The Godfather Notebook

Has anyone read this big bugger? It's Coppola's development notebook for the first movie. He basically copied the novel onto notebook paper, put annotations in the resulting margins. Also inserting pages with scene summaries, etc. I got it at the library, and it's huge, so I doubt I'll actually read it all, but will just flip through pages here and there. I only got as far as the Sonny-Lucy tryst so far. A few things I noticed:

1. Coppola was circulating a draft of The Conversation before he was hired onto The Godfather project. I've long wondered if some of GF2's "what the heck is going on" quality didn't bleed out from his work on The Conversation. I wonder that more now.

2. Puzo apparently thought that his mother was one of the stronger influences on the way Vito expressed himself: "a very practical woman given to pithy remarks."

3. The wedding: early notes lament that they couldn't plausibly portray Michael in his Marine uniform, because he had already been back at school for a while. Also, Coppola says the two of them in the little alcove reflects his own experience with his wife-to-be at her first big family wedding.

4. There's a funny picture from the mortuary scene, Caan sticking his bloody face out of the blanket and Brando laughing.

"Pitfalls" to be avoided: "...Italians who-a, talka like-dis...."

It seems he toyed with the idea of using the FBI men to introduce the characters. They go from car to car, write down plate numbers, then cut back to the character at the wedding.

He seemed very interested in preserving the Nino character.

Bonasera, who otherwise had a commendably cultured accent, said that the judge "suspended-a da sentence."

Coppola says, "We need a terrific actor for Bonasera." It occurred to me I didn't know who played Bonasera. It's a Sicilian actor named Salvatore Corsitto. It seems Frank Puglia, who had been in Hollywood since the early silent era, had been cast as Bonasera, but he took ill and was replaced by Corsitto.

When they're going to see Genco: "Do something with Fredo, so he isn't just a cipher."

Horse's head: "If the Audience does not jump out of their seat on this one, you have failed."

Frank Puglia more often played evil Latinos than Italians.

I bought a multi-tape VHS set of the Trilogy ca. 1990. Each tape had an intro. In the GF intro, Puzo said he'd heard that Danny Thomas was planning to buy Paramount Studios so he could play Vito. (!) "I was kinda disturbed by that," said Puzo (master of understatement). He said he wanted Brando, so his agent got Brando's home address. Puzo sent him the script. Brando replied, saying he was interested, but would wait until the director was announced.

Thank goodness he didn't. Those are my least favourite parts of the novel, even more so than Lucy and her 'problem'.

As to the book, my wife bought it for me last Christmas. Still working my way through it.

The audience is supposed to fear Sollozzo, and by the time of the meeting to be grateful that Vito is there to protect them.

Mentions "Miracle on 34th Street" as a Christmassy street background, apparently didn't realize it came out a couple years later.

Original plan was for Vito to be leaving the actual olive oil company for the holidays, exchanging small gifts and holiday wishes with employees.

Seems intrigued by a Hitchcockian presentation of Vito's ambush (fruit rolling around). He wanted to emphasize a sense of confusion on both sides - Fredo's dropping of his gun may have confused the assassins, leading them to bolt.

As Sonny takes the phone calls related to Vito's shooting, he becomes the central character in the film for a while. Coppola wanted to reinforce that idea, so that the audience would come to see him as a permanent part of the story. ("a la Psycho")

At multiple points, he wrote what I thought was the Italian "pace,":but he was actually talking about the pacing of the film.

Note about bodyguards at the mall maybe watching Howdy Doody on a "small Motorola TV" to establish the era.(Howdy actually premiered in December, 1947).

Raises the question: when did the Don get his first TV?

In connection with "Your boss is dead":

"NOTE TO ME: There is a lot of people reacting to bad news in this filem (sic), i.e., that someone they love is in danger or already dead. This is tough. Think about it, AND BE PREPARED, FRANCIS."

When we find out Fredo is in shock: "Freddie always left out, even before he's in shock!" I don't think that's exactly true, but Coppola's groping for something to do with him.

As Clemenza is washing his car, Coppola describes him as "a small man."

All of these seem to predate the first draft of the script: wooden bumpers, Clemenza making the sauce, "sleeps with the fishes." I think that's really impressive.

Wanted Kay to watch Michael out of window until out of sight.

