The Godfather | 10 HUGE Differences Between Film & Book

There are many differences between The Godfather novel (written by Mario Puzo) and the movie (directed by Francis Ford Coppola), which is what I wanted to discuss today. So, let’s take a look at some of the biggest differences between The Godfather novel and The Godfather film. In this video, I am not going to reference sequels to The Godfather book which were not written by Puzo, such as The Godfather Returns, The Godfather’s Revenge, and The Family Corleone.
The Godfather stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino and Robert Duvall. This video is about the differences between The Godfather book vs The Godfather movie,
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[@MarcColten-us2pl]

The book also explains how Michael comes home. The family pays a man sentenced to sentenced to death to confess to Michael’s murders so his family can survive

[@jaswerner419]

Bocchi. Felix... family 6th family in garbage 🗑️ collection

[@eeshwargrewal]

There was a whole other book about how they sacrifice the guy who thinks he is coming with michael to the us.

[@andrewcampbell3314]

Oh look at jimmy two times here moving up in the world....... 😂

[@Old-ded-memes]

I’m someone who saw the movie before reading the book. I feel like they both work well together. The movie adds a “feel” to the book and the book gives a grittier insight and backstory to the movie. They compliment each other really well

[@GiftSparks]

I think the book has some really weak parts. One of the things that shows how Coppola is a brilliant screen writer is that he was able to cross out ALL the weak parts of the book (e.g. Lucy Mancini story line and the California storyline).

[@soundshape6496]

@@GiftSparks what’s the Cali storyline? Shame on me I haven’t read the book yet and I’ve seen the movie 100x. I want to read the book though so if Cali storyline got a possible story point that could lead to some spoilery shit, just leave that out lol. Why think the Cali part weak?

[@GiftSparks]

@@soundshape6496 The California Storyline involves Johnny Fontaine and a friend of his from the old neighborhood. It was completely dropped in the movie. The only real appearance of Johnny is at the start and end of the movie-- and that is s good thing. But it was just an excuse to have sex in the book.

[@soundshape6496]

@@GiftSparks oh alright. Yeah the Fontaine movie storyline is taken from real life Hollywood.

[@GiftSparks]

@@soundshape6496 Right, it is loosely based on Frank Sinatra.

[@Hibernicus1968]

I'm surprised you left out the biggest difference of all: the ultimate fate of Michael Corleone. Perhaps it is omitted because it's left for part 2, rather than being in The Godfather. But at the end of the Godfather Part 2, we see MIchael has become so completely cold and ruthless he's alienated everyone around him. Kay has left him, he's pushed Tom Hagen away, and the final scene of the movie shows Michael completely alone, looking out over the lake from his house in Nevada. It's a tragic story of a man who beat all his enemies, but still managed to lose everything. The end of the book is quite different: Kay converts to Catholicism, and led by Mama Corleone's example, she attends mass every day to pray for the soul of her husband, whom she still loves, and to whom she remains steadfastly loyal. In the book, unlike the movie, Kay _accepts_ the things Michael has to do to protect the family and keep it strong, and she prays to God to forgive him because she know what he does is sinful, but she sees him as having to do it to survive in a sinful world. Kay supports him, _and_ there's no sense in the book that Michael has lost his humanity. Michael simply takes over from Vito, and he seems to be shaping up to be just the kind of man Vito was: a kind of feudal lord who has a domain to protect, complete with vassals who serve him, and are loyal to him, and who is the strongest in his world because he's smarter than his enemies, and ruthless when he has to be, but still human enough to keep the loyalty and devotion of his followers. Michael in the book doesn't have the tragic fate he has in the movie.

[@jasonblalock4429]

Which is one of the big reasons I think the movies are better than the book. Michael has a much stronger arc and deeper character. Also, seeing your summary made it occur to me: Michael's downfall is almost exactly the same as Scarlett O'Hara. I doubt that was intentional, but it's an interesting parallel given how ostensibly different the two stories are.

[@matthewschwartz6607]

Does he still kill people in the book?

[@matheus31218]

@@worldlfree Your brain is dead, Michael is a murderer and a thief, he is a crime lord, he and his family deserved much worse. And Kay in the movie literally saved her sons from the mafia life

[@187btokes]

@@worldlfree bro calm down nobody cares if your GF cheated on you

[@HoldenNY22]

I took a Course in Classic LIterature at a Stte Univeristy in the late 1970's. One of my Professors was I believe an Authority on both Homer and Dante's Divine Comedy. In the end of Godfather Part 2- He says that Michael Corleone is literally (well almost literally) in Hell por the Hell he made. I think he said in Italian Culture if you lose your Family- your in Hell. With all those leaves swirling around him at the End of Godfatehr Part 2 with a real coldness around him and him alll by himself- I think what the Professor said is true.

[@darkstar92772]

There was practically a whole chapter dedicated to how well endowed Sonny was.

[@isobelswan]

A d his mistress having an unfortunate undercarriag. Yuk.

[@westyraviz]

Strange man, that Mario Puzo…

[@tbdonnelly67]

The ladies of the evening charged him double when they saw it!

[@isobelswan]

@@westyraviz it was Coppola who shined the rough diamond.

[@shanemac1646]

That’s to make an excuse for his philandering. “It’s not his fault he bangs all these ladies! He’s Johnson is too big!!”

[@tbdonnelly67]

I recall in the book that Luca Brasi had no fear of any man but he CHOSE to fear Don Corleone and that was where his loyalty came from. In effect, the Don saved Luca's life after the murder of the Irish girl he impregnated. Luca was prepared to commit suicide rather than go to prison. I believe his loyalty is what got him killed. Sollozo and Tattaglia did not believe Luca would ever betray Don Coleone and were ready to kill him at that meeting in the hotel bar.

