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Book

Leave the gun, take the cannoli : the epic story of the making of the Godfather

Author

Mark Seal

Call Number

  • 791.4372 G583S (CEN, OSH)

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Edition

First Gallery Books hardcover edition.

Publication Information

New York, NY : Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2021.

Physical Description

xi, 432 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm

Summary

The Godfather: over the years, many versions of various aspects of the movie's fiery creation have been told. Seal sifts through the evidence, has extensive new conversations with director Francis Ford Coppola and several heretofore silent sources, and complements them with colorful interviews with key players. In doing so, he provides insights into how the movie whose success some initially doubted roared to glory. The creators of The Godfather had to contend with the real-life members of its subject matter: the Mob. Location permits were inexplicably revoked; producer Al Ruddy's car was found riddled with bullets. The film saved Paramount Pictures, minted a new generation of movie stars, made author Mario Puzo rich and famous, and sparked a war between the sharks of Hollywood and the highest echelons of the Mob.

Contents

  • Preface: a story as extraordinary as the one told onscreen
  • Prologue: to the mattresses!
  • "I just go out and kill for them"
  • The man in the gutter
  • Hurricane Charlie and the kid
  • The best selling writer in the world
  • The producer: the man who gets things done
  • Coppola: a celestial occurrence
  • The miracle on Mulholland
  • The war over casting the family Corleone
  • The Godfather vs. The Godfather
  • Tableau: each frame a painting
  • Looking for places to kill people
  • Bada bing!
  • "He looked like he could eat raw meat"
  • Dancing on a string
  • "I met him, I married him, and I died"
  • "A baptism in blood"
  • Epilogue: the man who touched magic.

Subjects