First view of McCluskey outside of the hospital, "Like Patton"

Wow: considered whether to leave Enzo out of the hospital scene, as too coincidental

Re: Det. Phillips telling where McCluskey will be: "I never believed this. Ask Mario for something more clever." (Note: Coppola had some sort of original draft from Puzo. Would later send his own output to Puzo, who would concur with it or make comments)

Why change from Michael's speech saying it's all personal: "I never really got into this, though I understand it. Ask Mario."

Shooting Sollozzo: (1) have Michael sit back down so the audience will worry that he isn't following instructions; (2) hold the gun long enough for the audience to think "Drop it! Drop it!"

From notes on deleted material: "the whole Fanucci incident juxtaposed somehow with Michael."

Pete, this is cool stuff!

Ya, you can actually see little seeds of what became GF2.

Quotes Hitchcock: "Good villains make good movies."

Has a little hand-drawn map of Sonny's execution spot. There's not a lot reflecting decision-making in the time around Sonny's murder, just reminders to slow things down, show all the details from the novel. He does say he wants the audience to recognize, as Sonny did, the moment when he was "a dead man."

"We are looking right at a man when he is told his eldest son is dead."

Bocchicchio material is completely stricken: "Bocchicchio?"

The conference "is a scene of SUBTEXT; everything every[body] says, is the top of the iceburg: in actuality, they are curious to see how wea[k] or strong the Don is; who seems to be allied with him; where the loyalties and cooperations l[ie].

"WE MUST FEEL AS THOUGH WE ARE SITTING IN ON SOMETHING FROM WHICH GREAT CONSEQUENCES WILL SPRING."

"Imagine peeking in on the Appalachian Conferens. That's what we're priviledged to do. A harmony, counterpoint and collection of very interesting characters: EACH WORTHY OF A WHOLE MOVIE ABOUT HIM."

Handwritten note, of unclear meaning, I think about the "day of reckoning": "ask Mario about what the Don has up his sleeve. I was happy to learn that, but I didn't feel that it was paid off." [Later note, possibly Puzo's: "Clarify for Francis." Then Coppola: "Leave it alone for now.", and

After conference: "That's really it now - for the Don - but leave a little suspense for some treachery open."

The "collection of very interesting characters" above brought to mind the bar scene from Star Wars.

There's a "Pitfall" for the conference, that it shouldn't look like "lunchtime with the SEG heavies." Anyone know what that means? Wondering if it was supposed to be SAG, for Screen Actors Guild.

mustachepete,thank you so much for this thread.
For us hardcore GF fans,this stuff is gold.
I've always loved behind the scenes info,and seeing how early notes and back and forth memos flesh out into the final story that we see is really fascinating.
I'm looking forward to more of your posts,(if you are so graciously inclined).
Discovering these little tidbits is like putting on a jacket that you haven't worn in a while and finding a 20 dollar bill in the pocket.
Again, thank you !!!

You're welcome. I'm finding it interesting. Some more background: it seems Coppola commandeered a corner of a San Francisco coffee shop, had this huge binder and sat all day every day banging away on his manual typewriter. He typed about like I used to: lots of misspellings and typeovers.

Ages drawn from the list of characters: Vito 55, Mama 50-55, Sonny 32-35, Frederico 30, Michael 25-26, Connie no age, Kay 22-25, Tom 35, Luca 55, Clemenza 53-55, Paulie 26, Lucy 22, Johnny 30, Genco 60s, Sollozzo early 50s, Tessio 50-55, Moe 40s, Al 30s. Coppola wrote "Carmella" in for Mama, so it seems that name either came here or from Puzo's original draft.

Some chronology:
Late 1946 (maybe early 1947): peace conference
Late 1950: Michael and Kay reunite
1955: meeting with Moe to end of movie.

Coppola mentions Eddie Fisher a couple times with respect to Johnny Fontane. He had the cuckold angle that Johnny had in the novel. On the other hand, he refers to Johnny's movie as "From Here to Eternity."

"Sicily holds the answers to many things concerning the main story in the U.S. The feeling that we HAVE RETURNED TO ROOTS that lead us to all the major issues of the book."

"Apollonia: her incredible beauty. Must use a sixteen year old. Like Stefana Sandrelli." PITFALL: "If Appolonia doesn't make your heart stop just to look at her."

Description of Appolonia to Vitelli played as a comedy routine.