[@Speaker12311]

He was also said to be the only man that intimidated Vito.

[@aliensoup2420]

In effect, Vito handed Luca to his enemies on a silver plater. Did he really think his enemies were that stupid?

[@tagoldich]

Yes, as I recall, the ONE thing Luca feared was to be killed by his Don, Don Vito Corleone.

[@sidhu139]

tbdonnelly67 The name is Tattaglia, not Battaglia.

[@tbdonnelly67]

@@sidhu139 thanks for pointing that out! I hope you’ll forgive a small typo, my friend! Ha ha! 🤣😉

[@sebastiantrias1529]

The movie should have expanded more on Luca Brasi, showing how terrifying he can be.

[@westyraviz]

The movie wasn’t about him though.

[@ironloins]

Agreed

[@ironloins]

@@westyraviz he was very important in the book...an extended role in movie wouldve been cool tho

[@kevinsamuels3140]

Need to throw modern women in the furnace.🔥😂

[@westyraviz]

@@ironloins The run time would have been ridiculous. It would have ended up on the cutting room floor anyway. Maybe a separate movie about his backstory? But he’d come off as a most unsympathetic figure with the having his newborn incinerated, etc.

[@LouieOcean2]

Mario Puzo said if he knew how popular the movie was ganna be he would if wrote a better book

[@daviddanielsson3643]

Yeah, I was a big fan of the movies and the book as a teenager (in my thirties now) and read the book several times. And it's not an understatement to say that Lucy Mancini's vagina problems are a large subplot in the book. As I remember it she even goes to have it surgically corrected and sleeps with the surgeon to "try it out". Remember thinking: "Why am I reading about this?"

[@outlawmick]

Her fiance was the doctor who "tried it out" but the surgeon who performed the procedure was her fiancés colleague

[@daviddanielsson3643]

@@outlawmick Thank you for correcting me, it's been a few years since I read it. :)

[@kennethfharkin]

I know, I was dumbfounded and couldn't believe the book was wasting time with this nonsense.

[@mphrdldn]

I will say that it did show how a woman from an "old fashioned" culture that was ignorant and uncaring of female sexual issues would suffer in silence. There are additional and common problems related to a subpar abdominal floor I just don't know why that much of the book was devoted to it. I felt like I could perform the surgery as a result of reading the book! I did like following the character's growth after Sonny's death when the Corleones moved her to one of their hotels in Las Vegas.

[@jboy55]

I listened to an Audible of it, and was in a place I couldn't get to my phone to skip ahead and had to listen to the details on how the surgery actually works. I kept yelling, "when will this end? How much more can he write about this shit?'

[@BrianRP1209]

There was a family in the book - Bocciccio, I think - who would offer there services as hostages if any family called a meeting with any other. So, when Vito called all the Five Families together, each family would keep a hostage from the Bocciccio family. If something happened, say, to Tatagglia at the meeting, his family would kill their hostage - and then the Bocciccios would take revenge on the Corleones. Also, someone from this family who was already in prison or on death row was persuaded to confess to the murders that Michael had committed, so Michael could come home from Sicily.

[@user-qj3rp3wl2r]

that family was crucial so ichael could come back from italy

[@blaisemacpherson7637]

That was so weird I remember that

[@jarlborg1531]

I liked the books backstory about Vito convincing an already condemned guy to confess to killing Sollozo and McClusky so Michael would be completely cleared.

[@kevinbergin9971]

Now, that I did not know. Did it clear him though?

[@MillennialGrandma]

@@kevinbergin9971 Yes, it did.

[@jarlborg1531]

@@kevinbergin9971 Yep! He makes a full confession from death row, Vito takes care of his family, and Michael is safe to return to America. Genius.

[@kevinbergin9971]

@@jarlborg1531Sounds good for Michael but it also sounds like sloppy writing. Was it better than that when you read it?

[@jarlborg1531]

@@kevinbergin9971 I can't do it justice in a youtube comment but the story of Felix Bocchiccchio of the infamously vengeful Bocchiccchio clan, rejecting the mafia lifestyle to live as a civilian, before gunning down his crooked business partners and proving himself 'to be of the Bocchiccchio clan after all', would probably merit a movie all by itself. And it's only about three pages in the book!

[@Ivo_Serra]

One of the most significant differences, in my opinion is that in the book, Vito actually had planned Michael to be his successor, but Michael disappointed him by going into a more regular way of life. In the 1st movie, we get the ideia that Vito was actually proud that Michael was never interested in that life and we see him say that in their last conversation, were he says he wished Michael to become a legitimate leader, of some kind.

[@mphrdldn]

Going into a more regular way of life helped Michael later on. Rather than taking the Fifth, Michael included serving in the Marines in the South Pacific during WWII with distinction in his testimony before the Senate investigative committee.

[@failuretocommunicate]

Excellent qualitative analysis, thank you. Puzo has said that the published book was a first draft. Johnny Fontaine's wife in the book is thought to be modeled on Ava Gardner, and his war movie is ostensibly "From Here To Eternity." The subplots with Jules, Lucy, and Nino were intended to show how the families got started in Vegas. The son-in-law Carlo's operation of a book in NYC is central to this. Gambling was one of the Corleone's primary revenue sources and the opening of Nevada was a natural extension.

[@SIKE01]

the still photo of DON MICHAEL with a shotgun, should have been him exacting his revenge personally against FABRIZIO.

[@josephgillespie571]

The book goes a little into Sonny's back story and how he witnessed Vito shoot Fanucci. That would have been a nice addition to the Vito scenes in 2

[@thomaschristopher8593]

it's been 50 years since i read the book and saw the movie, but i remember that the book was more like a pulp novel (the kind the drugstore sells) and the movie was more like a work of art.

