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The Godfather
by Mario Puzo
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The Godfather: Introduction The Godfather: Mario Puzo Biography The Godfather: Summary The Godfather: Themes The Godfather: Style The Godfather: Historical Context The Godfather: Critical Overview The Godfather: Character Analysis The Godfather: Essays and Criticism The Godfather: Compare and Contrast The Godfather: Topics for Further Study The Godfather: Media Adaptations The Godfather: What Do I Read Next? The Godfather: Bibliography and Further Reading The Godfather: Pictures Copyright

The Godfather: Introduction

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As soon as it was published in 1969, Mario Puzo's novel The Godfatherbegan setting sales records, becoming the fastest selling book up to its time. Its enormous popularity increased in 1972 when Francis Ford Coppola's movie version was released. The movie won several Academy Awards, including one for Coppola and Puzo's script adaptation of his novel. It is one of the highest-grossing movies of all time and is frequently cited by critics as one of the greatest American movies ever

made. It has spawned two highly-respected sequels, both co-scripted by Puzo. The novel has consistently stayed in print and has sold over 21 million copies worldwide. The story revolves around Vito Corleone, a leader of organized crime in the 1940s. He is a man who rules with quiet persuasion, asking those who wish favors from him for their loyalty and dealing mercilessly with those who cross him. When other criminals try to involve his organization in the drug trade, Corleone resists and the shield of power that he has built around his family is threatened. The aged crime lord must defend his family and pass control of his empire to one of his three sons. This book helped define how the world views organized crime in America, framing the aspects of greed and violence that are inherent in the underworld with an emphasis on family, respect, and honor. The character of Vito Corleone, the Godfather, has been compared to Huckleberry Finn and Holden Caulfield as an archetype, a personality so true to the American experience that, though fictional, he seems familiar to everyone. Far beyond being just another crime novel, The Godfatherrelates to all stories of immigrant families who are trying, over the course of generations, to fit into the mainstream of American life.

The Godfather Summary

Book I The Godfather opens in 1945, at the wedding of Connie Corleone, the only daughter of Vito Corleone, the head of the most powerful organized crime family in the United States. During the wedding, Corleone, respectfully referred to as the Don or Godfather, is obliged to meet with people who seek his help. As the novel explains, "by tradition no Sicilian can refuse a request on his daughter's wedding day." One man's daughter was raped, and he asks Don Corleone to punish the rapists; another man needs political support so that his daughter's fianc will not be deported; another, the Don's actual godson, is a famous singer whose career will fail if he does not get the movie role that a Hollywood producer has refused to him. The long wedding sequence is used to introduce the main characters. Don Corleone's oldest son, Sonny, is a hot-tempered ladies man; Fredo is a weak-willed drunkard; and his youngest son, Michael, has disappointed his father by staying out of the family business and joining the army. Michael is at the wedding with his girlfriend from college, Kay Adams, who does not know that the family is into organized crime until he tells her some chilling stories about other wedding guests. Other important characters include Tom Hagen, the Corleone family's adopted son, who serves the

Godfather as a counselor in criminal activities, and Clemenza and Tessio, the captains in the Corleone army. As soon as the wedding is over, Don Corleone takes his sons to visit his old friend and counselor, Genco Abbandando, who is dying in the hospital. That same night, Hagen is sent to California to make the movie producer give the required role to his godson, Johnny Fontane. While they are talking, the producer shows Hagen a beautiful race horse that he has bought. He says that he is sorry that he cannot cast Johnny in the movie. The next morning, the producer wakes to find the horse's severed head in his bed, and, realizing the ferocity and stealth of the Corleone crime family, he arranges to cast Johnny. A meeting is arranged with Virgil Sollozzo, a drug dealer who wants the Corleone family to be partners with him. Don Corleone says that he will not be involved with drugs, but during the meeting Sonny shows interest. Three months later, an assassination attempt is made on the Don's life. He survives, but while he is in the hospital, another attempt is made. Michael, who is visiting at the time, manages to scare off the assassins. A meeting of family officials... Complete The Godfather Summary
Source: Novels for Students, 2012 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.

