Book vs. Movie

As mentioned in my previous post ("Teacher and pupil"), and in many previous thoughts, I like to compare scenes in the movie with the corresponding passage in the book (obsessed, maybe, but don't worry I'm still taking my medication).

One that comes to mind right now, after taking Alexander S's prompt of how to get a good response to a thread, is how Michael and Kay are reunited.

For those who are well versed in both, which do you prefer?...Michael surprising Kay at the school, or Kay coming to the house at Mama's request/demand and the long dialogue that follows at Michael's apartment.

I suppose that by filming it as it was written wouldn't have added a lot to the movie, other than in terms of time, but this is one of the most blantant examples of change from page to screen.

I don't know...I still like the part when Michael flys across the room and whacks her right in the mouth, or when he just walks over and shuts the door on her. Now those are movie moments.

For me, I like the movie version because the look Kay has when Mike steps out of the car to me is a mixture of surprise and she obviously is looking at him differently. Not romantically, more like "what the hell?" The gangster clothes, hat, etc. I think it works well with the audience too because I think the last scene before that one is when he's still in Sicily, looking semi-normal.

"I'll get a message to that girlfriend of yours - when I think the time is right"

There is another difference that I just noticed when I listened to the book on tape recently. In the movie Vito is given the name Corleone by the clerk at Ellis Island. He mixes up the last name and the town and all of a sudden Vito Andolini becomes Vito Corleone. In the book he takes the name of Corleone as a means of maintaining a connection to his past.

Moving to Godfather Novel forum...

The Ellis Island name-switch experience was fairly common. My grandfather was an immigrant to the US. My father explained to me that, when his father came over, the immigration officer at Ellis Island simply recorded the first syllable of his last name, which is what we've been called ever since. In the Kazan movie, "America, America," the immigration officer asks Stavros Topozoglou for his name and then simply tells him, "Your name is Joe Arnaz"--not exactly what his parents had in mind when he was christened.

yup they just change it to what they want they dont take the time to figure out the name they just want to get through everyone quickly

When you properly think about that, it is absolutely disgusting. Throwing peoples heritage out of the window due to sheer laziness and ignorance.

In case president Bush is deprived of his heritage.

That's my Bushanofalos!