I went to Italy during Uni. I bought 1 in this little mountain town called Erice in Sicily. Was the most amazing cannoli I've ever had and was so big I could only eat half at once and it only cost $1.

I remember buying the trilogy on DVD when I was in my last year and half of High School. I bought the book not long after watching them. My dad and I would watch random movies I would get. Went over to books too as he snatched my copy of the novel and read it. He remarked that some of that stuff in the novel should have been in the movie. Especially the Sonny material. Finding that cut footage of Sonny’s scenes all this time after my dad died is a little heart warming.

One of the more genuine reaction channels I've found here. Subscribed, hope you get to see Godfather Part 2 soon.

You will have many hours of pleasure exploring the many nuances and themes in the Godfather movies. You have entered a rabbit hole. I loo forward to your reactions to Parts II and III.

I knew a girl from Finland who had to go back to Finland. The guy she was dating knew some mobsters. He asked if they could do anything for her. A few days later that Finnish girl got her stay extended.

Dear Dasha, you're one of my top reactors, like your personality and it's a pleasure to see you react to an epic film like this, can't wait for part 2!

Oooh the movie is intense. The Godfather is best Oscar picture of all time. Watch this Dasha my dear. It's a movie offer you can't refuse.🌹💖

"Wow, the eyes." It's so cool that's the very first thing you notice about this movie. The director of photography Gordon Willis' cinematography on this film is legendary for his use of dramatic shadows and low key lighting. That first scene is a great example with the way the eye highlights really pop out from the darkness.

Her accent is adorable but it took me forever to decipher the first sentence: “…the Patreon poll-winning movie The Godfather.”

17:25 is my favorite moment in this film, and the one I explain when people say 70s movies are slow. You see Enzo shaking and can't even light his cigarette, but Michael takes the lighter to light it for him, then realizes his own hand is rock steady. Even though he didn't plan to be a gangster, he knows, then and there, that he's GOOD at it. They could've cut that to pick up the pace, but it's those little details that makes this movie so classic. Great movie reaction, Dascha.

The fact that the girl from Russia understands all the nuances of a gangster movie that other reactors didn't pick up is iconic; I wonder how she would feel about McMafia which is about a russian family with gang ties living exiled in the UK.

Yes, that marriage was extremely traditional. You still see it, here and there, in Italy. I've seen it done in a similar fashion in Greece, once, but it is a dying custom.

Yet another great reaction to an iconic movie. You're right, when we see the door closing on Michael's wife while his capo (lieutenants) are kissing his hand calling him Don Corleone, he really becomes the Don, the head of mafia family.

Fun fact: Simonetta Stefanelli, who played Apollonia, is the mother of Italian actress, Violante Placido, who played opposite George Clooney in the movie "The American."

You are one of the smartest people on RU-vid who do reaction videos. It's a real joy watching you pick up on the dialogue and understanding why things are happening the way they do in movies!

*You said, "Leave the gun. Take the cannoli", perfectly! That's one of the famous quotes from this movie. People use that quote, but will change "gun" & "cannoli" to fit the situation. Or leave in "gun" if you're going to just take something..."Leave the gun. Take the borscht.". hehe* (One more thing. I just watched your "Man of Steel" reaction, and I had a question. Are you answering questions on here, or should I ask in the video's comments on Patreon? 😁

To clarify about Tom (since you're capable of understanding). They didn't cut tom out due to his lack of skill or anything like that. Vito and Tom were present when vito swore to not break the peace. Their word is EVERYTHING. That's why Mike waited til vito died, replaced Tom BEFORE he commited the revenge plot. That way it was a completely different regime and they can't be accused breaking their vows. That's why Tom is reinstated afterwards

8:07 Interesting fact. The mansion that the film makers used for the Mr Wolz's house is where John & Jacqueline Kennedy spent their honeymoon.

4:00 how powerful is the Godfather? In the book, a dying character thought that the godfather was powerful enough to stop death. 41:23 yes, it is called a windshield. 😀 42:15 The ending was a little different in the book. Kate perfectly understood, and started to go to church everyday, to pray for the soul of Michael. 43:38 you think the movie is long? Try the book! ... Seriously, try the book. You may or may not like it, but it is a good read, with a lot more details on the inner working of the family. 45:23 criminal organizations are usually business first. They do crimes because there is a market for it, not for the kick of breaking the law. When alcohol and gambling were legalized, many criminal organizations traded their guns for lawyers to solve their problems.

I was nine when this came out; for much of the 70s, it became a recurring gag in pop culture that if a mobster was displeased with you, he'd put a horse's head in your bed. Also, "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse" became THE catchphrase...until '77, when it was replaced by "may the force be with you".

That was actually a real severed horse's head. The director thought the fake head they used in rehearsals looked too phony, so he had staff go to a nearby dog food company (yes, they did put horse parts in dog food back in the day) and brought back a real head. The director did not tell the actor they were going to use a real head, so when he saw it when they shot the scene, his shock and screams were authentic. Needless to say, they shot the scene only once.

