Mario Puzo Estate Wants To Cancel 'The Godfather' Contract with Paramount in Countersuit | Hollywood Reporter 4:14pm PT by Eriq Gardner Mario Puzo Estate Wants To Cancel 'The Godfather' Contract with Paramount in Countersuit Controversy erupted after the estate of Mario Puzo had plans to license a new book sequel without Paramount's blessing. "Paramount wanted a war, and they’re going to get one," says estate attorney Bert Fields. The estate of Mario Puzo, who wrote the novel that was adapted into the classic Francis Ford Coppola film, The Godfather, has fired back at Paramount Pictures' attempts to stop a new licensed literary sequel. On Monday, the Puzo estate filed an answer and counterclaim in New York federal court that alleges Paramount doesn't have as much hold on the Godfather franchise as the studio asserts. In fact, the Puzo estate now wishes to terminate its original 1969 rights grant to Paramount, which would have huge implications well beyond mere books.

Paramount filed its own lawsuit last month that sought an injunction to prevent the publishing of a book reportedly titled The Family Corleone, about Vito Corleone's rise to power in Depression-era New York, scheduled to be released in July. The studio alleged in its lawsuit that the previous Godfather book sequel had tarnished the legacy of the famous mafia story and that it had agreements with the Puzo heirs not to come out with any more new sequels. The Puzo estate, in its answer Monday, hit back at Paramount, denying many of the studio's claims, including that the Godfather 3 film was highly acclaimed. But the center of controversy is the nature of the agreements made between the parties during the past half-century. Paramount had previously asserted that it had gained most of the rights on the franchise, but the Puzo estate says that isn't true. The studio's wish to attain book rights was an offer that could be refused, according to the defendant. Specifically, the estate says the 1967 rights agreement expressly excluded and reserved "book publishing rights" for Puzo, who died in 1999.

Two years later, the parties are said to have entered into a written contract of adhesion for certain rights, but that language was deleted from the contract that would have given Paramount the right "to publish said work and/or any versions or adaptations thereof, and to vend copies thereof." Paramount allegedly knew about this "when it falsely pleaded the supposed content of that agreement," according to the estate. The estate's legal filing stresses the fact that in those old deals, Puzo reserved and retained the right to publish books including characters from The Godfather in similar or new situations. And as for a deal made about a decade ago, which supposedly allowed the Puzo estate to grant Random House the right to publish one -- "but only one" -- sequel novel, the estate's lawyers now say that "Paramount's self-serving motivation was to coerce Mario Puzo's children into ceding to Paramount the motion picture rights in the first sequel novel without payment." Paramount is now being countersued for breach of contract and tortuous interference. The Puzo estate seeks the right to cancel and terminate its 1969 deal, which could cause uncertainty surrounding the studio's ongoing enjoyment of its lucrative franchise.

Additionally, the estate is seeking in excess of $10 million in damages. The estate is being represented in court by Motty Shulman at Boies, Schiller & Flexner. The estate also is being counseled by Bert Fields, who put out this statement Tuesday: "Mario Puzo brought vast wealth to Paramount at a time when they desperately needed it. Now that he’s gone, Paramount’s trying to deprive his children of the rights he specifically reserved. I promised Mario I’d protect his kids from this kind of reprehensible conduct. Paramount wanted a war, and they’re going to get one – only the stakes will be much higher than they thought.” Paramount has responded to the latest development. “Paramount has tremendous respect and admiration for Mario Puzo and his legacy," said a studio spokesperson. "We are only seeking to adhere to the terms of the deal that were agreed upon by Mr.

