Hi all -

Carol Gino will be coming on soon, perhaps next week, so if anyone has any questions about The Family, feel free to start posting!

JG

Ms. Gino -

First, and foremost, I'd like to thank you for coming to these boards to discuss "The Family". I'm not that much of an avid reader, but I've read "The Godfather" about 20 times (the first time after graduating high school in 1969), and its probably my all time favorite piece of fiction. I was also very impressed by your "Rusty's Story" (I had a cat that had epilepsy, and in trying to understand what she was going through, I picked up your book). It was probably one of the most gut wrenching "true" stories I've ever read!

Anyway, I'm intriqued by "power" and with those who wield it. "The Godfather" and "The Sicilian" had characters who certainly fit into that category, and it sounds like "The Family" will have some more.

My question is this: Did Mr. Puzo ever talk about this (the powerful people he wrote about)?

---------------------------------------------
Update: I just read your Afterword, which Geoff posted today, and it answered my question

Did Mr. Puzo ever go into why he was fascinated by "power"?? (I can't say why I am so interested in it).

BTW - That Afterword was really poignant! I think the last time I was so looking forward to the release of a book was back in 1969 when I read Dick Schaap's review of "The Godfather". Here it is, 32 years later, and I'm eagerly looking forward to another story by the same author. Its funny how some things don't change.

[ September 10, 2001: Message edited by: SC ]

Ms. Gino, welcome here and I hope you'd have the chance to "drop by" more often.

My questions aren't regarding The Family. They're more about the late Mr. Puzo (RIP).

Introduction to Question 1

I've always thought that there was a great resemblence between Mr. Puzo and the Writer/Author Earnst Vail in The Last Don. Some of the similarities that come to mind are:

1] Both were originally Book writers who diverged into movie-scripts from time-to-time.

2] Both had their first-best-selling novel made into movies. Those movies (in both cases) consisted of more than one part/movie.

3] Both were emotionally involved with female lawyers. In Earnst Vail's case, Molly Flanders wasn't an exclusive relationship (I mean no offence here...sorry for any possible misunderstanding.)

4] Both were gamblers. I heard that Mr. Puzo (RIP), like Earnst Vail, was a not-so-good a gambler.

Question 1:
Anyway, my question is as follows: As far as you know, would it be possible for Mr. Puzo (RIP) to have felt a little-bit cheated by Parammount Pictures like Earnst Vail was on his best-selling novel? The reason I'm asking this is because the "movie companies" in both "The Last Don" and "Omerta" (to a lesser extent) are described to be corrupted to a great extent. At first I thought Mr. Puzo had a personal Vendetta against them.

The idea of Vail's hiers having the right to a big-share of any "sequel-movie-revenue" sounds real genuine. Is it the case with Mr. Puzo and The Godfather novel?

Introduction to Question 2

It's mentioned everywhere that Mr. Puzo does a lot of research regarding many details of his books. I have read an interview with Mr. Puzo (RIP) in which he mentions that "...The character of Vito Corleone is completely fiction. I have never met an honest gangster..." (I have made that quote from memory. I haven't read that interview for several months now.)

Question 2:

Aparently in his research (and if that interview was accurate), Mr. Puzo met and got to know (even if on a brief, and on a research-related basis) some so-called "gangsters". Did he ever speak of who he met? Were those "gangsters" publicly known or where they "small-time-gangsters"? Is it possible that you mention any names, if you know of any?

I also remember Mr. Puzo (in an interview) saying: "...those guys (American Mafia people) wouldn't last one day in Sicily...." If I remember correctly, he was remarking on the American's careless display of their wealth and anger. Do you know of any "Sicilian" Mafia people that Mr. Puzo could've compared those American Mafia members with? Did he know, or was he in contact with such Sicilian people?

Introduction to Question 3:

I'm not sure of the credibility of my information as I can't remember where/when I read/heard that it was a Co-author who put the finishing touches on Omerta. Of course, if my information in incorrect about a "co-author", then please ignore this question.

Question 3: Is it true that someone assisted Mr. Puzo (RIP) in finishing Omerta? Who decided on that particular person to participate in the book? Do you know around which part of the book, that person's contribution started to dominate?

Question 4
Several sources that I have come across have mentioned Salvatore Guiliano as being nick-named "Turrido". Do you have any idea as to why Mr. Puzo nick-named Salvatore Guiliano "Turi" in The Sicilian? I think that "Turi" sounds more child-fitting than "Turrido", to my non-Italian ears. Was that Mr. Puzo's objective; to emphasize Salvatore's innocence and child-like nature? In other sources, most people named "Salvatore" would be nick-named "Sal" or "Sally" (as Tessio in GF or Sal in Dog Day Afternoon). Was using a similar "Sal" variation in The Sicilian an option for Mr. Puzo as far as you know?

