Novel vs Movie

There are some differences between the novel and the film(s).

Personally I find it a bit confusing that in the novel both Sonny as Tom are born in 1910 (being 35 years at Connie's wedding), while in the movie, according to the DVD Collection, Sonny was born in 1916. This has to do something I guess with the fact that there were also differences in the year of birth of Vito himself: 1887 or 1892. He would be only 18 years old when he had Sonny, if he was born in 1892. Also the novel says that Vito played with Genco Abbandando on Sicily, before moving to America, and that his fathers, Antonio and Oreste, were friends back there, while according to his movie-age and the movie's storyline this never happened (he escaped from Sicily alone, we never hear from any Abbandando following him, in fact they are supposed to taken him into their house when Vito got out of quarantine at Ellis Island).

There are more differences between book and movie. Which ones do any of you like or dislike most, wether the movie is better or the novel?

Lucy Mancini was not pregnant in the book, and Michael has two sons. not like in the movie Lucy has Vincent and Mikey has a boy and a girl. . .
BTW, i like both the movie and the novel.
welcome to the boards Pherdy!

GoodFella

I like the movie better because I would rather watch it than read it. I like visual aids

Two glaring differences -

1. In the book Sonny (as a young kid) saw Vito kill Fanucci; not so in the movie.

2. In the book Calo was killed along with Appolonia; not so in the movie (although that fact isn't clear until Part III).

I think you're mixing apples and oranges here. The movies (Part I and II) differ in Vito's birth year, but the novel never mentions it, nor does it give us a clue about what his age is. The movie (Part II) points to 1916 as Sonny's birth year, so Vito would've been either 25* or 29 when Sonny was born.

*The age 25 comes from my calculation that Vito was born in 1891, not 1892.

BTW, there was a good discussion here on this subject last year. Click on THIS LINK to view that thread.

I found out where I got the 1887/1892 mix up from: it was J Geoff's site of the Godfather Trilogy.com.
The 1916 birthyear of Sonny I got from the DVD box, which says 1892 for Vito Andolini and the regular 1910 for Tom. I now assume, since there are some differences between novel and movie (Although some dialogues are LITERALLY from the book!!!), there is no real truth about the birth-date of any of the characters, the stories are just 99,5% alike, but not completely. The book told a story about slightly older Santino's and Tom Hagen's, it's probably that simple.

What made you think Vito was born in 1891?

And Don Palentino: for as for as how good the book is... I never read books, I really really HATE reading anything at all, and I'm a big fan of movies, going to the movies, renting movies, anything... but since I liked the Godfather Saga so much and wanted to know so much more about any of the stories and characters and histories, I bought the book online, and am now reading it every minute of the day. For a person who hates to read, that must mean something, I guess?

Hi,
The novel adds more background to the story. In the novel many of the supporting characters are explained in more detail. Also it tells the story of young Vito. Johnny Fontaine's womanizing is also revealed.

For a long time I put book against film and what have you, but, I found the best thing is to take them as different projects loosely based around each other!!

I dont like the Vincent Mancini thing, or the fact the kids are all wrong for Mike, girl/boy instead of 2 boys. It was also wrong to me that in the book Kay come looking for Mike not Mike looking for Kay as in the film, which to me puts the relationship on a different footing in a sense.

For me the best way to deal with it was to accept them for what they were, excellent films with a lot of artistic licence

Well, it works for me

FH

WOW! family Honour, you look great! Love your new look!

I AGREE!

But, I'd have to pick the movie. Know what I liked about it? No reading.

Moving to Godfather Novel forum...

read it bro. there are lots of stuff regarding the background and details of each character. like how bad Luca Brasi was, how Al Neri joined the family, Dr Jules, Nino Valenti etc. have you bought the book?

GoodFella

I know, bro. I was jokin'. I hate reading, but when it's something I'm interested in, I like to. I really wanna read it... But, I didn't get it yet, no. Money is too scarce in my house to even work up eight bucks for the paper back. Every dime is directed towards bills. Being poor sucks... But, don't worry! I'll get it soon!

no gigs bro? pawn your guitar.(joke)

GoodFella

Taking a little break with gigging for a bit.

I just bought a nice new guitar towards the end of the summer. Fiesta Red Fender Jag-Stang, designed by Kurt Cobain... Bee-yoo-tee-ful!

that's a classic bro. a guitar designed by a guy who sleeps with the fishes. have you used stratocaster before? is it nice? my cousin have a band also and uses stratocaster.

GoodFella

(Sorry to go off subject, guys!)

A guy who sleeps with the fishes!!! !

Yeah, it sure is a classic. They don't make it no more... It was discontinued in '98. Now, ya can only get 'em used.

I use strats alot... They are pretty good. I prefer Fender strats alot of times... But, a Jag-Stang is a rythm players dream guitar.

off topic? you're right bro. from novel to guitar. anyways, good luck on your book hunting and enjoy your read Mang! (back to the book)

GoodFella

Five off topic posts, by us only!

