FADE IN:

The Paramount Pictures logo is presented over a simple black
background, as a single trumpet plays the familiar theme of
a waltz. White lettering fades in:

Mario Puzo's THE GODFATHER

There is a pause, as the trumpet concludes, and there is the
additional title: - The Lost Years -

INT: VITO and his family stand on stairs by a courtyard.
CUT TO: The Corleone family greeting people on the steeps.
CUT TO: A train with the Corleone's on it. Everyone including the wheelchair bound Don TOMMASINO. VITO is holding MICHAEL's hand and waving good bye.
VITO
MICHAEL say good bye.
FADE INTO: Genco Pura Olive Oil Office - CLOSE VIEW ON VITO
CORLEONE - DAY

standing impassively, like a young Prince, recently crowned
King.

CLOSE VIEW ON VITO's hand. PETER CLEMENZA kisses his hand.
Then it is taken away. ZOOM OUT-We can SEE the front door and the sign of Genco Pura Olive Oil
We HEAR, over this, very faintly sounds of many people on the streets,
as THE VIEW MOVES SLOWLY CLOSER to DON VITO CORLEONE in his chair.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. A PARK LANDSCAPE - FULL VIEW – DAY August 1927

We see a banner hanging from two trees reading “15th Anniversary of Vito and Carmella Corleone”.
We see 21 picnic tables in 5 rows of 4, and one extra table on the end, around this area. There are about 100 people gathered around the tables.
VITO and CARMELLA are sitting at the table on the end. Their eldest son SANTINO is seated next to them. Their other children FREDO, MICHAEL, and CONNIE are sitting on the opposite side of the table.

GENCO ABBANDANDO, his wife CARLA ABBANDANDO, and their two daughters are seated at a neighboring table. Also at this table are FRANCESCA ABBANDANDO, Vito’s aunt, and Genco’s mother. Her husband ORESTE ABBANDANDO is wheeling a cart over to Vito’s table. On the cart is a huge cake.

There are MUSICIANS playing a Tarantella throughout this time, but the Tarantella ends, and everyone is suddenly quiet.

ORESTE ABBANDANDO places the cake on the table in front of the CORLEONES.
VITO rises and hugs his uncle ORESTE.

VITO CORLEONE
Grazie.
ORESTE
(Sicilian) I’d do anything for my nephew.

ORESTE goes over to sit with his family. VITO rises and motions for everyone to be silent.

VITO CORLEONE
Thank you all for coming. Grazie. Grazie. You are welcome friends of my family and myself. If there is anything I can do for you, you come we talk, eh.

Many people including VITO and CARMELLA laugh.

VITO CORLEONE
We are gathered here today to celebrate 15 years of wonderful marriage between my lovely wife, Carmella and I. We have been blessed with 4 children. You all know my eldest son Santino; he’s with me wherever I go. Stand up Santino. (SANTINO stands) He’s only 12 years old and I can already see the bright future of this first Corleone born in America. (VITO motions across the table) These are my other children Fredo, Michael, and my daughter Constanzia. I met Carmella at an Italian festival in 1911. It was as some say, love at first sight. (VITO laughs) However, for myself, it is love at every sight. There isn’t a moment that goes by that I don’t thank God for blessing me with such a wonderful family, and a beautiful wife, who is not only my love, but also my companion in life. (To CARMELLA) Here’s to another 15 years.

VITO and CARMELLA embrace as everyone taps their drinks together in a “cheers”. Everyone laughs as CONNIE hugs FREDO; mocking her parents.

VITO CORLEONE
As you can see my family is full of love. (Laughter as VITO raises a drink to the air) Now everyone celebrate!

A loud cheer erupts but is drowned out by a new Tarantella starting up from the bandstand.

VITO CORLEONE
Sit tight Carmella, I’m going to go and mingle with my closest friends.
CARMELLA CORLEONE
(Sicilian) Ok, dear. I love you, Vitone. I’ll see you later.
VITO CORLEONE
(Sicilian) I love you too, Carme.

The two embrace again and Vito walks off-screen.

EXT. Bocce Court - MED. VIEW – DAY

VITO walks on-screen to join SALVATORE TESSIO, PETER CLEMENZA, and GENCO ABBANDANDO. VITO and GENCO team against TESSIO and CLEMENZA as the men converse.

TESSIO
(Sicilian) This is a great party you’ve got here Vito.
VITO
Grazie. (Sicilian) It is a wonderful gathering if I do say so myself.

CLEMENZA returns to where the men are standing after grabbing a slice of watermelon.

CLEMENZA
(Sicilian)Where there’s food and women, I’ll be there!
VITO
(S) Same old Clemenza as before, eh? I’ve got business to discuss with the 3 of you later. Come see me in my office first thing tomorrow. Bring all of our partners as well.
CLEMENZA
(S) We’ll be there, Vito.
VITO
(S)Genco, thank your father for the delicious cake. It must have taken him all night to bake a cake like that.
GENCO
(S) Of course I will, cousin. How’s my nephew, Santino?
VITO
(S)He looks more and more like his father everyday. I’m raising him to be an American version of myself. He could be President one day!

We can faintly hear the men continue talking as we ZOOM out of them playing their game, and PAN over the large crowd to a table where 4 men are seated. HYMAN ROTHSTEIN and his brother SAM ROTHSTEIN are on one side of the table. MOE GREENE and JOHNNY OLA are on the other side. We perceive their voices in mid-conversation.