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The Godfather (novel)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Godfather

Author(s)

Mario Puzo

Cover artist

S. Neil Fujita

Country

United States

Language

English

Series

The Godfather

Genre(s)

Crime novel

Publisher

G. P. Putnam's Sons

Publication date

10 March 1969

The Godfather is a crime novel written by Italian American author Mario Puzo, originally published in 1969 by G. P. Putnam's Sons. It details the story of a fictitious Sicilian Mafia family based in New York City (and Long Beach, New York) and headed byDon Vito Corleone, who became synonymous with the Italian Mafia. The novel covers the years 1945 to 1955, and also provides the back story of Vito Corleone from early childhood to adulthood. The book introduced Italian criminal terms like consiglieri, caporegime, Cosa Nostra, and omert to an Englishspeaking audience. It formed the basis for a 1972 film of the same name. Two film sequels, including new contributions by Puzo himself, were made in 1974 and 1990. The first and second films are widely considered to be two of the greatest films of all time.[1][2] The cover was created by S. Neil Fujita whose design featured a large Gothic-style letter "G" with a long curl at the top emphasizing the first three letters of the title, accompanied by the hands of a puppeteer holding a set of strings over the "father" portion of the word.[3]

Contents 1 Title 2 Main characters 3 Film adaptation 4 Other adaptations 5 The Godfather Effect 6 Sequels 7 Real-life influences 8 See also 9 Notes and references 10 External links [edit]Title

Some controversy surrounds the title of the book and its underworld implications. Although it is widely reported that Puzo was inspired to use "Godfather" as a designator for a Mafia leader from his experience as a reporter, the term The Godfather was first used in connection with the Mafia during Joe Valachi's testimony during a 1963 United States congressional hearing on organized crime.[citation needed]

[edit]Main

characters

The Corleone family patriarch is Vito Corleone (The Don), whose surname (Italian for "Lionheart") recalls the town of Corleone, Sicily. Vito has four children: Santino "Sonny" Corleone, Frederico "Fredo" Corleone, Michael "Mikey" Corleone, and Constanzia "Connie" Corleone. He also has an informally adopted son, Tom Hagen, who became the Corleones' consiglieri. Vito Corleone is also the godfather of singer and movie star Johnny Fontane. The godfather referred to in the title is generally taken to be Vito. However, the story's central character is actually Michael. Its central theme follows that it is Michael's destiny to replace his father as the head of the family, despite his determination to lead a more Americanized life with his girlfriend (and eventual wife) Kay Adams. The Corleone family is in fact a criminal organization with national influence, notably protection, extortion, gambling and union racketeering. Serving under the Don is his oldest son Santino, who serves as underboss. The operational side of the organization is headed by two caporegimes, Peter Clemenza and Salvatore Tessio.

[edit]Film

adaptation

Main article: The Godfather In 1972, a film adaptation of the novel was released, starring Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone, Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Mario Puzo assisted with writing the screenplay and with other production tasks. The film grossed approximately $269 million worldwide and won various awards, including three Academy Awards, five Golden Globes and one Grammy and is considered to be one of the greatest films of all time. The sequel, The Godfather Part II won six Oscars, and became the first sequel to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. The film is similar to the novel in most places, but leaves out some details, such as extended back stories for some characters. Some of these details were actually filmed, and were included in later versions such as The Godfather Saga. A subplot involving Johnny Fontane in Hollywood was not filmed. The biggest difference was that the novel included a more upbeat ending than the film, in which Kay Corleone accepts Michael's decision to take over his father's business. The film, in contrast, ends with Kay's realization of Michael's ruthlessness, a theme that would develop in the second and third films, which were largely not based on the original novel. Vito Corleone's backstory appeared in the second film.

