Originally Posted By: olivant
Originally Posted By: Don Cardi
I know that we are talking the Trilogy here, but in a way, the novel "kind of" answers your question.

If memory serves me correctly, after the great massacre, there were several Dons left who were not killed by The Corleones (can't recall off hand which ones right now) along with the survivers of the family heads that were wiped out. And I think that the novel says that the surviving Dons made the peace with the Corleones and that those families whose Don's were killed were split up and most of them made deals and were taken over by The Corleones.

So to answer your question and going by the movie, if Barzini had survided, but ALL of the other Don's were killed, it is my opinion that Barzini might have made an attempt to try and take over what was left of the families. He may have tried to get what was left of the other families to align with him against Michael, but I don't believe that he would have been successful in trying to do so. Just as the surviving families were unable to take on Michael in the novel without Barzini, Barzini would have been unable to defeat Michael without the other families in the movie.

Anyway I think that Michael probably had a "plan B" already in place had his attempt to murder Barzini failed.



In the novel only Barzini and Tattaglia are murdered, but some of their capos went over to the Corleones. None of the other families are mentioned, but it says that the Corleones were unchallengeable.


Yeah there was a whole rash of defections that Puzo lists. I think the Corleones also went ahead and eliminated several enforcers from either family to prevent retaliation. In the book, the other Dons (Cuneo and Stracci) aren't killed, but aren't conspiring against Michael in the book and aren't big enough to mount an effective response.

From strictly the novel's perspective...would the Corleones have sent emissaries to Cuneo and Stracci to ensure them that their beef was with Barzini and Tattaglia and that they would not be killed as long as they made deals with Michael Corleone? Seems to make sense just in case Stracci or Cuneo were going to try something.

Last edited by dontommasino; 09/11/08 04:41 PM.