The Godfather by Mario Puzo vs. The Godfather by Francis Ford Coppola

The Godfather is a book?

That’s the reaction I got when I mentioned to a couple younger co-workers that I found an old paperback copy of The Godfather by Mario Puzo at a used bookstore. I’ve always gotten that kind of reaction.   I don’t know why people are surprised to find out that The Godfather was a book before it was a movie. Books being adapted into movies, that kind of thing happens a lot.

To be honest, the only reason I originally read The Godfather decades ago was because I liked the movie. Maybe some people like The Godfather movie a little too much (if you know what I mean), but I still like it. I don’t like the movie enough to quote it all the time, but I liked it enough to read the book.

In fact, The Godfather is one of my favorite books to read when I feel  brain dead or if I have reader’s block or if I’m stuck some place with no wifi.  It was a great book to take to the airport in the days before wifi.  I’m not saying it’s a great book.  I’m just saying that it was a great book to take to the airport. 

I’m also not going to say that the book is better than the movie or vice-versa.  Both are great in their own ways.  The novel, of course, provides a lot more details, but it gets bogged down in a couple places (as most novels do).  Everybody knows that the movie is great with few (if any) wasted moments, so I’ll spare readers a review.

The following scene is a great example of how the book and movie take different approaches to the same characters and situations.  I’m not sure how much context to provide, so I’ll provide nothing (AND YOU’LL LIKE IT!!), except that I’m using the movie scene first because it starts earlier and provides more of a set-up. So, here’s a famous scene from the movie The Godfather.

MOVIE VERSION:

BOOK VERSION: I’m not a fan of long block paragraphs, but if I have to read long block paragraphs, I’ll choose to read them from The Godfather.

The book and movie have a bunch of other differences, but those will have to wait for another time. If you’re going to read books from The Godfather, just read The Godfather. Every sequel or Godfather adjacent book is disappointing.

If you’re going to watch The Godfather movies, just watch The Godfather and the Godfather II. The Godfather III isn’t bad, but when it comes to The Godfather, ‘isn’t bad’ isn’t good enough. And it wasn’t Sofia Coppola’s fault. Godfather III had issues that went way beyond Sofia Coppola.

What do you think about the differences between the book and movie versions of The Godfather? What other differences between the book version and movie version of The Godfather stand out to you? How refreshing is it to see Al Pacino not overacting in a scene? 

*****

After more than ten years of blogging, I’ve finally written a novel.

A grammar-obsessed English teacher falls in ‘luuuvvv’ but discovers how chaotic and dangerous ‘luuuvvv’ can really be.

The Sunset Rises: A 1990s Romantic Comedy is now available on Amazon and from the trunk of my car at various local bookstores… until parking lot security kicks me out. Buy it now while supplies last!