[edit]Other

adaptations

Main article: The Godfather: The Game The video game company Electronic Arts released a video game adaptation of The Godfather on March 21, 2006. The player assumes the role of a "soldier" in the Corleone family. Prior to his death, Marlon Brando provided some voice work for Vito, which was eventually deemed unusable and was dubbed over by a Brando impersonator. Francis Ford Coppola said in April 2005 that he was not informed of Paramount's decision to allow the game to be made and he did not approve of it.[4] Al Pacino also did not participate, and his likeness was replaced with a different depiction of Michael Corleone.

[edit]The

Godfather Effect

The novel had a Godfather Effect on American culture. As noted by author Tom Santopietro, The Godfather was a turning point in American cultural consciousness. With its emphasis on proud ethnicity, The Godfather changed not just the way Italian-Americans saw themselves, but how Americans of all backgrounds viewed their individual and national self-identities, their possibilities, and attendant disappointments.[5] The Godfather Effect had a broader philosophical dimension, as well. As noted by Santopietro, "what Puzo delivered - brilliantly - was nothing less than a disquisition on the madness, glory, and failure of the American dream." [6] Early in the novel, Amerigo Bonasera declares I believe in America. The novel then depicts a nation where Mafia and big business are two sides of the same coin: both are corrupt, tell the truth selectively, and do exactly as they wish.[7] This insight is bluntly stated by Michael Corleone, who recommends that Italian-Americans must learn from the philanthropists like theRockefellers first you rob everybody, then you give to the poor.[8]

[edit]Sequels

In 1983 Puzo's literary sequel to The Godfather was published. Entitled The Sicilian it chronicles the life of "Guiliano" (Salvatore Giuliano) but the Corleone family is featured heavily throughout, Michael Corleone in particular. Chronologically this story sits between Michael's exile to Sicily in 1950 to his return to the USA. Due to copyright reasons the Corleone family involvement was cut from the Michael Cimino movie adaption. In 2004, Random House published a sequel to Puzo's The Godfather, The Godfather Returns, by Mark Winegardner. A further sequel by Winegardner, The Godfather's Revenge, was released in 2006. The sequel novels continue the story from Puzo's novel. The Godfather Returns picks up the story immediately after the end of Puzo's The Godfather. It covers the years 1955 to 1962, as well as providing significant backstory for Michael Corleone's character prior to the events of the first novel. The events of the film The Godfather Part II all take place within the time frame of this novel, but are only mentioned in the background. The novel contains an appendix that attempts to correlate the events of the novels with the events of the films. The Godfather's Revenge covers the years 1963 to 1964. Continuing Puzo's habit, as seen in The Godfather, of featuring characters who are close analogues of real life events and public figures (as Johnny Fontane is an analogue of Frank Sinatra), Winegardner features in his two Godfather novels analogues of Joseph, John, and Robert Kennedy, as well as an analogue for alleged organized crime figure Carlos Marcello (Carlo Tramonti). In The Godfather Returns, Winegardner also dramatizes the sweep of organized crime arrests that took place in Apalachin, New York, in 1957. Winegardner uses all of the characters from the Puzo novels, and created a few of his own, most notably Nick Geraci, a Corleone soldier who plays a pivotal role in the sequel novels. Winegardner further develops characters from the original novel, such as Fredo Corleone, Tom Hagen, and Johnny Fontane.

[edit]Real-life

influences

Large parts of the novel are based upon reality, notably the history of the so-called 'Five Families', the Mafiaorganization in New York and the surrounding area. The novel also includes many allusions to real-life mobsters and their associates, and Johnny Fontane is based on Frank Sinatra,[9] Moe Greene on Bugsy Siegel,[10][11] for example.