"I like the feeling that all of this; the courtship, the marriage, is the same as it might have been a thousand years ago."

"MUSIC THROUGHOUT? This intire sequence from the time she says Grazia, could be handled without dialogue; the ritual of courtship; the numerous times he comes to see her; the time she appears with the necklace; the preparations for the wedding; the Wedding itself, no different than if it had taken place a thousand years ago. NO words are necessary; only MUSIC."

"Then, after the wedding; the wedding night, might be done all in silence."

"The Big Scene": the wedding night.

"bullshit about virginity"

List of names with actors for some of the roles (names could be misspelled/mistaken, and the Sonny/Tom names kind of run together):

Vito: Conte, Brando
Michael: Al Pacino - Cal believes "Little Big Man"
Sonny: Jimmy Caan, Frank Castellano (sp.?)
Tom: Peter Donat, Martin Sheen, [Lawrence?] Pressman, Ben Piazza
Carlo: Castellano or Sonny reject
Connie: pregnant
Rocco: Campenela
Sollozzo: "Guy in 'Big Deal'"; wiseman?
Luca: Castellano

List of names along margin, without role: Brando, C. Caridi, Bob Duval, Diane Keaton, John Ryan, R. Castellano

Tom Rosqui, Richard Bright, Sterling Hayden, Lou Antonio, Jeannie Linero, Robert Dinero, Julie Gregg, Diane Varsi

John Marley, Frank Corsaro

I'm glad he puts the peace conference at late '46 or early '47. I came to that conclusion in a timeline thread I started in the "Novel" board, because I thought anything longer would have been unrealistic. But, both the novel and the movie have Michael reuniting with Kay a year after he returns.

I'm surprised Al Lettieri wasn't mentioned among the casting possibilities. He was a brilliant--almost by-default--for Solozzo.

During Michael's confinement, Filomena ("old crone") would tell him something about Vito that would provide an insight into Vito and himself.

Question marks over Luca's story.

"THE SHEER ENORMITY OF THE EXPLOSION -- nothing is left. However they want to do it; make it TWICE AS BIG. OVERKILL."

"People know it's going to happen. I have to misdirect them from this....I guess the explosion will fix this." "ENORMOUS!"

Michael-Kay reunion as in the book. Pitfall: "We think it's funny that he's always asking girls to marry him."

"Somehow I like coming back to the US via Kay."

Passage where Michael tells Kay that Vito refuses to accept the rules of society: in red, Coppola writes "WHAT THIS BOOK IS ABOUT" and "THE ENTIRE CREDO OF THE BOOK."

From rough outline of the rest of the movie:

Vito's funeral: "maybe people seek out Barzini to ask favors the way they did to the Don, earlier in the movie."

Wha'?: "It is Clemenza who says Barzini is willing to talk. (meaning he's the traitor.)"

Baptism: "[A]ll out. Maybe a monsignor does it."

"It turns out Clemenza innocent, Tessio the traitor."

"Fabrizzio's tattoo brought to him."

"POWER IS ALL HIS"

End: Clemenza calls him "Don Miguel."

Back to Vegas scene:

"a dapper, dandified Fredo Corleone."

"We must know by the very casting of NERI, BY THE LOOK OF HIM, HIS EYES AND MANNER, THAT HE IS THE NEW LUCA BRASI."

"...lots of girls around. Nice if subtly, Michael turns off of them."

"JULES & LUCY - OUT"

"Moe Green as a heavy of his own; some formidable strength; this is 'his territory'....make that clear...people know him, not Michael, respond to him, not Michael."

"Bugsy Siegal"

"Freddie not certain of his brother's power."

Pitfall: "If Michael has not evolved a notch on his way to being the complete Don. He shouldn't be there yet, but unmistakable he is on his way."

Novel's scene where Kay meets Michael at the airport: "[A] fight out of Paddy Chayefsky, real normal domestic things...all JUXTAPOSED AGAINST NERI AND LAMPONE AND THE MOTORCADE OF BODYGUARDS AND SECURITY CHECKS."

"Repetition of airport scene right after vegas...one has to go."

Back at the mall: "We haven't seen the Don for a LONG time. Nor Clemenza & Tessio. All different."

Last meeting: "Certain negotiations" implies "a big political move up his sleeve (FBI, or something)" "MISDIRECT THE AUDIENCE."

