The Godfather
I was at a friends house for dinner and wandered into his den. He has a wall of books. I pulled out The Godfather. I said that I had never read the book. Everyone at the dinner who had read the book chimed in that it was one of the best books ever. Well the movie is certainly one of the finest ever made so it would make sense that the book is excellent.
I picked up the book and finished it in a few days. It is probably the first time I have read a book after seeing the movie not before. Doing it this way gives you a little peek into how the screenplay was written for The Godfather.
The book is fantastic. I am so glad I read it. If you were looking for something to dive into for some stellar summer reading sometimes reaching back in time makes sense.
Comments (Archived):
This is the current Presidential candidate… a Don and his family
For sure.
As I just finished The Girl on the Train late last night (don’t tell my wife how late I was up!) I’m looking for something new — good timing. As an aside, isn’t it so sad that our children won’t have this experience? The experience of walking in someone’s home and seeing some books on the shelf? Browsing their taste? Starting a conversation? Finding shared interests?
All the college kids I know are reading paperbacks these days!!
Probably because they’re even less expensive than e-books. 🙂
When I was a college kid and a young post college adult, I could go to several different bookstores to get $1 paperbacks, and then they would allow you to trade them back in. I read probably a hundred books that way. It was awesome.
Interesting just yesterday in an email I made reference to a horses head. Then I decided to do some research and found the wikipedia page that talks about the difference between the movie and the novel. I never read the novel. And honestly after reading about Jack Woltz (below) I’m a bit afraid to do so. It would be like seeing what actually goes on in the kitchen of a restaurant (that you already like) and fear finding something that you don’t like that will change your impression.https://en.wikipedia.org/wi…In the novel, Woltz is portrayed as a self-made man who has achieved great success in the film industry, having risen to his position from practically nothing. During World War II, he became the White House’s propaganda adviser, obtaining a large government contract as well as connections to political figures, including J. Edgar Hoover, in the process. He is also a pedophile who routinely molests young girls who audition for his movies, as well some of his actresses’ daughters. (Although this aspect of Woltz’s character is edited from the film, it is made apparent in at least one deleted scene.)When Johnny Fontane is nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the film, a spiteful Woltz bribes or threatens nearly everyone in Hollywood to prevent him from winning. The Corleone family thwarts Woltz once again; Vito calls in several favors, and Fontane wins the award, reviving his career and eventually opening a Corleone-funded production company that soon rivals Woltz’s studio. Fontane politely telephones Woltz to thank him for everything, but Woltz hangs up after a curt conversation.
that is what makes the novel so much better..which is usually the case.
I did that for “Lord of the Rings” – saw the first movie and thought it was amazing. Went back and read the book – all 3 sections, the Hobbit, Silmarillon, all the Middle Earth History and then couldnt see the next movie after that.Same with Harry Potter. Sometimes the book spoils the movie experience for you.
Agree
Anytime I am exposed to The Godfather, I must have some really good pasta with red gravy (never sauce)! Gonna make you an offer you can’t refuse……
Funny. The same thing happened to me this summer. I was looking at a hallway full of books at someone’s house and The Godfather (in its original hardback edition) caught my eye. I pulled it off of the shelf and devoured it in a couple days. It was a great read, and I was struck by how the movie was very faithful to the book, but that the female characters’ stories were all sort of excised from the movie. Of course, given the rest of the film’s level of drama, I’m not sure how you’d’ work the “surgical” parts into the plot.
Very true to the film. So good