[@Frankie5Angels150]

Then you didn’t get the book. Puzo filled in the gaps in the novel as they shot Godfather Part I. It is meant as a companion to the movie, not a novel adapted for film. Both are brilliant.

[@kevinbergin9971]

If you could read my mind ....

[@RobBCactive]

I agree, I was very disappointed with the novels; the film is far superior. The crap about Sonny & the slack woman was pointlessly trashy, not adding anything to the key story about intrigue.

[@mattankrum9774]

It's been 30 years since I read the novel, but as I recall, Sonny's death was simpler(just 3 guys with pistols) yet oddly more brutal. In the film Coppola went for a Bonny and Clyde style death.

[@bangslamwham88]

I saw a video where former Mafia boss Michael Franzese explains that the way Sonny is killed in the movie is overkill. Too much manpower and weapons for a single guy, a waste of resources for a hit.

[@allanspence1347]

In the book they kick him in the face too.

[@HiveFleetUlfang1]

​@@bangslamwham88probably sends a powerful message. We'll go to this much trouble for one of you. You don't stand a chance.

[@user-my6ss4mz4l]

If they were taking out a guy like Sonny it had to be foolproof to make for damn sure he was killed. Hence the reason for the overkill.

[@sergiolobato1798]

In the book, it describes Fredo as a large hulking character, larger than Sonny even.

[@NelsonStJames]

I think Godfather the film is one of those excellent examples of knowing what to exclude from an adaptation. At 175 minutes the Godfather to me at least has never come across as feeling like the long film that it is; rather I think it moves pretty fast. There are excluded scenes that I wish had not been edited out that build on the characters, but as for characters like Neri and Brassi, I think knowing that people have backstories that are only hinted at makes for a better film overall, unlike most modern films today where you are told EVERYTHING, and if it's a prequel, anything mentioned in passing in the previous film is certain to be shown and most often ends up being disappointing when held up to what ones imagination had envisioned.

[@paramounttechnicalconsulti5219]

Just read the book for the first time. Another useful thing in the book that would have helped in the movie was Mama Corleone. She actually only has a handful of scenes/lines in the book; as opposed to none in the movie beyond waving her hands and saying something Italian-ish at diner. I thought her lines in the book (mostly to Kay) really rounded things out; giving a much better insight into Vito and his motives.

[@NiteMoves2010]

and the difference in Kay coming into the city and Mama telling her to come visit "me", not Michael, ...such a motherly thing to do...knowing her son has been back 6 months and not been seeing another woman...

[@mphrdldn]

The book described Kay joining her mother-in-law at daily morning mass and also reveals why.

[@blaisemacpherson7637]

YES!! And Kay's full on convert energy at the end. I loved that. I always love 'fish out of water' or 'going native' stories so I live how kay is a well bred american aristocracy who marries a math major who turns out, just so turns out to also be an Italian mob boss and then she becomes the perfect mob wife and... goes to Mass ever day

[@paramounttechnicalconsulti5219]

@@blaisemacpherson7637 Yup! Actually mentioned exactly what you said someplace else. Few lines, but (not exact quote) "Men do foolish things, and the women pray for them". explained everything. Also, a great contrast to Vito's ~ "Women worry about children and childish things; the men must to the hard work"

[@blaisemacpherson7637]

@@paramounttechnicalconsulti5219 well... Specifically I like that Kay was not in any sense of that culture but she totally became of that culture. She changed religions, she socialized with the other mob wives, she was the one who wanted Michael to be the godfather. Think about that. The movie is called the godfather and it was kay who said "Michael, Connie wants you to be godfather". But in the book it was a confirmation godfather not a baptismal godfather.

[@danmcn61]

I've always wanted to hear more about Vito's early life in Sicily. Vito was the "Fredo" of the Andolini family while his older brother Paulo was the "Santino" until he was shot at a young age. Antonio Andolini was referred to as a real tough guy in SIcily so I'm sure his story was very interesting.

[@paulsacks3081]

That would make a great miniseries actually similar to the thing and it's prequel ending,the ending of the series could be the start of godfather 2 with vitos father brother and mother dying

[@essaboselin5252]

One of the biggest changes was with Kay. In the book, she stayed with Michael, converted to Catholicism and went with her mother-in-law to church everyday to pray for the souls of the men in the family. In the movies, she left Michael and had the abortion. Her character's arc was completely different.

[@tknudcarter]

I think they are both masterpieces but one thing I liked in the book was what Tom Hagen was thinking as he negotiated with Jack Woltz for example. Tom kept thinking Woltz was not very smart and thought the Don should get into the movie business if guys like Woltz can succeed.

[@mphrdldn]

I remember. Tom was shocked that Woltz was that upset about Johnny taking his protege away from him. A Sicilian would not make that mistake.

[@lindanicholson950]

It is a good thing about books. They tell you what the characters are thinking.

[@tourbillon9617]

Besides Fredo becoming a disloyal member of the Corleone family. There is also Kay who shows an irreproachable loyalty to Michael and his family in the book and turns her back on them in Godfather Part II. I actually think Coppola likes the idea that Women's Lib would hit the Corleone family in a way that Mario Puzo would never had dreamed of when he wrote the novel.

[@Torgo1969]

I have seen the first 2 films many times, but I don't remember what exactly turned Kay away from Michael. What did he do?

[@ChoseDeath]

@Torgo1969 I can't recall either. I don't remember if it's just his general coldness or if it's a specific argument they had. Good excuse for me to watch them again, because it has been years!