Puzo himself.” E-mail: eriqgardner@yahoo.com Mario Puzo, Author Who Made 'The Godfather' a World Addiction, Is Dead at 78 - The New York Times The New York Times Movies |Mario Puzo, Author Who Made 'The Godfather' a World Addiction, Is Dead at 78 Search Mario Puzo, Author Who Made 'The Godfather' a World Addiction, Is Dead at 78 By MEL GUSSOW Continue reading the main story Mario Puzo, the best-selling novelist and screenwriter who created ''The Godfather'' and made the Corleones the most famous -- and infamous -- of Mafia families and an enduring myth in American culture, died yesterday at his home in Bay Shore, N.Y. He was 78. The cause was heart failure, said his agent, Neil Olson, without elaborating. When Mr. Puzo wrote ''The Godfather'' in the late 1960's, he did it reluctantly. His first two novels had received favorable reviews but had earned him a total of $6,500. At 45 and in debt, he thought he was going downhill fast as a writer.

But he had some favorite stories to tell about the Mafia, and for the money, he decided to write a book about Italian-Americans in organized crime. From the author's account, he had scant encouragement from publishers and received an advance of only $5,000. But when the book was published in 1969, it became one of the most phenomenal successes in literary and cinematic history. The novel was the No. 1 best seller in the United States and was on the New York Times best-seller list for 67 weeks. It was also the most popular novel in England, France, Germany and other countries, and sold more than 21 million copies. Then it tripled that success when Francis Coppola filmed it. With a screenplay by Mr. Puzo and Mr. Coppola, the film made reputations (for the director, the writer and many of its stars), earned millions of dollars, won Academy Awards for the screenwriters, among others, and became the most quoted movie of its time, with phrases like ''an offer he couldn't refuse'' entering the American lexicon. Continue reading the main story The film outdid the book in popularity and in critical respect.

When it opened in 1972, Vincent Canby, in his review in The New York Times, called it ''one of the most brutal and moving chronicles of American life ever designed within the limits of popular entertainment.'' Advertisement Continue reading the main story Led by Marlon Brando as the patriarchal Don Vito Corleone and Al Pacino as the college-educated son Michael who eventually takes control of the family business, the Corleones edged their way into respectability. The film was far more than a gangster melodrama; it was a sweeping portrait of a family that was as devoted to its own sense of values as to violence. It was also a commentary on greed in a capitalist society. Perhaps the most astonishing aspect of the movie's success was that it was repeated again and again, as ''The Godfather'' gave rise to ''The Godfather, Part II'' (1974) and ''The Godfather, Part III'' (1990), both also with screenplays by Mr. Puzo and Mr. Coppola. Playing various Corleones, Mr. Brando, Mr.

Pacino and Robert De Niro gave some of their most memorable screen performances, as did Robert Duvall, James Caan and Diane Keaton in other roles. There has been talk of a possible ''Godfather, Part IV,'' tailored to another Italian-American movie star, Leonardo DiCaprio. Mr. Puzo's agent said the author knew nothing of that. As the Corleones entered mythology, they were surrounded by contradictions. Were they villains or heroes or some hybrid of the two? Don Vito Corleone and his sons were feared and admired, and later they were often parodied. With the help of Mr. Coppola, Mr. Puzo had humanized people who in other fictional and cinematic forms had often been condemned and reviled. The Corleones were, first of all, a family, and there was a bond that extended through the sequels as more and more people throughout the world were touched by their story. Gangsters Thought He Knew Firsthand Because of his insights into crime and crime families, it was assumed that Mr. Puzo wrote from firsthand experience. One of the oddities of his career is that when it came to the Mafia, he was very much an outsider.

As he wrote in 1972 in ''The Godfather Papers and Other Writings,'' ''I'm ashamed to admit that I wrote 'The Godfather' entirely from research. I never met a real honest-to-God gangster. I knew the gambling world pretty good, but that's all.'' After the book was published, he was introduced to several gangsters who, he said, ''refused to believe that I had never been in the rackets.'' He added, ''But all of them loved the book.'' And later they loved the movie, although the author was sometimes subjected to the charge that ''The Godfather'' was unflattering to Italian-Americans. Sometimes it seemed as if the person with the strongest doubts was Mr. Puzo. ''I wished like hell I'd written it better,'' he said. ''I wrote below my gifts in that book.'' He preferred his second novel, ''The Fortunate Pilgrim,'' an autobiographical novel about an immigrant Italian-American family in New York. But there was no denying that ''The Godfather'' and the Corleones transformed the author's life and made him one of the most popular and wealthiest of novelists.