HYMAN ROTHSTEIN
(Hebrew) Will it really be a better living than I have here?
MOE GREENE
(H) Yeah, I’m sure it will. I’ve got this picture in my head. There are so many people. This little pit stop out in the desert will be a famous city, and we’ll own it all!
SAM ROTHSTEIN
(H) (To Hyman) Johnny, what do you think? I told you these guys had a plan. What should we do?
HYMAN
(H)Well, Sam, it looks like we’re moving to Nevada. (To MOE) So, where are we gonna stay in this deserted stretch of sand, a tent? (laughs)
GREENE
(H) Stop kidding around, Johnny. I’m serious, this is my dream, and it can come true very easily. There are very few laws in Nevada. We can get away with anything.
HYMAN
(H) Really? Okay, but like I said where are we gonna stay at?
MOE
(H) We’ll stay in Carson City, while they’re building the first two buildings. One Hotel, and one Casino. You go the Casino, you can gamble, and you can play whatever you want. Baccarat, Roulette, Rummy, Pinnacle, you name it. There’ll be women, booze, tobacco, what more could you want? Important people from all over will come to stay there. Hollywood, San Francisco, New York. Local celebrities from Omaha, Denver, Phoenix, Dallas, it’ll be great!
JOHNNY OLA
(H) Moe, don’t forget about life away from the Casinos. There are NO taxes, a very lenient government, and the best part is that there aren’t any pain-in-the-ass Yankees, everywhere you look. We can control our own society. We will be celebrities in our own right. We’ll be dining with the President of the United States!

HYMAN and Sam walk away to converse in private.

HYMAN
(H) What do you think, Sam?
SAM
(H) I think we should go for it.
HYMAN
(H) Then it’s decided. We’ll move to Carson City with Moe and Ola.

They return to the table.

HYMAN
(H) We’re in.

The 4 men shake hands. ZOOM OUT and PAN across the bandstand where VITO is standing with AUGUSTINO COPPOLA. His son, CARMINE COPPOLA, is getting situated on stage with his flute.

AUGUSTINO COPPOLA
(S) Hey Boss, how are you doing? This party has been very entertaining so far. My son, Carmine, is going to play a solo for you on his flute.
VITO
My godson is going to play a solo for me. This might be the happiest I’ve been all day.

The MUSICIANS end their Tarantella, and leave the stage for a recess. CARMINE COPPOLA begins playing a slow tune on his flute. VITO seems to know the piece, and hums along while he watches from the front of a group of 5 or 6 people.

The flute continues as we dissolve to CORLEONE, SICILY in 1901. We see young VITO ANDOLINI, and his brother PAOLO ANDOLINI sitting outside their home on a sunny Sicilian day. Their father ANTONIO ANDOLINI is telling them about his meeting with DON FRANCESCO CICCIO the day before.

ANTONIO
(S) Don Ciccio, says that if I do not back up Mosca Donatone in court tomorrow I will pay severely. Ciccio is outraged because someone broke Omerta and went to thee authorities. I refuse to lie for a man like this. He’s a Mafioso, his nephew, Mosca, is a Mafioso. My sons, if anything should happen to me, I want you to forget it, pay no attention to the result and don’t let it affect your lives. You will grow up to be respectable Sicilians; you will be better people than Don Ciccio and his Mafiosi. They live by the rules of Sicilia. They live by the Mafia. I’m as Sicilian as the next man, but there is no place in our society for framing an innocent man of murder, and letting the guilty party go free to kill again. His son, Strollo, is a Mafioso too, but murder is not the way to solve problems. We are Sicilians, we live by Vendetta, but there needn’t be a Vendetta if there is no reason. Rather than think about defending themselves against Parliament they’re busy worrying about whom to kill next, it’s not the life I want for you, my children. One day you will live in America. It’s the land of the free; in America, there is no Mafia to threaten us.

DISSOLVE back to BANDSTAND 1927. The piece ends and VITO goes on the stage to embrace his godson. FADE OUT of the park and over the neighboring area. DISSOLVE to night, ZOOM back in on PARK. It is late evening; the moon casts shadows of the tree branches on the ground, under the lights of the bandstand and the picnic area. Most of the guests have left; there are about 10 people at the party still. We see VITO and SANTINO at a table. They are cleaning up their area, as CLEMENZA, GENCO, TESSIO, and ROTHSTEIN play cards. THOMAS HAGEN SENIOR approaches VITO with his son TOM HAGEN.

THOMAS HAGEN SENIOR
Thank you for inviting me to this wonderful celebration here today. I don’t tend to get involved in illegal issues, but I thought you might care to know that David McKigney lives in my building, and he’s planning on re-instating the Irish Mob here in New York. I’m your loyal friend, since our sons are such good friends. I fear that he may cause harm to my family or myself if he discovers I am a friend of yours.
VITO
You have nothing to fear, my friend, I will talk to this David McKigney and see what he plans to do with this city.
HAGEN SENIOR
Thank you, Signor Corleone. I appreciate that.
VITO
I’ll do anything for my friends.

INT. Corleone Apartment in Little Italy-night
VITO and CARMELLA are in bed. There is a light on next to the bed. Both are topless. CARMELLA is rubbing Vito’s back as he sits on the bed.

VITO
(S) Carme, I love you. It’s been a wonderful 15 years, we have such amazing children, and I have such a beautiful wife.

VITO and CARMELLA kiss and then lie back on the bed together as VITO turns off the light.