[@gloriamercedes1884]

@@Torgo1969 Heavy spoilers: At the start of the movie, Kay reminds Michael that he promised to turn legit but hasn't. Later they have the assassination attempt which of course would push her distaste of the general situation because Michael wants revenge and she now knows that he will never be able to stop, he will never be a legit man. She was pregnant and decides to get an abortion, which for Michael is horrible and they end up getting a divorce.

[@Torgo1969]

@@gloriamercedes1884 Thank you. Good points.

[@colechillen7700]

I love that you reference the book to fill in the spaces that the movie leaves out. If y'all haven't read the book, do it. You won't be disappointed. I'd love another video about this.

[@darryldonnelly5363]

The book is amazing

[@saintgore1004]

Only thing I could do without in the book is the whole wide set Vagina plot

[@JangianTV]

@ceejay1006 A bookshop.

[@alexandermacdougall7873]

@Ceejay they do exist. I googled it on my phone 🤣

[@alexandermacdougall7873]

@Ceejay I have my moments. Not many,but I have them😁

[@ra-ge]

Everybody who likes the film should read the book,if he want to learn the back story of most characters. I liked the book a lot.

[@aliensoup2420]

I had to watch the movie numerous times to understand all the subtle relationships and motivations, and even the plot. It's a dense story with complex social structure and psychology.

[@stevesandwichproductions1043]

The movie had that beautiful scene when Michael went to New Hampshire and begged Kay to marry him and she was hesitant. In the book Kay called Mama Corleone to ask if she heard anything from Michael lately. Mama was surprised because he had been home for a year. He lived in Little Italy but ate dinner with the family every night. She invites Kay to dinner and Michael is reticent - the complete opposite from the movie. I think the scene written for the movie was much better.

[@FIREBRAND38]

I think that the Christening Scene is one of the greatest moments in cinema history. Despite that, the book went into greater detail on what happened on the day that Michael "settled all Family Business". In the book we find out on that day, only Tataglia, Barzini and Fabrizio were killed while Rocco Lampone's "secret regime" came out of hiding, hit the streets and violently threw out the numbers bankers and bookmakers off of what was originally Corleone territory. Moe Greene had already been killed in Vegas by Al Neary performing what I believe was his first "service" for Michael long before the big move. Then this change was compounded by the accusation in Godfather II that Corleone had ordered the deaths of the heads of the 5 Families when, once again, the book had only the heads of the Barzini and Tataglia Families being killed on Michael's orders. Like I said, though, the way -Puzo- *Coppola* (thanks Ann Williams!) filmed and edited that scene was brilliant and I can't imagine it succeeding any other way.

[@jaswerner419]

Good 👉 point can't add much to what you explained .. they reclaimed much turf back that the policy . numbers etc that Tessio was complaining ABOUT...it's. How they smoked him out..last few chapters were great 👍

[@annwilliams6438]

Hmm. Puzo did not film and edit the movie…

[@FIREBRAND38]

@@annwilliams6438 You're absolutely right. Coppola! Thanks for the correction.

[@unknowable1968]

In the book, Moe green is not killed in Vegas. If I remember the set up correctly the meeting in Vegas with Michael is perty much the same. In the book his death is revealed in a radio broadcast in one of the chapters that takes place in California. The broadcast says Moe Green was shot to death in his Hollywood hills home. If this sounds familiar it should because In real life Bugysy Segal, the character moe Green was based on, got shot to death in his Hollywood hills home. In the book this event takes place weeks if not a month before the heads of the other families are killed.

[@FIREBRAND38]

@@unknowable1968 I just double checked and there was no radio broadcast. There was a funeral for a tertiary character of Nino Valenti who wasn't in the movie. Al Neri was sent to Califronia for the funeral. Two days later (the novel says) Moe was found shot to death in the Beverly Hills home of his movie star mistress.

[@bobpourri9647]

I have read that Lenny Montana was cast in the movie as Luca Brasi by the powers-that-be because he looked so perfect for the part. But Montana (a former pro wrestler and real-life mob heavy) was no actor. It is hard to see the movie Luca as the cunning brute of the book Luca.

[@kubrickfilmfan7340]

I've often wished the first two films had gone into detail about Genco being Vito's right hand during the 1910s and 1920s. In the first film we basically get one line from Sonny: "Pop had Genco, and look what I got." In the second film we see young Vito getting booted out of a job at the little mom-and-pop grocery store owned by Genco's father, then later we see Vito and Genco opening their olive oil import business. The book, if I'm remembering correctly, has a sequence where Vito visits Genco, who is on his deathbed in the hospital, after Connie's wedding, and they discuss old times.

[@nyyanks4]

The scene of Vito visiting Genco in the hospital after the wedding was filmed and is in The Godfather Saga.

[@cdub828]

That's a cut scene in Godfather one

[@jpmnky]

The Godfather II deleted scenes really ties together a lot of plot holes. Wish they’d be included in future editions.

[@Frankie5Angels150]

The Godfather Saga did that. It was only shown once on TV, then never again.

[@rafaelfiallo4123]

@@Frankie5Angels150 It's been shown on and off here and there. Showtime had it on a few years ago, but it's pretty rare.

[@maxxdahl6062]

@@rafaelfiallo4123 I think it had a VHS and a laserdisc release.

[@sponk2112]

In the book, Fredo was smaht, not dumb like everybody says, and he wanted respect. Also, he was only nailing cocktail waitresses one at a time.

[@BitcoinMotorist]

As I was reading the book, the only person I could imagine as the surgeon character was Jake Busey

[@ruffdisco8412]

dear cineranter, getting more in depth with your analysis, much appreciated on my end subbed at last lol , merry xmas

[@TravelsChases]

Well done ! IMO the most thrilling part of the book was from the vantage point of the undertaker being summited to fulfill the favor he owed. Indeed , like you mentioned we as readers are not aware of Sonny's death yet and the undertaker is fearful about being mixed up in the Don's illegal activities .