Mario Puzo was born in Hell's Kitchen on the west side of Manhattan. His parents were poor Italian-American immigrants from Naples (not, like the Corleones, from Sicily). His father, who was a railroad trackman for the New York Central Railroad, deserted the family when Mario was 12, leaving his wife, Maria, to raise their seven children. Although there were, of course, gangs on the New York streets, Mr. Puzo stayed clear of them and conformed, he said, to the formidable structure of his family. As he later recalled, his mother often told him to stay home because ''only bad things happen to you outside.'' Mr. Puzo once spoke of his boyhood environment as ''the stone city.'' Advertisement Continue reading the main story In a preface to a new edition of his second novel, ''The Fortunate Pilgrim,'' Mr. Puzo said that his mother was the model for Don Corleone, the Godfather (the character played by Mr. Brando and later, at an earlier age, by Mr. De Niro).

''Whenever the Godfather opened his mouth,'' he wrote, ''in my own mind I heard the voice of my mother.'' He said ''The Fortunate Pilgrim'' began as a book about himself but was taken over by the character of Lucia Santa, based on his mother: ''My mother was a wonderful, handsome woman, but a fairly ruthless person.'' Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up In a 1988 television dramatization of ''The Fortunate Pilgrim,'' Lucia Santa was played by Sophia Loren. He Started Writing While in High School Mr. Puzo began writing stories in high school and dreamed of making writing his career, but as a young man, in common with his father, he worked for the New York Central Railroad. After serving with the Army in Germany in World War II, he attended the City College of New York on the G.I. Bill and wrote short stories. At the same time Mr.

Puzo was working on his first novel, ''Dark Arena.'' Published in 1955, it dealt with an American veteran of World War II who returns to Germany to look up his former mistress. Nine years later he published ''The Fortunate Pilgrim.'' A reviewer in The New York Times Book Review called it ''a small classic.'' In 1960 Bruce Jay Friedman hired him as an assistant editor of a group of men's magazines (Male, Men, etc.). For those magazines Mr. Puzo wrote action stories, many of them versions of World War II battles. Recalling Mr. Puzo in those days, Mr. Friedman once wrote that his memories all had to do with ''size -- the size of his appetite'' for food and for reading books: ''I have a picture of him sitting in a chair with not one but six volumes in his lap, wetting his finger and taking 'tastes' of each one.'' He spoke also of the size of Mr. Puzo's laugh, ''always filled with amazement at some quirk of human behavior.'' Still supporting himself and his family (his wife and five children) as a freelance writer, Mr.

Puzo began ''The Godfather.'' When the paperback rights to the book were suddenly sold for $410,000, he telephoned his mother. She misunderstood and thought he said $40,000. Three times he told her the real figure, and then she said, ''Don't tell nobody.'' Earlier his mother had been skeptical about his work. After ''The Godfather,'' she called him ''a poet.'' While writing the screenplays for the ''Godfather'' movies with Mr. Coppola and winning two Academy Awards, Mr. Puzo also was a writer on other films (including ''Earthquake,'' ''Superman,'' ''Superman II'' and ''The Cotton Club'') and continued his career as a novelist. He wrote ''Fools Die'' in 1978 (about gambling in Las Vegas) and sold the paperback rights for $2.55 million. He then returned to some of the themes in ''The Godfather'' with ''The Sicilian'' in 1984. ''The Sicilian'' was filmed by Michael Cimino in 1987.

''The Fourth K'' was a novel about a Kennedy cousin who becomes President of the United States in the next century. ''The Last Don,'' published in 1996, was turned into a six-hour television mini-series the next year. Advertisement Continue reading the main story In 1968 he bought a house on Long Island in Bay Shore and over the years expanded and remodeled it. As a friend, Joseph Heller, said yesterday, ''It was a model house in a development, and he asked them to leave the furniture. He was quiet, modest and unassuming. He never asked a favor, and he always granted a request.'' In at least one respect, he was changed by his success. ''He was always a gambler,'' Mr. Heller said, '''and he gambled for higher stakes.'' 'I Fancy Myself An Italian Peasant' In an interview with Camille Paglia in The Times in 1997, Mr. Puzo said, ''I fancy myself an Italian peasant who's living comfortably on his little farm.'' Four of his five children lived nearby. After Mr.

