In the "Comments" below, post a question about any aspect of the novel and the film, focusing on the different treatment they received.
TAKE THE POLLS on the FILM and NOVEL "The Godfather" (see right-side panel)
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My question would be;
ReplyDeleteWhy did the film version of "The Godfather" not reveal how the vengence was carried out for the Bonasera family?
Being that it is the opening scene of the film and seemed important to the story line, I would have liked to see the book version on screen, which also greater defines the Paulie Gatto character. In the book, Paulie has more definition and there is more understanding as to why the Corleone's have him killed.
I found many differences between the novel and the movie however my question is- Why is it that the female characters (such as Mama Corleone, Kay Adams, Connie Corleone, and Lucy Mancini) are so much more involved in the book than in the movie?
ReplyDeleteIt's clear that there was far too much story in the novel to realistically translate to the screen for the film, and so Coppola did the only thing a director could, which was cut out a lot of the subplots from the novel.
ReplyDeleteHowever it seemed as if he was unsure of what to do with Fontane subplot. He left in and filmed the subplot involving the family getting him a role in the film, but left out practically everything else involving the character. What was significant about that part of his subplot that had Coppola chose it to include over Vito's past, Johnny in Vegas, or Lucy in Vegas?
The book and the novel The Godfather are somewhat parallel but the differences that set them apart arent that sigificant. The director of the movie did exactly what needed to be done inorder to have a great movie that didnt have too much storyline to confuse viewers. I think that the book is more time consuming because of the extra storyline and the involvement of characters that didn really need to be involved.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why the film director didnt expand a little bit more on the Mama character and show her involvement?
I will agree with my other classmates that the book version of The Godfather is very long, very complicated and very rich with subplots. This makes it a difficult literal translation into film. I do feel that Coppola captured the essence of the Corleone family and that the plot did not suffer from the editing. There were a few differences I found significant. Mainly, in the book we are told how Don Corleone came to be in organized crime, and how he murdered the neighborhood black hand because he found it unfair that he should have to pay him a "tax". Sonny, as a young boy witnessed his father shoot the man. This part of the book also demonstrates how the Don stuck up for members of his neighborhood, like the elderly lady who was going to be evicted. I feel that this story is an important tool to understanding the Don and Sonny. It explains Sonnys reverence of his father, and it casts the Don in an almost wholesome light.
ReplyDeleteI noticed a significant amount of differences the novel and the film, as have my classmates. I was also really interested in the begining of the film where a member of the Bonaserra family came to the Don for help. I would have liked to have seen that developed more in the film. The book was abundant in details, stories, and subplots that could not have been included in the film without it lasting for way over three hours so i can understand the omissions of certain things. I would also have liked for the film to further develop some of the female characters . Why was that not the case?
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the novel, I was struck by the visit to the hospital to see Corleone's lifelong friend who was dying. It was interesting to see the bond between the two men, he even asked the Don to hold his hand while he passed. What is the importance of Don Corleone's first consigliere, Genco Abbandando in the novel, and why isn't Corleone's visit to the hospital included in the film?
ReplyDeleteI love the movie and the book, each is special in its own way. With that being said my question is about Sonny. In the novel his character is more fleshed out. a specific scene that illustrates this is after Michael states that he will kill Sollozo and Capt. McClusky, Sonny laughs at him. In the movie its a laugh because he doesnt believe Mike can do it. In the novel though Sonny talks about how he knows Mike can do it, how he had always known that Mike had "it" in him. I think this really fleshes out Sonny's character, that he isnt just a completely hot-headed philanderer.
ReplyDeleteSo i guess my question is why take out these sort of things that would seem to paint sonny as a real human. granted they couldnt of put in everything (although i wouldnt of minded), but why take this out?
Between the novel "The Godfather" and the movie there were many differences. Since the book was so long and intricate there was no way the movie could have kept all of the sub plots. Also now they were able to make the continuations of the movie involving some of the plots they left out the first time. My question in the difference in the first film and the novel is why Johnny Fontanes character seemed so minor and just thrown into the movie compared to his involvement in the book? Also I would have liked to see the early years of the Corleone family like the novel portrayed.