[@mphrdldn]

I enjoyed that part. too. The undertaker was described as a consummate, if nervous, professional. Another part I enjoyed that the chapter from Captain McClusky's vantage point revealing why he was so angry at Michael that he hit him. It also described his relationship with the Tataglias and the graft and how relatives embraced them when he and his wife visited Ireland.

[@scoobydan1585]

It should be noted that Hagen actually had asked Michael could tessieo be spared . So when he answered “can’t do it” he really meant it

[@drbigmdftnu]

Another HUGE difference ... In the book, Michael does NOT kill the heads of all 5 families. Barzini and Tattaglia are killed, as is Carlo, Tessio, and Fabrizio. But the other families are not affected.

[@Hibernicus1968]

It really makes more sense that way. I get that the movie had all the heads of the five families get whacked for dramatic effect, and it certainly makes a more compelling scene, but strategically, it seems unwise. It needlessly makes enemies of the Cuneo and Stracci families, when they weren't necessarily antagonistic to the Corleones, they had just been more or less going along with Barzini and Tattaglia as they had appeared to get the upper hand, and they were anxious to avoid prolonging the war. By killing the dons of the Cuneo and Stracci families, Michael would turn those families into enemies. He only _needs_ to take out Barzini and Tattaglia, gaining his revenge, and decapitating their families to restore the Corleone's power, after which Cuneo and Stracci would presumably go along with things to avoid further war, and accept Michael's victory.

[@Frankie5Angels150]

@@Hibernicus1968 Judging by your name, you are not Sicilian. Read the book “The Sicilian” by Mario Puzo and you MIGHT (heavy emphasis there) begin to understand the concept of treachery that is in the Sicilian blood. No Italian, much less a Sicilian, would say anything other than that the five family heads had to die. They were complicit in Barzini’s plan with their silence. Remember in Sicily that Don Cicio demanded the death of little Vito because “one day he will become a man seeking his vengeance.” He failed and he died decades later.

[@Hibernicus1968]

@@Frankie5Angels150 No Italian, much less a Sicilian, would say anything other than that the five family heads had to die huh? Then explain why, in the book, Italian-American author Mario Puzo does _not_ have Michael kill all the heads of the five famlies, just Barzini and Tattaglia (and Moe Greene out in Vegas, as well as Fabrizio, the treacherous bodyguard who blew up Michael's wife). Also, please explain how Sollozzo's plan was _ever_ going to work. Once he killed Vito, according to your logic, there could be no rest until Vito's murder was avenged. Any other course is unacceptable. But in both the book and the movie, Sonny, who clearly wants there to be no rest until the attempt on Vito's life is avenged, is repeatedly portrayed as a hothead, and repeatedly told that he may very well have to accept a peace with Sollozzo, Barzini, and Tattaglia, because Sollozzo's attempt on Vito was business, not personal. Clearly Sollozzo expected killing Vito to make it necessary for Sonny to make peace with him and accept his deal, because he expected the other families to back him, rather than allow a war to take place -- yet by your logic, that plan could never, ever work, and what's more, _they all should have known it would never work,_, because they were all Italian, and no Italian would _ever_ tolerate not avenging an injury. The case of Don Ciccio is not a good parallel, because in that case, Don Ciccio was unwilling to let _a boy he had _*_directly_*_ injured, by murdering both his father (and then also his mother)_ grow to manhood, because he knew a fully grown Vito would seek revenge for that injury someday (which he did). But Cuneo and Stracci have not done the Corleones anywhere even remotely so serious an injury. In fact they haven't directly injured the Corleones _at all_ They just sat on the sidelines while Barzini and Tattaglia went to war with the Corleones, and, in order to end the war so everyone could get back to business, they showed a tacit willingness to support Barzini as the new big boss, the most powerful of the heads of the five families, when it looked as though he had increased his power at the expense of the Corleones. That is _nowhere near_ the same level of injury as Don Ciccio murdering Vito's parents. Not remotely.

[@Frankie5Angels150]

@@Hibernicus1968 Do ya feel better now Patty?

[@Hibernicus1968]

@@Frankie5Angels150 Yeah, actually I feel pretty damn good.

[@jasonmgomez]

found the book (first edition with a torn up cover) at a garage sale for .50 cents. I noticed the book is all of the first movie plus some of the first half of the second. What i really enjoyed was the backstory of Don Corleone ( his youthful years and rise to power).

[@ightholmes]

One MAJOR difference I noticed is that the book has words that you have to read, and the movie you can watch

[@NothingEverywhereNow]

I noticed the same thing.

[@JunkCCCP]

This is true though there are subtitles in the movie at certain points, which makes it sort of like a book, and if you have a good imagination then you see images in your head as you read, similar to watching the images of the movie

[@joemckim1183]

OmG, seriously storyline alert Dude. 😉🏆😁

[@Mookocinno]

this feels like a norm macdonald joke lol

[@eddiesoto2677]

Ugh Words words words

[@anthonygagan4398]

Great job, hope there is a part 2

[@amandeepv]

Yes back in 1991 I saw that image with Pacino holding the double barrel shot gun on a VHS cassette of The Godfather but never saw it in any extended version, always wondered what scene that was.

[@wolfy9549]

5:32 He’s actually in the third movie, seen when Michael returns to Sicily

[@theunknowns44]

Yes, I would like to see another video detailing the remaining differences between the book and the movie - interesting stuff.