Puzo's wife, Erika, died in 1978, her nurse, Carol Gino, became his companion. In addition to Ms. Gino, he is survived by his five children: Virginia McLauglin, Eugene, Anthony, Joseph, all of whom live on Long Island, and Dorothy of Los Angeles; nine grandchildren; his sister, Evelyn Murphy, and his brother, Antony Cleri. Before he died he had completed ''Omerta,'' a novel that Random House plans to publish next summer. He considered this book the third in his Mafia trilogy (after ''The Godfather'' and ''The Last Don''). In the 1997 Paglia interview, Mr. Puzo said he was ''a Romantic writer'' with ''a sympathy for evil.'' He attributed the popularity of ''The Godfather'' to a ''disenchantment with the American justice system'' as well as a craving for close family ties.

''I hate violence,'' said the father of ''The Godfather.'' 'The Family Corleone': 'Godfather' Prequel By Mario Puzo Set To Become Book | The Huffington Post 'The Family Corleone': 'Godfather' Prequel By Mario Puzo Set To Become Book 05/05/2011 06:41 am ET | Updated Jul 05, 2011 760 Perhaps the most acclaimed and notable set of films of the 20th century, "The Godfather" films told the story of the complicated machinations and drama of the Corleone crime family, jumping from Vito's emigration from Italy to the mad, backstabbing scramble by his sons to be his successor. And while the second film gives glimpses of the Don's past life and rise to power, there were many more questions left unanswered about his early years. Or so we thought.

Mario Puzo, who wrote the novel upon which the films were based and helped write the first two screenplays, had another Corleone story in his pocket, it turns out, tracing in more detail Vito's rise through the 1920's and 30's New York mob scene. The tales took shape in a screenplay that went unproduced, and while the original actors are far too old or otherwise unavailable to bring a fourth "Godfather" film -- especially one set before the original -- to screen, Puzo's final Corleone story will be told within the confines of a new novel. The novel, to be titled "The Family Corleone," will be adapted by author Edward Falco from screenplay to book and released in June, 2012, The New York Times reports . Falco, a professor at Virginia Tech, recently published his own mob-related book, "Saint John of the Five Boroughs." He's also the uncle of former "Sopranos" star Edie Falco.

This isn't the first time "The Godfather" has been revisited; Puzo himself wrote a sequel to his original novel, titled "The Sicilian," that heavily features the Corleone family. Then, in 2004, Mark Winegardner, published "The Godfather Returns," which follows the years immediately after Puzo's first book and coincides somewhat with the second film. Winegardner in 2006 released "The Godfather's Revenge," which put the crime family squarely involved with the assassination of an allegorical President Kennedy. Both books were critically acclaimed. More: The Godfather (novel) | The Godfather Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia The Godfather is a crime novel written by 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 headed by Don 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 consigliere , caporegime , Cosa Nostra , and omertà to an English-speaking 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 Edit 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 the 1963 United States congressional hearing on organized crime.

Main characters The Corleone family patriarch is Vito Corleone , whose surname ( Italian for "Lionheart") recalls the town of Corleone , Sicily. Vito has four children: Santino "Sonny" Corleone , Fredo Corleone , Michael Corleone , and Constanzia "Connie" Corleone . He also has an informally adopted son, Tom Hagen , who became the Corleones' consigliere. Vito Corleone is also the godfather of a 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 . Plot summary Edit The plot deals with a mob war fought between the Corleone family and the other four of the Five Families of New York. After Don Vito Corleone is shot by men working for drug dealer Virgil "The Turk" Sollozzo , his two sons, Santino and Michael must run the family business with the help of consigliere Tom Hagen and the two capos Peter Clemenza and Salvatore Tessio. When Sollozzo and an Irish police captain are murdered by Michael, the conflict escalates into a full scale war which results in Santino's death and Michael, despite his wishes, ascending to the head of the family. He slowly becomes more ruthless than his father, even killing his brother-in-law Carlo Rizzi , who played a part in Santino's murder. Also as the story progresses many of the minor characters, such as the Don's godson Johnny Fontane and his friend Nino Valenti , Sonny's former girlfriend Lucy Mancini , and Michael's bodyguard Al Neri , are expanded on and given their own subplots.

