The Godfather Movie Is Better—Don’t Read the Book First

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In 2025, it’s challenging not to find someone who doesn’t consider Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather as one of the best movies ever produced. This 1972 film revolutionized cinema, transforming the gangster genre into a level of Shakespearean drama. Featuring an illustrious cast that includes Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, and the outstanding Marlon Brando, Coppola persistently advocated for Brando to play Don Corleone against 11 other actors.

While Mario Puzo’s 1969 novel “The Godfather” is not universally acclaimed by critics, it should be noted that Puzo was a talented author who contributed to the film’s screenplay, which ultimately won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The main difference lies in Coppola’s film adaptation, where much of the novel’s excess is removed, leaving a sharp focus on Michael Corleone’s metamorphosis into a merciless patriarch of the Corleone family.

The Godfather’s Book Includes A Lot Of Material The Movie Doesn’t Cover (Not All Of It Good)

The Film Benefits From Cutting Some Of The Novel’s Edgier Plot Points

One issue with Mario Puzo’s novel “The Godfather” is its excessive focus on the character Johnny Fontane, who was portrayed by Al Martino in the movie but is merely a minor figure. When it came to scriptwriting for the film, Fontane’s excessive Hollywood antics were appropriately omitted (one of several distinctions between the book and the screen adaptation). Similar to Tom Bombadil’s tales in “The Lord of the Rings,” Fontane’s Los Angeles storyline appears early on in the novel and significantly slows down the narrative, causing readers to yearn for more about Don Corleone and Michael.

In the movie, the filmmakers opt not to delve deeply into Sonny Corleone (James Caan)’s affair with Lucy Mancini (Jeannie Linero), a topic that the book explores extensively. To put it simply, the novel provides an in-depth analysis of their relationship, going as far as having a separate plotline where Lucy undergoes surgery to rectify a “pelvic abnormality” that only allowed her to have intimate moments with Sonny. It’s no surprise that Puzo and Coppola believed this story arc was more fitting for the written format.

Mario Puzo’s The Godfather Is Good, But The Movie Version Is Much Better

Puzo Turned A Good Book Into A Masterpiece

One significant advantage of “The Godfather” lies in its exceptional ability to bring Puzo’s characters to life vividly on the screen. This cinematic journey is a profound, almost spiritual experience, made even more captivating by the lean narrative, which skillfully avoids excessive details and focuses on key aspects, such as the development of secondary characters like Luca Brasi (Lenny Montanta) and Captain Mark McCluskey (Sterling Hayden), only when necessary.

In essence, adapting “The Godfather” into a movie gave Puzo the ideal platform to polish his best-selling book and create the cinematic masterpiece that continues to attract new admirers. By eliminating secondary storylines and concentrating on the core of the Corleone family’s ordeal, Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola laid the groundwork for “The Godfather”‘s unprecedented popularity. It’s no surprise that this film holds a prominent place in numerous lists of the greatest films ever made.

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2025-04-19 16:37