[edit]See

also

Novels portal

Mafia Crime Godparent

[edit]Notes

and references
1. ^ "Top Movies - Best Movies at Rotten Tomatoes". Rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2011-08-10. 2. 3. ^ http://www.imdb.com/chart/top ^ Grimes, William. "S. Neil Fujita, Innovative Graphic Designer, Dies at 89", The New York Times, October 27, 2010. Accessed October 27, 2010. 4. ^ Godfather film director whacks Godfather game - by Tor Thorsen, GameSpot, April 8, 2005, retrieved April 8, 2005. 5. ^ The Godfather Effect; by Tom Santopietro; published by St. Martin's Press, 2012; p. 83. The Godfather 6. ^ The Godfather Effect; by Tom Santopietro; published by St. Martin's Press, 2012; p. 7. The Godfather 7. ^ The Godfather Effect; by Tom Santopietro; published by St. Martin's Press, 2012; p. 81. The Godfather 8. ^ The Godfather Effect; by Tom Santopietro; published by St. Martin's Press, 2012; p. 72. The Godfather 9. ^ Bruno, Anthony. "Fact and Fiction in The Godfather". TruTV. Retrieved 2009-06-15. 10. ^ "The Not-so-famous Alex Rocco". Boston Globe. November 13, 1989. Retrieved 2008-07-20. "Until this year, Alex Rocco was best known as Moe Greene, the Bugsy Siegel character who was shot in the eyeglasses at the end of "The Godfather. ..." 11. ^ "Snap Judgment: Betting against the odds". Jerusalem Post. January 31, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-20. "Moe Greene is, of course, Lansky partner Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, who spearheaded the building of Las Vegas's first luxury casino-hotel, The Flamingo, ..."

[edit]External

links

The Official Mario Puzo's Library entry for The Godfather 20th-Century American Bestsellers's Entry for The Godfather The Godfather Returns The Godfather Wiki

The Godfather series

Novels Films Video games Corleone family Corleone allies The Godfather The Sicilian The Godfather Returns The Godfather's Revenge The Family Corleone The Godfather The Godfather Part II The Godfather Part III The Sicilian The Godfather The Godfather: The Game The Godfather II

Vito Corleone Michael Corleone Tom Hagen Sonny Corleone Fredo Corleone Carmela Corleone Connie Corleon Adams-Corleone Anthony Corleone Mary Corleone Vincent Mancini-Corleone Sandra Corleone

Genco Abbandando Luca Brasi Willi Cicci Peter Clemenza Dominic Corleone Sam Drago B. J. Harrison Carmin Malone Tony Molinari Sal Narducci Al Neri Tommy Neri Ritchie Nobilio Eddie Paradise Frank Pentangeli Sa Tramonti Joe Zaluchi

Corleone enemies Other characters Music Related

Ozzie Altobello Momo Barone Emilio Barzini Ottilio Cuneo Don Fanucci Vincent Forlenza Paulie Fortunato Ni Greene Frederick Keinszig Joe Lucadello Licio Lucchesi Captain McCluskey Mosca Johnny Ola Carlo Rizzi A Rosato Hyman Roth Louie Russo Virgil Sollozzo Anthony Stracci Bruno Tattaglia Philip Tattaglia Rico Tattagli

Amerigo Bonasera Johnny Fontane Senator Pat Geary Cardinal Lamberto Lucy Mancini Danny Shea Mickey She Trapani

The Godfather (soundtrack) The Godfather Part II (soundtrack) The Godfather Part III (soundtrack) Speak Softly Lov Godfather) Promise Me You'll Remember (Love Theme from The Godfather Part III) The Godfather: The Game Sound

Francis Ford Coppola Mario Puzo Albert S. Ruddy Nino Rota Dean Tavoularis Gordon Willis Mark Winegardner crime Mafia Five Families Five Families (The Godfather) Corleone The Sicilian The Freshman The Godfather S Book Category

Works by Mario Puzo

The Dark Arena (1955)

The Fortunate Pilgrim (1965)

Novels

The Runaway Summer of Davie Shaw (1966)

The Godfather (1969)

Fools Die (1975) The Sicilian (1984)

The Fourth K (1991)

The Last Don (1996)

Omert (2000)

Non-fiction

The Family (2001, with Carol Gino) The Godfather Papers and Other Confessions (1972)

Categories:

Inside Las Vegas (1977)

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1969 novels The Godfather Novels by Mario Puzo American novels adapted into films Novels about organized crime in the United States Family saga novels Italian American novels American crime novels Novels set in New York

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