Many of these subplots are not included in the movie. The novel culminates when Michael has his two main enemies, the novel's main antagonist, Emilio Barzini and a lesser but still severely important antagonist, Philip Tattaglia , assassinated. After the total elimination of the Tattaglia family and Barzini family , Michael sells all his business in New York with the intention of making the Corleone family a legitimate business in Las Vegas . 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 Oscar 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 is that the novel includes 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 are largely not based on the original novel. However, The Godfather Part II includes flashback sequences about the rise of Vito Corleone that are in the novel. Sequels and prequel Edit In 1983 Puzo's literary sequel to The Godfather was published. Entitled The Sicilian it chronicles the life of "Giuliano" ( 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.

For 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, Winegardner features in his two Godfather novels analogues of Joseph , John , and Robert Kennedy (the Shea family, in the novels) 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 caporegime whose role in the two sequel novels is as important as those of the Puzo-created characters. Winegardner further develops characters from the original novel, such as Fredo Corleone, Tom Hagen, and Johnny Fontane. In 2012, a prequel, based on an unproduced screenplay by Mario Puzo, titled The Family Corleone was written by Ed Falco .

It tells the story of how Vito Corleone rises to Don and how Santino Corleone and Tom Hagen enter the family business. 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 rises up the ranks in the Corleone family from Outsider to Don of New York City . Prior to his death, Marlon Brando provided some voice work for Vito, which was eventually deemed unusable in all but one instance 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. Influences Edit Large parts of the novel are based upon reality, notably the history of the Five Families . The novel also includes many allusions to real life mobsters and their associates; Johnny Fontane is based on Frank Sinatra and Moe Greene on Bugsy Siegel .

[5] [6] Notes and references The Godfather | Moviepedia | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit The film begins at the wedding of Don Corleone's ( Brando ) daughter, Connie, to Carlo. According to tradition, the Don is meeting people and granting various favors. One of the favors is asked by Johnny Fontane, a crooner who wants Corleone's influence to break into the movie business. Corleone family consiglierie Tom Hagen ( Duvall ) "persuades" film producer Jack Woltz to cast Fontane in a forthcoming movie by leaving the head of the producer's prize racehorse in Woltz's bed. Meanwhile, Michael ( Pacino ) returns from service in the Second World War . Sollozzo, a known drug agent working for the Tattaglia family, asks Don Corleone for his help in selling narcotics , which Corleone refuses. Luca Brasi, Don Corleone's bodyguard , is sent to obtain information from the Tattaglias, who kill him. There is then an assassination attempt on Don Corleone, who survives.

In response, Michael arranges to kill Solozzo and his chief accomplice, a corrupt police captain named McCluskey, and shoots them both in a Bronx restaurant. Having done that, he flees to Sicily to avoid attention. There, he meets and marries Apollonia, who is later murdered by a car bomb meant for Michael. The temperamental Sonny (Caan) prepares to deal with Carlo, who is abusing his wife (Sonny's sister Connie), but Sonny is set up and murdered, an action which drives Don Corleone to seek peace with the warring Five Families. Michael returns home from Sicily and marries Kay (Keaton). The ailing Don Corleone places Michael in charge of the Family, which has plans to leave behind its cover ( olive oil importing) and "go legit" in the Las Vegas casino business. Their offers to buy out casino owner Moe Greene (based partly on Bugsy Siegel ) are rebuffed. While playing with his grandson, Don Corleone dies from a heart attack. Michael assumes full control, arranges for the brutal killings of the heads of the rival families, and has Carlo strangled for his role in Sonny's murder.