Grazie, bro... Hope to get it soon! You'll be the first I give my opinions to!

Strats suck. I'll never give up my Les Paul! Anyway... yeah... off-topic!

Someone sure likes the image a little too much...

Strats aren't too good themselves but I personally like Fat-Strats, made with a thicker body for a fuller sound and humbuckers instead of simple boring single coil pickups. JG you're right about the Les Paul, I love 'em. and Jag-Stang, wow, I've never actually seen the mule of the guitar before in person. Heard alot of good things about them though. My favourite guitar though has to be one of my own. It's an original Charvel before Jackson took over but with Jackson pickups. I've done alot of work to this baby but still needs a new bridge.

Sorry for butting in guys.

Its really quite simple, and I'm surprised whomever did the timelines for the DVD overlooked this.

(From Part II):

1. We know Vito was 9 years old when his father was killed (there's a subtitled scene telling us that).

2. We know Vito arrived in America in 1901 (he's sitting on a chair on Ellis Island when a subtitle gives us the year).

3. We know his birthday was December 7th.

OK....It definitely wasn't December when Vito arrived in America (check out the immigrants' clothing on the ship). So we can deduce that Vito was still 9 years old when he arrived (not having reached his 10th birthday yet) in 1901. That means he was born December 7, 1891.

I’m still concerned about some dates in the novel. According to the novel Vito Andolini was born in 1891 (the movie says 1887, part II says 1892) and stayed in Italy untill he was twelve years old, so untill 1903 (part II says he leaves for America in 1901). The novel says 18-year old Vito marries 16-year old Carmella, so in 1909, while the movie/DVD says it’s in 1914. After their first year of marriage, to the book, Sonny is born. This must mean 1910 then, which is accompanied by the facts of the sequences of Tom Hagen’s background and Connie’s wedding, where it is said both Tom and Sonny are 35 years old at that time (which is soon after WWII). According to the DVD/movie trilogy though Sonny is born 1916, and Tom in 1910. According to the Maranzano sequence in the book, Sonny is born in 1917 (in chapter XIV it says Santino was a 16 year old young men on New Year’s Eve 1933, which would mean he’d get seventeen the year after. This would mean that Tom is either born in 1916 or ’17 as well). Also it says that Tom Hagen at that point has been living with the Corleone’s for three years, so from 1930, when he is 13 years old, and not eleven years as stated before. If he really ís born in 1910, then he had come to the Family aged twenty years.

Also, the Maranzano sequence as a whole is dated wrong, but this I remembered from the deaths of the popes in part III as well, which are inaccurate to the real popes’ deaths. In the novel, Maranzano gets killed in a restaurant in 1933. In the real mafia-history, Maranzano’s nemesis Joe the Boss Masseria was killed this way in 1931, after being betrayed by Lucky Luciano in the restaurant. After this Maranzano organizes a big meeting where he introduces the La Cosa Nostra-structure. This structure is the beginning of the Five Family’s and the Family-chain of Don-Consiglieri-Caporegime-Soldier-Buttonman. Manzano becomes the first and only ‘capo di tutti capi’. In the book, Genco Abbandando already is Vito’s consiglieri in the mid-twenties. The real Maranzano get’s killed anyway, but that was in 1931 and in another way (hitmen dressed up as IRS-agents surprise him in his office).

So we have confusing information about birthyears of Sonny, Vito and Hagen, and misplacements of some historical facts.

Everything about Sonny and Tom’s ages would be straightened out if we’d assume the books early facts of them being 35 at Connie’s wedding are wrong, and accept they are born in 1916/17, I would be a lot happier. Still, I don’t know why the movie-Vito had to be born in another year and leave for New York another year than the book-Vito. And, not that important though, why his marriage-dates are different is a surprise to me too.

I got the 1891 myself, but not in the same way you described it, but from a little math from the book, which I can't place anymore. But your explanation is very cleaver.

I'm a wiseguy now.

I think my brain's gone soft. No kidding! It took me quite a while to follow the math in this simple equation (dates are confusing sometimes!).

But you seem to be right, SC! I've updated my GF Timeline - grazie!

JG

ah yes, a great man who isn't afraid to say he was wrong!

The novel has Michael making the move to Las Vegas and living there. He and Kay are much closer in the book - she mets him at the airport after every trip.

and Michael was always banging Kay in the book (before they got married)

GoodFella

I am re-reading the Novel right now and it is so good. If you want to now the 'Why's" of this or that or why a certain character might have done something the movie isn't clear about you need to read the novle. I wish the movie had shown more of Lucy's character, it had a bigger part in the novel.

Yes, Lucy is well known in the book for her bigger parts.

GoodFella

She was a lot more deeper and complex than her "parts" guys, as was Sonny well, maybe

I was going to make a comment about Sonny and "depth", but that seemed too easy.