The Godfather is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films in Hollywood history. At an epic night at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday, director Francis Ford Coppola and members of his cast – including Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire and James Caan, with Robert De Niro, who appeared in the 1974 sequel – gathered for the film’s 45th anniversary, discussing its legacy on the closing night of De Niro’s Tribeca Film Festival.

The event lasted a whopping nine hours, as fans watched restored versions of The Godfather I and II, followed by a panel discussion moderated by director Taylor Hackford, the theme being how difficult it was to get the classic made. According to Coppola, he ran into roadblocks at every turn, as studio Paramount looked simply to cash in with a quickie movie based on Mario Puzo’s runaway bestselling novel.