At the end of the movie, Michael is shown to be the new Godfather, with people paying their respect to him, and referring to him as Don Corleone. Edit The film was released in 1972 and was directed by Francis Ford Coppola , who had directed several films prior to this; none of which had a significant impact upon the public. Shooting spanned from March 29 , 1971 , to August 6 of that year. Due to skepticism about the film's expected success, a low budget was set for the film, forcing the crew to use regular lighting as opposed to production lighting. This lent a more realistic appearance to the film. Francis Ford Coppola Edit Francis Ford Coppola started working in Films way back in 1960, when he enrolled into the famous UCLA for Film studies, The son of music-maker Carmine Coppola, found fame with his film that he made as a part of his thesis was, "You're a big boy now"(66). He received great adulation it was theatrically released by Warner Bros.

earning him fame as a talented script-writer; critical acclaim also got him the Masters Degree in Fine Arts from UCLA., and he also met George Lucas during its filming. Among his earlier before his Godfather-success were Finian's Rainbow in 1968 & Rain People in 1969, which won him great fame nominated for the Palmewinning the Golden Shell (San Sabestian Film Fest) in 1969 & a Golden Globe for actress Petula. His first brush with world-wide fame was for Patton, the screenplay he co-wrote with Edmund H. North and garnered for him an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in 1970. FFC- Too many to carry, statuettes galore on Oscar Night. The most vesatile among the Top 25 Directors of all time, 4 of his films are listed in the AFI 100 top movies. He also has the unique record of winning the Oscar for Direction, Screenplay,and as producer; sharing this record with Billy Wilder, James L.Brooks, Peter Jackson & the Coen Bros .

He also holds the record of two movies to win the Best Actor in which both refused to accept the statuette- George C. Scott for Patton (1970) and Marlon Brando for The Godfather (1972). Coppola wrote the first and directed the second, respectively. Casting Edit Puzo helped in the making of the movie and its sequels and co-wrote the screenplay. The producers originally wanted Robert Redford to play Michael Corleone, but Coppola demanded Al Pacino . Pacino was not well known at the time, and the studio did not consider him right for the part. Pacino was only granted the role after Coppola threatened to quit the production. The role of Don Vito Corleone was memorably acted by Marlon Brando , who won an Academy Award (which he did not accept) for his portrayal of the ageing Don. Many of the actors playing the supporting roles were largely unknown or minor actors; however, they rocketed into the limelight with the success of The Godfather. Al Pacino and Robert Duvall , in particular, went on to enjoy long, successful, highly acclaimed careers.

Selected cast list Edit "Do you spend time with your family? Good. Because a man that doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man." - Marlon Brando as Don Corleone "Fredo, you're my older brother, and I love you. But don't ever take sides with anyone against the Family again. Ever." Al Pacino as Michael Corleone "I spent my whole life trying not to be careless. Women and children can be careless. But not men." - Marlon Brando as Don Corleone "Leave the gun. Take the cannolis." - Richard S. Castellano as Peter Clemenza "Never let anyone outside the family know what you're thinking." - Marlon Brando as Don Corleone Critical acclaim Robert Duvall (left) and Al Pacino in The Godfather Part I The film is greatly respected among international critics and the public. It was voted greatest film of all time by Entertainment Weekly, and #3 of all time by the American Film Institute . It is consistently, and currently, ranked #2 on IMDB 's Top 250.

Awards Best Writing (adapted screenplay) (Francis Coppola, Mario Puzo) The film was also nominated for eight additional Academy Awards. In addition, it won five Golden Globes , one Grammy, and numerous other awards. The sequel The Godfather Part II also won an Academy Award for Best Picture , making the Godfather trilogy the only series of films to date to win multiple Oscars in this field. It was also the only sequel ever to win an Academy Award, until Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won the Best Picture award in 2003 (imdb.com) The Godfather has been voted Best All-Time Film On Earth , ahead of Pulp Fiction . Revenues Edit The film was an enormous box-office hit, smashing previous records to become the highest-grossing film of all time (until that record was surpassed by Jaws in 1975 , and a number of other movies afterwards). The Godfather was also a great success with audiences. The film made US$5,264,402 in its opening weekend, which was a record at the time.