Vito looks like a retired man: "Grandpa Coppola"

"I'd like the scene with Mike and the Don to really resolve their Character dialectic...which has been prepared for all along. THIS IS NECESSARY, that they have a really good moment together."

Mama-Kay scene about going to Church sets up final scene of Kay lighting candles for Michael.

Vito's death: not playing with grandson. Boy comes toward him as he falls, and Vito urges him to run to the house.

"1956? Straighten out the whole time thing."

Vito's funeral: "Genghis Khan on wheels"

"GO REALLY BIG HERE: DON'T STINT WITH EXTRAS. This scene is a testament to the Don's power and influence. It must really be royal."

"Get film on Luciano's funeral in Napoli."

"Alone with Hagen, Mike lets out the exciting news that he's marked to be killed. FIGURE OUT A REALLY GOOD WAY TO DO THIS; the scene in the book is weird."

"By this point, the audience must be sitting on the edge of their seats....YOU MUST RECAPTURE THE KIND OF SUSPENSE EARLIER sections of the book has."

Again, Clemenza brings the proposal from Barzini.

Thank goodness! One of the most annoying parts of the novel was Puzo creating that whole Jules/Lucy Vegas thing just so he could get an opportunity to describe her gynecological problem and surgery. I'm guessing that some female relative or friend of his had that condition. Puzo interested himself in the operation and couldn't resist loading it into the novel.

One of the things that makes the movie version of "The Last Don" so much better than the novel is that the film leaves out most of the Hollywood BS that Puzo polluted the novel with. (The other good thing is Danny Aiello.)

Im sticking to the notion that Lucy was supposed to sell some books to women. Like General Hospital, but racier.

I'm interested to see how the Clemenza/Tessio thing comes out. It seems like Coppola may have been preoccupied with maintaining suspense, while the Tessio reveal of the novel has a kind of melancholy sense about it. Sad that one of the Old Guard would have turned, but not at all surprising.

TB, I agree with your comment about Jules/Lucy. Why oh why! Well, Pete might be right about attracting female readers.

Also, I wish that the Kay lighting the church candles would have made it into the theatrical release. I think it would have made a great contrast with the film's final scene of Al closing the door as Kay watches Clemenza et al paying homage to Michael. Kind of a ying and yang thing.

It would have made a very nice touch, Oli. And, it was the way the novel ended--Kay, like Mama, praying daily that her man "...don't end up down there."

There's a few full pages of dialogue inserted near the end, relating (book) to Mike and Kay's reunion and to Kay and Mama's conversation about Hell. I can't tell what they are, am wondering if they're pages from Puzo's early draft.

"The scene of Neri, alone in his room, preparing his uniform is evocative of Brasi, preparing himself with the bullet-proof vest. Could we use it?"

Chapter 31: "BIG DAY"

Baptism to take place at the mall.

Neri gets stationed near Rockefeller Plaza; Rocco waits near the Causeway.

"...intercut with the Ritual of Michael holding Carlo's baby and standing as Godfather, the most incredible powerplay of alltime takes place, when, in a beautifully conceived tactical offensive, Lampone kills Tattaglia, Neri kills Barzini, and other soldiers, kill Moe Greene and numerous other Capi di Familie, or high-ranking Consigliere and Caporegimes."

"If we have successfully misdirected the audience that Michael's move was g.oing to be a big political move: i.e., using high-ranking FBI or political pressure to put Barzini out of business; we must be astounded to see the violence that he uses. THIS MUST BE THE BIGGEST BLOODBATH OF THE FILM: OVERWHELMING. Especially when juxaposed with the family, baptism ritual."

"THIS SEQUENCE must be very carefully designed and planned. It must take away the audience's breath in its fury."

"This sequence should be very detailed."

"A real baptism: every detail, the salt on the baby's mouth, the water, the Latin. EXTEND TIME."

"WHERE DO I PUT FABRIZZIO'S MURDER. HERE, with all the others? The more the merrier!"

"Tattaglia totally naked; extend time."

"When Lampone kills Tattaglia - the ghost-like toll booth we had seen when Sonny was killed."

"Maybe plant some L. Vegas button man - the driver of the limo that met Mike, or even something more ironic, one of Greene's own bodyguards, or girlfriend or something...but all the Murders MUST BE PERFORMED BY MEN THAT WE RECOGNIZE AS BEING CORLEONE'S SOLDIERS."