[@Hasoniparker]

wow bro .100 k soon. congrats man ,you deserve it

[@CineRanter]

Thank you

[@outlawmick]

For me Dr.Jules really carried the Lucy/Vegas chapters and they should have included the Fabrizio hit exactly as it was in the book (him saying it was the other employee with the tattoo)

[@Paul-vf2wl]

I agree the Dr Jules character brings the whole thing together

[@DogeickBateman]

Jules and Nino Valenti were sadly missing in the films

[@MsLogjam]

I liked the medical rant Jules went on when he was trying to make Johnny understand how serious Nino's condition was. He sounded like Dr. Cox on 'Scrubs.'

[@ryankennedy161]

The Dr Jules part is so boring

[@lawrencelewis2592]

That whole bit about Dr Jules and Lucy's vagina is a lot of filler. They add nothing to the story. You can skip thise parts.

[@andojo4747]

Could be wrong as i read the book a while ago but I believe at the end of the book, the only Dons Michael has killed are Tattaglia and Barzini as opposed to all of the heads of the families as the movie shows. I think the movie made the right decision to have Michael kill all the bosses rather than just two as it is more dramatic and sets Michael's character up for the following film where he is even more ruthless. Just my opinion though 😄

[@1805movie]

There's also the part about Michael's jaw being broken after getting punched in the face by the cop . He had spinous problems, and his face was misshapen until he left Sicily, and married Kay.

[@user-lr4sg2ms7i]

I saw the movie first upon its release, the first weekend it was shown. I liked it so much I read the book. As much as i liked the film, still viewing it from time to time, I liked the book even more because of the back stories & continued stories of some of the characters.

[@johnbakker4828]

Interesting video CR, I've never read the book, guess I need to check it out. By the way, I see you're closing in on 100k subscribers. Good job my man, well deserved!

[@CineRanter]

Thank you

[@steves1015]

Do it. You won't regret it. As said in the video, a lot of it is like in the movie, but some of the extra bits are worth the read, especially some of the thoughts behind the plotting aspects towards the end.

[@BruceMichaelFilms]

I’ve never read the book, so that whole Mancini portion was like WHAT?

[@brentsmith5604]

I had a bit of a giggle when the subtitles of the video used the word "coppolates." at 2:00

[@daveestrada1997]

Quite informative. Thank you.

[@tsiqueido]

I always thought the "reinvention" of Kay Adams' character was a bit interesting. In the novel, she's really not the "naive flower" that's portrayed in the film. For the most part, she is fully aware of who Michael's family is. There's even the part where she and her father are questioned at her parents home about the Solozzo/McCluskey murders, and Michael's whereabouts. And she also realized (more or less) that Michael actually committed the murders when Mama Corleone basically tells her to "forget about Michael" when she visits the Corleone home to deliver a letter to Michael (which Mama Corleone accepts to Tom Hagen's objection). 👍

[@PyroGothNerd]

She also stuck with Michael instead of dumping hi.

[@timothykozlowski3346]

Didn't she also know about Michael marrying Apollonia

[@PtolemyAtheling]

The film Vito was more likable, in small ways but the one change I liked is that the film Vito clearly loves cats and has no dislike for animals, where the book version openly admits to disliking animals to the lanlord.

[@zeemulamusic]

😂😂😂

[@libertatemadvocatus1797]

He said that to the landlord as a way to win him over. Remember that immediately after he says, "Of course, the dog stays" just like he does in the second movie.

[@jenniferferrara4718]

@@libertatemadvocatus1797 Yes, Vito tells the landlord, "I dislike animals myself," while he is trying to persuade the truculent LL to allow his wife's friend to remain in her apartment. But after the LL discovers who Vito really is, the terrified man tells Vito that of course she can keep her dog.

[@user-ic4oh4lt5r]

U r girly type.

[@PtolemyAtheling]

@@user-ic4oh4lt5r *you are

[@SB-yp8vp]

I remember an entire portion of the book that covered a young Sunny during an earlier war. They were once talking about doing another movie covering this period with Leonardo DiCaprio doing Sunny.

[@octavioaraujo1674]

I read the book during the plandemic, it is fascinating!

[@kingjus1647]

Great Video! Please do a second video! I love your Godfather overviews!

[@mandolindleyroadshow706]

The first rough cut of the film did follow the book's structure. Vito arriving at the undertaker, then we see Sonny's death. Coppola saw it didn't work, and re-cut the film in a more linear way. It's also interesting how Coppola interpreted Sonny's death scene. In the book, he is killed at the tollbooth with handguns. Coppola made them machine guns after being inspired by the ending of Bonnie and Clyde.

[@anthrocoon]

Ok this explains (the Brasi tossing the newborn into the fire) the moment early in the book where Michael tells Kay there's a shocking story about Luca that Tom will not tell him. "I asked him when can you tell me? He said..'when you're 100'."

[@anthonycarrera7891]

It’s even more interesting because he did it because he didn’t want to bring another him into the world. Even Luca Brasi knows how awful Luca Brasi is.

[@Jay_76]

I would like to see a Part 2 video. Hopefully in Part 2 you explain the differences between Michael and Kay's relationship in the book and films. As well as what happened to Tom Hagen in the novel compared to the movies. I would also like you to go into more detail about Connie in both novel and films. Plus, if there's time for it, go into greater detail about the similarities between Johnny Fontaine and Nino Valenti, and Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

[@jel517]

As another commenter mentioned, more on Luca Brasi. If only the part where the only person Luca feared was the godfather, and the only person the godfather feared was Luca, and they both didn't know that of each other

[@dr.2335]

Excuse me, Cineranter. I love you. Keep up the great work. I don’t celebrate Christmas but if you do, merry Christmas. Chen dannay.

