Dec 23, 2021
Longtime journalist and author Mark Seal has a fantastic new book out that's positively overstuffed with brilliant and hilarious and mind-blowing anecdotes about the story of 'The Godfather', from Mario Puzo's unlikely beginnings to the movie's famously tortuous path to and through production.
Mark and I chat about some of the great revelations in his book and about all the wonderful and colorful period characters, from mobsters to studio executives to Marlon Brando, Pacino, Luca Brasi, and more.
From Amazon's description of Mark's book:
The behind-the-scenes story of the making
of The Godfather, fifty years after the classic
film’s original release.
The story of how The Godfather was made is as
dramatic, operatic, and entertaining as the film itself. Over the
years, many versions of various aspects of the movie’s fiery
creation have been told—sometimes conflicting, but always
compelling. Mark Seal sifts through the evidence, has extensive new
conversations with director Francis Ford Coppola and several
heretofore silent sources, and complements them with colorful
interviews with key players including actors Al Pacino, James Caan,
Talia Shire, and others for irresistible insights into how the
movie whose success some initially doubted roared to glory.
On top of the usual complications of filmmaking, the creators
of The Godfather had to contend with the
real-life members of its subject matter: the Mob. During production
of the movie, location permits were inexplicably revoked, author
Mario Puzo got into a public brawl with an irate Frank Sinatra,
producer Al Ruddy’s car was found riddled with bullets, men with
“connections” vied to be in the cast, and some were given film
roles.
As Seal notes, this is the tale of “a classic movie that
revolutionized filmmaking, saved Paramount Pictures, minted a new
generation of movie stars, made its struggling author Mario Puzo
rich and famous, and sparked a war between two of the mightiest
powers in America: the sharks of Hollywood and the highest echelons
of the Mob.”
Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli is the lively and
complete story of how a masterpiece was made, perfect
for anyone who loves the movies.
Mark Seal's Website
Buy the Book