The film's $134 million total North American gross briefly made it the highest-grossing film of its time. Sequels Edit A sequel, The Godfather Part II , was released in 1974 . It consists of two parallel storylines, with the focus switching between these. The first storyline follows Michael Corleone in the 1950s; the other is a flashback sequence following his father, Vito, from his youth in Sicily up through the founding of the Corleone crime family in New York and the births of Michael and his siblings. This version of Vito is played by different actors at different ages, but the adult Vito is played by Robert De Niro , who won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for a role in which, interestingly, he speaks almost no English-language dialogue. Many critics consider the sequel to be superior to the original film in quality. The Godfather Saga Edit Coppola re-edited the two movies together, in chronological order (adding some previously unseen footage but also toning down the violence ), into one long saga for TV broadcast, entitled The Godfather Saga .

While easier to understand, many consider this version to be less interesting than the original from a structural or artistic standpoint. Both The Godfather and The Godfather Part II have been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry . This is not the case for the third installment. The Godfather Part III Edit In 1990, Coppola released a belated third film, The Godfather Part III . This film was successful financially, but critical and fan response was mixed. However, the movie still received seven Academy Award nominations, among them Best Picture and Best Cinematography . The film is also notable for the key role played by Coppola's daughter, the future Academy Award-winning film-maker Sofia Coppola, who was forced to play Mary Corleone on short notice after Winona Ryder became ill. The movie was set in 1979, and focused on an ageing Michael Corleone. Parts of the film were loosely based on real historical events, including the death of Pope Paul VI , the election of John Paul I , and his subsequent death.

Sofia Coppola who had to play the part of Mary Corleone, when Wynona Ryder reported sick, but rumours of Wynona's date clashes with Edward Scissorhands as the main cause for deserting The Godfather: Part III are well known. Sofia Coppola in the role as Mary Corleone got her the infamous Raspberry Award,presented to an actor's worst acting, but on the news Soffia cooly said, I ain't heartbroken because Acting was never my cup of tea, & later went on to be the 1st American & only the 3rd Lady to be nominated for an Oscar for Direction until Kathryn Bigelow won it in 2009, Sofia went on to win the Oscar for Adapted Screenplay for the movie " Lost in Translation "(2003) & the youngest nominee in the Directing category. Sofia's Oscar win created the record of the Coppola family's 3 generation of winners in Oscar history sharing this title with the famed Huston family. Trivia Edit One of the movie's most shocking moments comes early in the film, involving the decapitated head of a horse.

Animal rights groups protested the inclusion of the scene, but Coppola stated that the horse's head was delivered to him from a dog food company; a horse had not been killed especially for the movie. Film scholars and fans of the Godfather movies note what they believe is the significance of oranges in the films. The fruit plays a symbolic role, fans suggest, as the appearance of an orange in the film indicates an important "death scene" will take place. In the first film, Don Vito Corleone is buying oranges from a fruit seller when he is attacked; oranges are placed on the table at the meeting of the Mafia bosses (and specifically in front of the ones who will be assassinated at the film's climax); and Don Corleone dies while eating an orange, as he plays with his young grandson. In the opening wedding scene, Tessio is conspicuously seen choosing an orange. In The Godfather Part II, Michael Corleone receives an orange from an associate of a group behind an attempt on his life, and later in the movie, is seen eating an orange as he orders the "hit" against his enemies, in preparation for the climax of the film.

In the flashback scenes to Little Italy, Don Fanucchi gets oranges from a street market, and chooses an orange dress from the delivery being driven by the young Vito Corleone. The map of Cuba on Hyman Roth's birthday cake is coloured orange, that night, Michael tries to have him killed. Michael also dies while eating an orange in Sicily at the end of the third film. In the acclaimed TV show "The Sopranos", oranges also take an important role - Tony goes to buy orange juice when the attempt on his life is made. Impact Edit The trilogy had a powerful impact upon the public. Don Vito's line "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse" was voted as the second most memorable line in cinema history in a 2005 poll by the American Film Institute , and it is often parodied. Reports from Mafia trials and confessions have suggested that Mafia families began a "real life" tradition of paying respect to the family don by kissing his ring, in imitation of the opening scene of The Godfather. The image of the Mafia as being a medieval-style organization with a "royal family" doing favors for underlings is very popular.