Pitfalls: "If the audience suspects what he is going to do. Th[at] each killing does not join with the Baptism and the other killings in a beautiful design. IF MICHAEL IS NOT THE FOCAL POINT OF THE ENTIRE SEQUENCE."

"If anybody suspects that Carlo's going to be killed; that must be the total surprise, the coup de grace. The ultimate of Michael's coldness "

"What did they plan?"

"NOT BAD": Fabrizzio's murder in the novel.

Tattaglia killing: "Really old and totally naked - nice image." "Does the girl get it?"

Barzini killing: show every detail in novel, "Extend time."

Tessio-Hagen exchange: "NICE"

Michael-Carlo exchange: "BOOM Michael's manner not a pose, but real, the end point of a real evolution."

"We must believe Mike" (will spare Carlo). "important fake out."

"Surprise to the audience as well. CLEMENZA THE GARROT IS A TOTAL SURPRISE."

"Where the garrot is used - the victim shits....Opens the window."

Connie "points out to Kay what kind of man she married, accusing him of killing not only Carlo, but scores of men in the last few weeks."

"After Kay asks if it is all true; there must be a very telling moment between Kay and Michael -- THEY MUST REALLY MAKE EYE CONTACT, she is really asking him. And then, coolly and convincingly, he lies."

"Then, through the way he receives his men, she intuit[tively] knows it is true."

Pitfall: "If you don't feel TOTALLY RESOLVED: THAT MICHAEL HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL AND IS THE CAPO DI CAPI WITHOUT DOUBT OR RESERVATION."

"LET DOWN: SO THAT WAS THE BIG MOVE: Killing Tattaglia and Barzini before they killed Mike - & Tessio and Carlo to even the score."

"Connie really puts it to Kay."

Michael-Kay: "Key moment. Drag it out, he says 'no', & we believe him."

"Kay knows the truth but accepts it."

"Connie fills her bed again."

"Michael and Kay - her Catholicism"

Lighting candles as credits roll. End.

Note to or from Francis: "I think this scene should really be very brief just part of the titles coming up. Otherwise it becomes a religious thing. And it's really not. It's clutching at straws or recognition of evil." "This is the denouement....an expression of our feeling about Michael."

Tom-Kay in NH, where Kay says Tom can tell her the truth because he's not Sicilian: "Treatment of women. Good line. Where to use it?" (anticipates GF2?)

Yes, exactly! FFC's fanatical attention to the smallest details is what makes me keep watching the Trilogy. Never fail to pick up another authentic detail I missed earlier.

Coppola did an outline for each scene. Each outline had these sections:

1. Synopsis (what happens)
2. The Times (establishing the era; a lot of the details would be described here. Coppola seemed to think you could tell what year it was by what knots men were using on their ties)
3. Imagery and Tone (establishing mood, e.g., the house getting dirtier as the lockdown at the mall goes on and on)
4. The Core (what the audience should take away from the scene)
5. Pitfalls (how the scene could fall flat)

From the Preface, and on the cover:

"When I realized that I was actually going to make a movie out of the novel ‘The Godfather,' I sat down and began to read the book again, very carefully, my pencil poised. Upon that second reading, much of the book fell away in my mind, revealing a story that was a metaphor for American Capitalism in the tale of a great king with three sons: the oldest was given his passion and aggressiveness; the second his sweet nature and childlike qualities; and the third, his intelligence, cunning and coldness.”

Finally, I don't think I made a note above: Coppola had some idea of incorporating Tom's back story via flashbacks during his long transcontinental flight, on the night that he had arrived as consigliere.

Pete, having been spoiled by GFII and its flashbacks, it might have been nice to viewed flashbacks in the GF. However, sometimes not know ing is better than knowing.

This is on sale at Amazon, $41.40 in hardback:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1682450740/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1638227950&sr=8-1

I have also read it and it's a good read, albeit very long, took me like a year cause I kept putting it down then picking it back up. There are some great details as mentioned by mustachepete, and there are a lot of scenes that I believe he wanted to shoot that he just didn't have time for or just didn't make the cut. The only "pitfall" with this book is Coppola's handwriting—I could barely read it, and missed out on a lot of his notes. There are some funny things he writes to himself, I can't remember exactly but some of it is like "Don't fuck this up Francis!"

I do hope there is something in the works like this for GF2 though!