[@dimitrioskladitis5211]

In the book there are the last words of Vito. '' Life is beautiful'' The most important message of the book.

[@marciamusiak7666]

my very favorite movies, Godfather one and two, best movies ever made. I have seen them both a hundred times. Godfather 3 I saw once that was enough.

[@michaelfontanelli2450]

Sad but true. 😢

[@dc6461]

Vast majority of the people, maniacs that they are, don't like gf3 bc of Michael and Kay. Michael from gf3 is Michael at the end of gf2

[@michaelcorreira8125]

Personally, for me, in THE GODFATHER III, the sight of his flat-top hair with highlights was not conducive to the idea, "It is better to be feared". He looked like a middle aged woman at an AA meeting. Just saying. LOL

[@dc6461]

@@michaelcorreira8125 Did Michael want to be feared in gf3?

[@TheArchersTungsten]

The movie says more with less . You don’t need the whole court scene in the beginning of the book to explain why the guy wants revenge for his daughter . It took a few sentences to understand exactly what happened in the movie .

[@anthrocoon]

The Audible audiobook of Godfather is interesting in that it's multivoice--a narrator plus a full cast reading lines as if it were a play or film. I think that version may have been recorded long ago for audiocassette.

[@saintgreen8682]

I've been thinking of this very subject every time I watch one of your videos. Or the film for that matter. I've read not only all things godfather, but all things puzo as well. Excellent video. Well done

[@muniekfistaszek6997]

The book does not actually end at the same moment as the first movie does. It includes also Tom's visit to Key to bring her back to the family, after she left when realised who Michael become. It reminds somehow Tom's visit to Frank Pentangeli. Having said that, I like the movie's ending much better.

[@mphrdldn]

Agreed. When I saw the film with friends in the theater in March 1972, we had read the book. The film had just been released so we had no idea that the movie's ending would deviate from the book. We were blown away by that ending. The book ends with Kay attending Mass every morning with her mother in law. The book revealed that she lit a candle for Michael's soul.

[@raleighsanford5111]

I was a little surprised how smutty the book was. Luca Brasi and All Neari have much bigger back stories in the book, but a movie doesn't have time for that. It does change the way I view the movie though. Fredo is the biggest difference & the only place where the movie takes away from the book. I read the book last year because I love the 1st 2 movies and I pictured all the actors as I read the book, except for Johnny Fontane, and in my head I pictured Frank Sinatra. I struggled to reconcile the 2 Freddos though.

[@TaDarling1]

Loved Godfather I and II. This was an insightful video. It was enough to make me buy the book on Amazon.

[@bikefixer]

There is also a difference in the killing of Sonny on the causeway. In the book the scene takes place at night, and it is never mentioned that the guns used were machine guns. Without a description, it is best assumed Sonny was killed by pistols.

[@user-my6ss4mz4l]

Yeah, and at least how the book mentions, it happened in closer quarters.

[@Stiglr]

I would have liked to have seen the "animals" that ruined Bonasera's daughter get theirs. The book describes the beatings and maimings in brutal detail. And it was, of course, great character development to show how horrible the Corleones were, even as you're seduced by the suave Don Vito, the smooth Tom Hagen, etc.

[@rodrigosantoscienceros]

Is it like what's shown in video game where they have a mock execution or do they just beat shit out of them in public?

[@arturotroncoso3484]

​@rodrigoc4271 no the two boys were basically beaten to jelly in the books. They had to get reconstruction surgery after the beating.

[@bobwilliams899]

Definitely more info is needed

[@jaimerosado3896]

This concerns the sequel. In the movie, Vito, whose original surname is Andolini, is given the name Corleone by the INS. However, in the book Vito changed his surname to Corleone himself, to honor his hometown.

[@anthonyc1629]

Fabrizio could've offered Michael soft drinks of choice and it still wouldn't have saved him.

[@dc6461]

That is bc Fabricio was murdered for the safety of his family not vengeance for semiliteral goldigger .

[@jamesscarano7843]

Fabrizio never had the makings of a varsity athlete.

[@BrewsBrothersCT]

I saw the movie first…i was surprised that in the book the Corleone revenge was mainly concentrated on The tataglia and barzini families. No one in the Stracci and Cuneo families were killed. Along with the bosses it seems several other tataglia and barzini capos and associates were killed

[@haleywalkuski8970]

Although it would have made the movie a lot more crowded, I would have loved to see a Jules Segal cameo! His character in the book was a nice addition.

[@marcofreitas3844]

Very good analysis.

[@TheKulu42]

One of my favorite scenes in the book is when Don Corleone tells Michael how to manage a killer like Luca Brasi. You have to become the one man he doesn't want to kill, the Don tells his son.

[@drbigmdftnu]

Excellent video. To anyone who hasn't read the book....it's definitely worth it. Read it. Then read it again.

[@nrkgalt]

I believe the horse’s head was above the covers of the bed in the book. It was under the covers in the movie. Definitely better that way for the movie. In the book young Vito takes his town’s name as his last name to maintain a connection. In the movie it was a bureaucratic error. And The Godfather book had a line that was used not in The Godfather movie but the second Star Trek film. It was a variant of, “Revenge is a dish best served cold.”

[@Papifrankie]

Calo, the other bodyguard in Sicily, is portrayed as the Underboss of Don Tomassino and subsequently Boss after Tomassino's death in Part III.

[@ChoseDeath]

What's fantastic is that I love all three movies, and my sister just talked me into reading the books. Only read the first one so far, but it was also wonderful! I really haven't experienced that outside of the Lord of the Rings.

[@franm.8343]

I loved the book too, I also loved all the minor characters and their back stories. I felt it humanized the characters and added depth to this brutal tale.