For example, in John Grisham's novel and film The Firm, the Mafia is depicted as having an organisation wherein the top mobsters marry into the "royal family". However, this image bears little resemblance to the more sordid reality of a Mafia "family", which is depicted in the film Goodfellas . The Home Box Office series The Sopranos pays homage to The Godfather in a humorous episode where they discuss the feasibility of bootlegging copies of the DVD. Paramount returned the favor by including this clip as an Easter Egg on the Godfather DVD Collection. Games Main article: wikipedia:The Godfather: The Game The video game company Electronic Arts is currently working on a video game version of The Godfather. Prior to his death, Marlon Brando provided some voice work for Vito, which was eventually deemed unusable. 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. A board game based on the movie was also produced. The Godfather (1972) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title.

Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son. Director: a list of 25 titles created 17 Mar 2011 a list of 22 titles created 16 Oct 2011 a list of 46 titles created 07 Jun 2012 a list of 24 titles created 19 Jan 2014 a list of 22 titles created 31 Jul 2015 Search for " The Godfather " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Won 3 Oscars. Another 23 wins & 27 nominations.

See more awards » Videos The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York is portrayed while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate. Director: Francis Ford Coppola Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency. Director: Frank Darabont In the midst of trying to legitimize his business dealings in New York and Italy in 1979, aging Mafia don Michael Corleone seeks to avow for his sins while taking a young protégé under his wing. Director: Francis Ford Coppola The lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption. Director: Quentin Tarantino Henry Hill and his friends work their way up through the mob hierarchy. Director: Martin Scorsese When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, the caped crusader must come to terms with one of the greatest psychological tests of his ability to fight injustice.

Director: Christopher Nolan In German-occupied Poland during World War II, Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazi Germans. Director: Steven Spielberg Forrest Gump, while not intelligent, has accidentally been present at many historic moments, but his true love, Jenny Curran, eludes him. Director: Robert Zemeckis An insomniac office worker, looking for a way to change his life, crosses paths with a devil-may-care soap maker, forming an underground fight club that evolves into something much, much more. Director: David Fincher A young F.B.I. cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims. Director: Jonathan Demme Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring. Director: Peter Jackson In Miami in 1980, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug cartel and succumbs to greed.

Director: Brian De Palma Edit Storyline When the aging head of a famous crime family decides to transfer his position to one of his subalterns, a series of unfortunate events start happening to the family, and a war begins between all the well-known families leading to insolence, deportation, murder and revenge, and ends with the favorable successor being finally chosen. Written by J. S. Golden The Godfather is now a movie. See more » Genres: 24 March 1972 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Mario Puzo's The Godfather See more » Filming Locations: $223,758 (USA) (4 April 1997) Gross: Did You Know? Trivia Jerry Van Dyke , Bruce Dern , Steve McQueen , Paul Newman and James Caan auditioned for the role of Tom Hagen. See more » Goofs When Tom is talking to Woltz about putting Johnny into is new film, when they are standing by the door, the right side of Woltz and the left side of Tom are in light, but in a close up the same sides are completely in shadow.

See more » Quotes [first lines] Bonasera : I believe in America. America has made my fortune. And I raised my daughter in the American fashion. I gave her freedom but I taught her never to dishonor her family. She found a "boy friend," not an Italian. She went to the movies with him. She stayed out late. I didn't protest. Two months ago he took her for a drive, with another boy friend. They made her drink whiskey and then they tried to take advantage of her. She resisted. She kept her honor. So they beat her. Like an animal... [...]

Question: Who wrote the novel The Godfather?
Answer: Mario Puzo