Was there a boss who was similar to Michael? In godfather 2 he appeared to be out of sight and out of mind. If you compare that to some of the old school mafia dons like Frank Costello, many people would see him walking around the streets. You get the sense that Michael was always very calculated and was rarely if ever seen by lower level member of his family. Also, if a mafia boss in the 40s(when Michael first became boss I believe) wiped out the rest of the heads of the 5 families like Michael did and assumed control of everything, would that boss have been as successful as Michael was down the line?
Re: Michael Corleone similarities
[Re: Revis_Knicks]
#966819 03/16/1910:36 PM03/16/1910:36 PM
Joe Bonanno tried. That's where Puzo got the idea. The Godfather was Puzo's "what if" nod to Bonanno's crazy idea.
"...the successful annihilation of organized crime's subculture in America would rock the 'legitimate' world's foundation, which would ultimately force fundamental social changes and redistributions of wealth and power in this country. Meyer Lansky's dream was to bond the two worlds together so that one could not survive without the other." - Dan E. Moldea
Re: Michael Corleone similarities
[Re: OakAsFan]
#966948 03/17/1902:54 PM03/17/1902:54 PM
If I remember correctly the events of the novel and movies start in late 1945 (with flashbacks obviously). By the time Michael makes his move against the other families, he's been married to Kay long enough that their son is already reading (remember he jokes with the Don about the funny papers); so it has to be at least the early 1950s. He kills the police captain in early 1946, hides out in Sicily, comes back, waits a year before he even contacts Kay--so they're not married until at least 1948.
Re: Michael Corleone similarities
[Re: Giacomo]
#967022 03/17/1910:32 PM03/17/1910:32 PM
If I remember correctly the events of the novel and movies start in late 1945 (with flashbacks obviously). By the time Michael makes his move against the other families, he's been married to Kay long enough that their son is already reading (remember he jokes with the Don about the funny papers); so it has to be at least the early 1950s. He kills the police captain in early 1946, hides out in Sicily, comes back, waits a year before he even contacts Kay--so they're not married until at least 1948.
Sounds about right. I still wish that we were filled in on how Michael amassed such an empire by the time Godfather 3 comes around. I’m assuming it’s all from real estate, casinos, and illegal activities but he made enough legitimate money to sell off the illegal portion of his businesses and live comfortably as a man worth 9 figures.