The Godfather
Synopsis: The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.
***Flawless
I can tell that I had little to no complaints about this film because I’m usually furiously taking notes about what the movie got wrong from the book. Yes, I jotted down a few notes here and there, but that was mostly because I was nitpicking. There were changes to Johnny Fontane’s backstory. I certainly have no issues with that because the most important aspect of the story we needed to see was the far-reaching power of The Godfather and his willingness to do whatever he can for his family, especially his godson. Obviously, the movie didn’t venture into the story of Lucy Mancini, Sonny’s part-time lover, because she is of no importance. We only care about how the Corleone Family will deal with the striking blow to the head of the family and if they will be able to hold on to their power in the underworld. See…I could go through and call out all the little tidbits that were left out of the movie and the slight changes and tweaks between book and movie, but I know that would be pointless because every needed storyline from the book made it to the movie, and the importance of these storylines were never discounted.
Overall Opinion
I have loved The Godfather film for years! Lucky for me, Francis Ford Coppola cared enough for the story to turn a decent book into a cinematic masterpiece. Even after reading the book, I still LOVE this movie. As a stand alone movie, The Godfather, is an instant classic. With this serving as Coppola’s screenplay, no wonder the movie was such a great translation of the book. Rating: Theater Popcorn with Extra Butter
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