1962. David Lean directed. “Lawrence of Arabia.” But you might want to study up on TE before you watch it. It will help.

1) Ironies - It is quite ironic that both Don vito and Bonasera (the Undertaker) both came to each other with the same problem (their child had been killed/injured). It's also ironic that, after Michael tells Kay about Johnnie Fontaine's issue with the band leader and getting out of his contract, that, in the end, he signs Johnnie to a performing contract of his own (albeit a less restrictive one). 2) Of course, Johnnie Fontaine was based on Frank Sinatra. It is implied that Jack Woltz is Jewish (since he refers to Tom Hagen as "my Kraut/Mick friend"), which could align with Jack Warner of the "Warner Bros" and Sinatra's eventual role in "From Here to Eternity." 3) Of course, the horse's head was donated by a dog food company where the horse was scheduled to be euthanized anyway. But they had to paint in the white marking on the snout to make it look more like the horse in the stable. 4) Don Vito was totally lucky to have survived the shooting. Given the number of wounds and their locations, it's unlikely he would have, in real life. Emergency Surgery was not as well developed in the mid 40's. It was in the 50's during the Korean conflict that techniques to preserve life from such trauma were utilized (i.e. M*A*S*H units). And it certainly doesn't help that Fredo broke down crying rather than getting EMS there pronto. 5) "Leave the gun. Take the Cannoli." - The original line was only "Leave the gun." Richard S. Castelano (Clemenza) improvised the "Take the Cannoli" part. 6) Clemenza's Spaghetti Sauce - There have been several competitions on the best way to cook Clemena's Spaghetti/Meat ball / sausage sauce. 7) "Va Fangool" (when Connie and Carlo are fighting). It is an Italian Curse. Basically, it's used basically as "F*** YOU!" But it translates more literally as "up yours." The word "culo" is similar in several "Romance" languages (Spanish & Italian - In French it's "cul" (pronounced "Kewl")). It means "a$$/derriere." Italian words with a hard "c" are often pronounced as a hard "g" and often drop the ending vowels (eg. Ricotta cheese = "Rigot," or the Italian pork cut "Capicola" is pronounced "gabagol" as you heard Willi Cicci say in the Godfather wedding scene when he tossed the sandwiches). Hence, the word "culo" would be pronounced "gool." The full phrase is "Va' a fare in culo..." or "Go do it in the a$$." Hence, "Va Fa'ngool" = "up Yours.") 8) The "Baptism" scene - The infant being baptized in that scene is, actually, Francis Ford Coppola's youngest daughter, "Sofia Coppola." Coppola's wife (Sofia's mom), the late Eleanor (as of 2024) was very concerned that Diane Keaton was not holding her properly. Sofia went on to have a cameo role in Godfather II, playing a young child on the boat as young Vito traveled to the USA. Of course, finally, she played "Mary Corleone" in Godfather III.

This was the BEST reaction I've seen to this film by FAR, and I've watched many! This is also my all-time favorite film. You are very perceptive, you seem to have grasped fairly quickly the events happening on the screen and WHY they were happening, nothing seemed to get past you. I've never seen so much emotion in a reaction to a film, as far as these reactor channels go. This was the first video of yours I watched, and I'm subscribing right away. You won me over the first time out! Outstanding job, young lady! I look forward to more of your videos in the future. I almost forgot; you MUST see GODFATHER PART II.

Good Job, Dasha. I saw that you caught easily four or five plot twists in this movie. Most others missed the key points in the story. It has been said that Michael made up his mind to join the families business the night outside the hospital after he lit the baker's cigarette. In his eyes you can see how much determination he has to join and save his family. I have seen others say after The Godfather, "I didn't get it.." The Godfather II, I think may be even better. Love Always..

Fun little trivia you should know about the horse head scene; that was a REAL horse's head they got from a dog food factory.

Really good movie reaction! If The Godfather is the earliest film you've seen, you should consider some classics from the1960s. Check out "Doctor Strangelove".... it's a comedy about the Cold War, Russia and the atomic bomb.....one of the stars is the guy who played the police captain in The Godfather! Also try "2001 A Space Odyssey".... it's an iconic sci-fi from 1968: the special effects were decades ahead of their time. Both these movies were directed by Stanley Kubrick: one of the greatest film directors ever!

Older movies can still be extremely good. It took me a while to get over myself and start enjoying masterpieces from all ages. The age of a movie doesn't really mean all that much in the end as long as it is good. Watched a movie from 1948 yesterday and it was amazing.

OMG, wait until you see part 2! It's amazing.

YOU actually get it!!I loved this reaction..alot of Americans try to be funny and such and dont really UNDERSTAND what's going on here,,,i salute you

That scene of Luca bratcie was real he was nervous of meeting and doing a scene with Brando so he was rehearsing his lines ,they left the camera on him

In the early 70s, this was the hottest property in Hollywood...every major director wanted a crack at it. Yet, when producer Robert Evans initially offered it to Coppola, he turned it down flat...which is even more amazing when you consider that his last three movies were failures. As Coppola would later explain, he hated the original script, thinking it was too much like the gangster movies that had been made up to that point. Even after agreeing to direct, he and Evans did not get along. Supposedly, the version that initially played in theaters was heavily re-edited by Evans. Kinda makes you wonder why, years later, Evans would hire him again to direct *The Cotton Club* .