[@SmartCookie2022]

Many of these deleted scenes you discuss in this excellent video are available to view on "Mafia Game Videos" channel here on YT, including the scene between the young girl and the movie mogul. The girl's mother tells her daughter to get back in the bedroom at the top of a staircase landing just as Robert Duvall looks up to witness it. We then see Robert Duvall telling Marlon Brando (Don Vito Corleone) who asks if it's true about the young girl and then gives the go ahead for the horse's head in the mogul's bed after Duvall confirms that it was.

[@ThatsCrazyBro3752]

The thing about the book vs the movie, I found, was that the book emphasizes how much Vito really loved certain characters like Tom and genco. The book having all those details of the scenes we all love and the ones that didn’t make it into the movie is reason enough to read it

[@blahblahbleh3178]

I read it a few months ago. AMAZING

[@NateInDC]

I'm a big fan of the movie and read the book about twenty years ago, when the family had meetings only the sons attended and no one else, the Godfather didn't allow Tessio and Clemenza in any meetings like what's shown in the movie with the meeting with Sollozzo, the story of Michael and Kay Adams is different too

[@giorgiopalmas7934]

It's been 50 years since reading the book, but I remember Paulie Gatto and a couple of goons tuning up the pricks that disfigured Bonaserra's daughter. I would have loved to see that scene in the film but Coppola wanted the horse head scene to reveal the Don's powerful reach.

[@rickyricardo4331]

Truth be told, I dove into the book for the sole purpose of finding out what happened to the two boys who beat Bonasera's daughter.

[@blockduck2003]

On the topic "old Mario being pretty horny": He also wrote a book about the Borgias called The Family, and when I read it it really just seemed like bad incest porn. Taking into account the he was apparently obsessed with the Borgia family and probably knew that the incest stuff was mostly rumors, but he LEFT IT IN. Here's a summary of one scene, it's very tmi, you've been warned: Rodrigo Borgia marries off Lucrezia, but before the marriage he wants Lucrezia's first experience to be good. So what does he do? HE ASKS HIS SONS TO HAVE SEX WITH THEIR SISTER. Cesare agrees and Rodrigo WATCHES and quickly interrupts, saying that Cesare is doing it wrong and not pleasuring Lucrezia. He then gets involved and starts "guiding" Cesare, stroking down her body in some sort of incest threesome. Rodrigo then realizes that he's attracted to his own daughter 🤢🤮 but it's never mentioned again. So yeah, if you thought the Lucy Mancini subplot was bad, there's worse.

[@kiranraut7128]

In novel Mama Corleone is a significant character but in movie there is hardly mention of her.

[@jasonjohnson8886]

Fredo not being an idiot would have made it a lot easier for Michael to kill him, but I guess it makes Michael more twisted and regret it much more

[@josephback-upaccount6116]

Fredo was smart. Not dumb. Not like everybody said.

[@WestSideGorilla1980]

@@josephback-upaccount6116 He wanted respect but he compromised.

[@niteshades_promise]

that intro was awesome😂🍻

[@noneed4me2n7]

Love The Godfather films and books (not big on part 3). Every time I see Fredo I can’t help but think of “Jen the Fredo” from the IT crowd. Nice analysis and insights.

[@CCootauco]

One thing that struck out to me from the book was the coffin maker or the undertaker who asks for a favour. and how was scared of what it was going to be. Only for the favour to be Don Vito crying before the man, asking him to give Sonny a decent burial.

[@thefezbelchershow5443]

When they started editing the film, they tried to follow the format of the book (Vito arrives at the undertaker, lifts the sheet and reveals the dead Sonny, then we see the scene of Sonny getting the fateful phone call and arriving at the tollbooth in the following scene. Evidently, Coppola saw it wouldn't work and decided to edit the movie in a more lineal way.

[@bobmiller4818]

As someone who saw the movie first I was disappointed that I didn't get to read Clemenza say "leave the gun take the canolis" lol

[@eronavbj]

Also left out of the movie were the Dean Martin character, the Ave Gardner character, and Vito's meeting with Al Capone. I read the book when it first came out, and at the time was an Italian Philadelphia cop walking a beat in a changing Italian neighborhood. The Mafioso in the area were nothing like those portrayed in the film. They were essentially the reclusive type, not wanting to draw attention to themselves. And they were always deferential to us. Police Commissioner Frank Rizzo would have not tolerated otherwise.

[@mphrdldn]

You should write a book. (I grew up in the suburbs but my relatives lived in a changing Italian neighborhood.)

[@keithdaubenspeck5113]

Expanding Luca Brasi’s role was a lost opportunity. In the book he was the only person the godfather was afraid of. At the wedding when the godfather says is this necessary, it’s not because he is short on time, it’s because he truly is intimidated by Luca.

[@aliensoup2420]

I think Micheal summed Luca up quite well when he explained him to Kay at the wedding. A movie can't depict so many backstories at the risk of losing sight of the plot.and boring the audience.

[@lindefann8311]

This plus I'm not sure many people really want to watch what Luca did to a newborn baby.

[@franm.8343]

I always thought the godfather was repulsed rather than intimidated by Luca Brasi. That he viewed him as inhuman. but useful. Also Brasi was written as a one dimensional character and that i why his character wasn't expanded.

[@famfamfam5782]

Tryst rhymes with wrist. As a fellow reader I know how it is! Some words we have never heard said aloud. Great content! As always

[@chickenlover657]

wtf?

[@flightofthebumblebee9529]

I read the book this past week after many years of indifference due to my love of the film and I admit the book was even better.

[@steves1015]

Same, I read it about a month ago. Now I'm doing the same with American Psycho (love that film).