The Godfather Legacy

by Harlan Lebo

This is a behind-the-scenes look at how Francis Ford Coppola transformed a modest pulp novel into a financial and artistic triumph. There are production stills and in-depth accounts of the worldwide... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684836475
• ISBN13: 9780684836478
• Release Date: March 1997
• Publisher: Fireside Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Instructions for maximum enjoyment: Buy, read, order Italian, and watch The Godfather.

Simply fantastic! I picked up this book expecting to find exactly what I found: Jam-packed full of details available nowhere else. This book provides a fascinating behind the scenes look into one of the great movies of all time. Reading the book is almost as if living through the production. Lebo's writing puts you right in the action and gives the reader new insights into what went into making the movie, relationships between those on set, and the creative vision (and struggles) that went into it all. It is great to have this level of expertise at your finger tips while watching the real thing. I was amazed with all the behind-the-scene knowledge I had of each take and truly consider this an excellent read well worth my time. I highly recommend it.

Riveting!!!!!

This book is a MUST HAVE if you enjoyed watching "The Godfather" movies. I have a hard time putting that book down at night, but I have to get some sleep sometimes ;o)At last, we can figure out how they managed, with great ingenuity, to create all those "murders" wich seem so "real" in the films. What strucked me the most is to learn the skepticism of Paramount about the success of the first movie at the box office. I greatly admire Mr. Coppola's tenacity towards Paramount in wanting to keep his own choice of actors. He had to fight for his choices: actors, locations... not to mention the stress he had to endure at the thought of being fired at any moment during the making of the first movie. Not a very good atmosphere for the creation of a masterpiece, to say the very least! But Mr. Coppola kept on going against all odds. "Hats off" Mr. Coppola.

Terrific inside information behind a great trilogy

This book makes an *excellent* supplement The Godfather films. It's full of interesting behind-the-scenes info, anecdotes, and recollections. The book is even a bigger "must have" now since the trilogy is finally now out on DVD.There are some minor discrepancies between what this book says and Coppola's commentary on the DVDs. For instance, the book mentions that Al Pacino twisted his ankle in the scene following the shooting of McClusky and Sollozo, but Coppola believes it happened outside the hospital scene after Michael visits his father. Also, the book claims Clemenza's role was cut from Part II because Richard Castellano (the actor) wanted too much money. Coppola says Castellano wanted to have an associate write Clemenza's dialogue.There's a wealth of production photos, and great inside stories of a troubling production. Coppola was almost fired several times, and he got into heated disagreements with his crew many times. Pacino had problems during the production (the studio wanted to fire him) and had a rocky road to stardom at this time. He was paid a measily $35,000(!) for the first film. And he never saw any of this money because of legal expenses from a lawsuit. For Part II, his paycheck was $500,000 plus a percentage of the gross.If you're a movie fan and of this trilogy in particular, get this book!

If you are a fan...this is the book for you.

I read this book twice in one week and I'm reading it again. I just couldn't put it down! There is so much insider info in here that you must know. If you are a true Godfather Fan, this in one book that you must have. I just couldn't believe the problem that Francis Ford Coppola had in trying to get this movie done. This is a wonderful book to have in your collection. Read this and then watch the movie again. It gives you a whole different perspective on the movie. This is one book you can't refuse!