ReplyDeleteBeing that the novel is much more involved then the film , my question would be, Why leave such key things out in the film, such as how important Mama's role is, elaboration of Johnny Fantane's character ,Vegas. I feel they were just briefly touched on by the director and now have had read the book, the film didn't do it enough justice. I still think the movie was great but it could have been so much better.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that really struck me in both the novel and the movie was the treatment of women. It was even more powerful in the novel that women are just objects that must do what they are told and nothing more. For example, the Don blames Connie as the reason why her husband beats her, and although Sonny is very protective of his sister, at the same time he cheats on his wife throughout their marriage without any feeling of guilt.
ReplyDeleteMy question tries to analyze and understand the mafia/Corleone mentality. Some of the values that the Corleone family give such high regard to are respect and loyalty. Why do these values not apply to the women in the novel?
As several of my classmates have said, Coppola was forced to cut many of the subplots in his adaptation of Puzo's work. These cuts were necessary, however, as multi-threaded narratives can be difficult to show on screen. My main question then is not one of plot but one of character. Though many of the main characters seem almost identical on page and screen, Don Corleone for instance, there are others who seem to me radically different. In particular, Micheal's character after he is punched by McClusky. In the book Michael becomes much more frightening, more cold-blooded and calculating than he does so in the movie. I believe part of this is simply that in the book we are able to see inside his head but I also wonder whether Coppola decided to tone down this character to make him more sympathetic to audiences. In any case, what to others think about the differences between the film and novel Michael Corleones.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading i found that the book was very diffrenet then the movie. there were some subplot in the book that could have filled some gaps in the movie. i would of like to see the small story about each person that was talking to the Don during the wedding. why did Johnny role in the movie was very diffrenet then in the book.
ReplyDeleteIt would be impossible for the film to include all of the subplots in the novel. Coppola did a very good job of incorporating the most important subplots of the novel into the film.
ReplyDeleteMy question would be how come there was no mention of Dr. Jules Segal in the film? Is it because his inclusion would have required more subplots to be included in the film?
As many of my classmates have pointed out, there are many differences between the book and the film. The film contained far less subplots and much less detail than the film, which is most likely for time constraints or to make it easier for a viewer to follow. However, I enjoyed these detailed and involved subplots and character descriptions that the book had to offer, as I felt a better connection with the characters and found the novel more enjoyable. I was stuck by the involvement the novel offers regarding the Johnny Fontane storyline. The film does not eliminate this storyline, as it does with those of some other characters, and it does not simply shorten the storyline but the storyline is very much changed from the film to the novel. Is there a reason for changing thr background of the Johnny Fontane storyline?
ReplyDeleteI feel that while the novel went into details about various charachters the movie revolved around Michael and Don Corleone. I believe Kay was an very important charachter in the Novel yet she was played down in the movie. I would have like to see a little more about her charachter since she is Michael's wife.
ReplyDeleteI found the depictions of Sonny to be the most disparate between the film and the movie. My question is why did they make Sonny so 2 dimensional in the movie? I know they cannot reveal everyone's backstory, they don't have the time but Sonny's was interesting and made him seem like less of an idiot than he does in the film. Was the film meant to focus mainly on Michael and that's why we don't learn much about Sonny or even the Don's backstory which was also fascinating? Why did they choose to focus on the singular aspect of what is happening now in the story without including how anyone got there?
ReplyDeleteThere are few differences between the book and the film, aside from two storylines being tweaked. The one detail that stood out most was how the movie dealt with the crime of the murder of the NYPD captain. The book covers it well, but I realize it is open-ended. Is this due to no other way of glazing over that particular point in the book?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Francesca that there is a real indifference and neglect towards the women of the book. Perhaps the only woman of power or support was the Godfather's wife, but even then, the Godfather says that he never beat her because she never gave him cause. Is this taken from the Sicilian culture or the American culture at the time?