I do apologize for the long post (I can go on asking forever) and if it included any inconvenient/offensive remarks or questions.

Thank you again for visiting this board and I really wish that you'd be able to do so more often.

[ September 18, 2001: Message edited by: Sonny ]

Hello Ms. Gino. Its a pleasure to ask you my questions and welcome the board that JG has done us all so proud.

I'm very exited for the release of The Family

I'm interested in the characters of The Family. What sort of connection will the audience of the book be able to make with the characters? Who are the main characters?
For example with The Sicilian we have Salvatore Giuliano and can establish trust with him. Most of us would like to think we have some of the traits of young Turi. His braveness, intelligence and so on. The audience is gripped into the book wanting only what he deserves. Will The Family be able to make the same connection as like most of Mario's work has done for us? I ask this because it sounds like a treacherous story. I hope its not too much of a wierd question.

Thank you very much.


Also in completion I have to say this is one of the most beautifull pictures i've ever seen... Where abouts is it?



[ September 09, 2001: Message edited by: Turi Giuliano ]

Hi again. I have some more questions....

This has just came to me but was there ever a point (that you know of) when Mario really took great interest about renaissonce Italy?

How was his research conducted? So far what i've gathered about the research of The Sicilian you both travelled to Sicily and learned more. I've also seen your pictures of Rome. Was this part of the research or a general holiday?

On a seperate subject to the Family (I hope it's alright)...What real views did Mario have of the real life Sicilian bandit Salvatore Giuliano? The way he wrote about him is how I was inspired of how great a man he was. Giuliano was always a legend. Mario made him and ever greater legend. (Look at the inpact he's had on me).

Carol Gino should be on anytime now!

Please, treat her as "one of the guys" -- don't be too formal...

And feel free to create new topics within this forum to ask questions...

Thanks,

Geoff

[ September 18, 2001: Message edited by: J Geoff ]

SC. Mario often talked about people who weilded power, and his approach was "never use power because it's easy to your hand." He knew that the abuse of power was the most dangerous of human "sins" and yet he always had an "affection" for the villians he wrote about. Not in real life, but in fiction.

Hi Sonny,
Yep, you're right. Ernest Vail and Mario did have lots of things in common. Yes, he did think that Hollywood was as corrupt as the Mafia (the old Romantic Mafia that he made myth of) but all of his characters had some of him in them. He once told me that the reason to write books was that you can control how things turn out! You've made some good observations and so I know that when you read this last book, you'll know how much of it Mario wrote. His voice and his funny sense of humor and vision runs through all of it.
As far as his estate getting a big share of the money from his books and sequels...did you know an author only gets 10 to 15% of a book he writes. And as far as the movie deals, he had a "net" deal on Godfather I which means that the studios got to take off all the expenses before he got a cent (which was only a couple of years ago...) So he might have felt like Ernest Vail.

Hi Turi,
If you liked Turi, you'll really like Cesare. He too was a warrior. And yes, in each of Mario's books he wrote characters that represent traits that he hoped we'd recognize ourselves in. Some heroic, some treacherous, some courageous and some vulnerable. He wrote "big stories" Myths. And if you look closely you'll see that he even mentioned that Turi looked the the Renaissance General Cesare. (In the Sicilian) By then we were already playing with those characters. The Pope is a "reasonable man" like the Godfather and he loved his children above all. And that's where the trouble comes from. The five powers of the country that was not yet "Italy" are just like the five families in the Godfather. And that was a very good question, not weird at all.

Turi,
His research began far before this but when we visited the Vatican in 1983 is when he began to "story it" to teach me about the history of Italy because I truly knew nothing about it. And for all these years after that, any time we went back to Italy, or when we were home, he would tell me stories about the original "crime" families to show me that though we have evolved in technology, human beings are much the same as they were all those centuries ago. But he always said it kindly and without judgment.

Hi everyone,
I'm going to try to post the answers to at least 5-10 questions each time I get back on here. But if I miss a question you guys want an answer to, please just ask again. I've read all your posts, it's just hard to remember all the questions. And sometimes the answers seem to go on too long, so I figure I'll take a little time to get used to all of this. By the way, I haven't yet seen the "Biography" A&E production that airs tomorrow night so we're all going to be surprised by it together. If I've said anything dopey, it's not me...it's a stand-in.

Thanks, Carol, for your insightful comments, and welcome to the boards! I can speak for everyone when I say your time here is very much appreciated!

People - from now one, to make it easier for Carol, please post (or re-post) your questions in a separate thread to help avoid confusion and to better aid in dialogue. Thanks!

JG

Thanks alot and cheers for enlightening us Carol. Drink with us....