The Godfather (novel)
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Image:Godfather-Novel-Cover.png The Godfather is a 1969 novel written by Mario Puzo. It details the story of a fictitious Italian Mafia family headed by Don Vito Corleone.
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Titling
Godfather (Italian: il padrino) is a term often used to identify the leader of a Mafia group, i.e. the oldest or most representative member of a family.
Main characters and plot
The Godfather referred to in the title is Vito Corleone, whose surname recalls the town of Corleone, Sicily. Similarly, the maiden name of Corleone's mother is Corigliano, named after the town of Corigliano Calabro, Calabria; an area well known for Ndrangheta activity. Vito has four biological children: hothead Santino "Sonny" Corleone, the quiet and haphazard Frederico "Fredo/Freddy", the beautiful Constanzia "Connie" Corleone, and Michele/Michael Corleone. He also has one adoptive son, Tom Hagen who is roughly the same age as Sonny. As explained in the novel, Tom Hagen is a German/Irish orphan who lives on the streets of New York until he becomes friends with Sonny. He is ultimately taken in by the Corleones.
Publishing
Film adaptation
In 1972, a film adaptation of the novel was released, starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Mario Puzo assisted with writing the screenplay and with other production tasks. The film grossed approximately $134 million and won various awards, including three Academy Awards, five Golden Globes and a Grammy. The sequel, The Godfather, Part II won 6 Oscars, and became the first sequel to win the Oscar for Best Picture.
Sequels
In 2004, Random House published a new sequel to the Godfather saga, The Godfather Returns, by Mark Winegardner. A further sequel by Winegardner, The Godfather's Revenge, is currently in the works.
Another Puzo novel featuring Michael Corleone as a minor character, The Sicilian, was published in 1984. The novel was set at the end of Michael's two-year exile in Sicily, and the plot is based on the story of the real-life bandit Salvatore Giuliano.
Games
Template:Main The video game company Electronic Arts released a video game version 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.Template:Ref Al Pacino also did not participate, and his likeness was replaced with a different depiction of Michael Corleone.
A board game based on the movie was also produced.
See also
Sourcing
External links
- Amazon Product Page
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