A part of unrealized script of The Godfather IV by Mario Puzo adapted in a book by Ed Falco.

The Godfather was adaptation of unwritten book. It was the year 1967. Mario Puzo needed money when Paramount’s vice president of production Peter Bart saw a potential in writer’s manuscript in sixty pages. Two years later, the book was released and was bestselling in sixty-seven weeks. Two more years later appeared film’s adaptation. The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather: Part II (1974) are kind of films where I remember names of characters. In 1977, director Francis Ford Coppola edited movies in four-series The Godfather Saga for television, where the story was set chronologically to where added unused scenes in theatrical release. After appearance of The Godfather: Part III director again for home screens did The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980 in 1992. The story also moves chronologically, but Coppola didn’t use just few scenes from previous TV release, which aren’t significant. Peculiarity (and I count it a deep disappointment.) that television of that time didn’t allow cruelty and Francis Ford Coppola edited and chose needful frames. I hope the director will fix it as did with some other films. Version for television has as scenes, which must be in films and as I didn’t like episode of beating and nearly killing of Don Fanucci by couple of petty bandits, because it kills character’s authority and makes him pity. Vito Corleone before assassination of Don Ciccio personally slays two retired Don’s made men. I like a conversation with one of them about a boy and then revelation that he is that boy, which finishes in death by paddle. Brilliant staged scene of revenge for Apollonia, whose hiding murderer Fabrizio dies in same way as that tried to do with Michael. I like a moment of short crawling after explosion.

NB. It was filmed another version of character killing, which I don’t like. Michael personally comes in pizzeria and shoots to it’s owner from lupara.

Francis Ford Coppola talks in last years if he decide on quantity of films he would did only the first part. Director sees the story completes here. Paramount wanted a sequel and for motivation gave to Coppola a Mercedes-Benz limousine. The second part he didn’t want to film and preferred to stay as producer when his chosen Martin Scorsese will a director. Studio wanted Coppola. He agreed to did on many own artistic conditions (first and second parts of The Godfather must connect between each other; allowance of directing a production of San Francisco Opera and based on own screenplay The Conversation; write a script for adaptation of The Great Gatsby.). Also Francis Ford Coppola had a fine idea of father and son in same age, which wanted to use somewhere. He saw that it can do in The Godfather: Part II. Studio wasn’t liking “Part II” in title, because thought that potential audience can accept as that’s a same film. Later using of numbers became a practice.

Francis Ford Coppola didn’t want to make a third part. Mario Puzo, who is writer of spectacular two films, made a horrendous draft in 1978 on Antonio Corleone, who was hired by CIA for killing Latin American dictator. He wrote a second time in 1986, which known about presence of Sonny Corleone’s illegitimate son Vincent Mancini and young years of Sonny Corleone. Paramount had many screenplays and were attaching many people for directing. One of them was Sylvester Stallone, who failed audition on two deadly roles of Carlo Rizzi and Paulie Gatto in The Godfather. From his words, “The Godfather III situation unfolded when the head of Paramount presented me poster with a poster already printed that had my picture and beneath it “The Godfather III, written, acted and directed by Sylvester Stallone.” Needless to say, if I weren’t wearing a hat, my skull would’ve split in two. Red-faced, I said to the headman “This is the worst idea since my conception.” Francis created duel masterpieces and it was egregious insensitivity to pull it away from his for monetary reasons. Therefore I took this idea to the sea of mediocrity and plunged it to the bottom.” I am same opinion. Francis Ford Coppola filmed it, because needed in money for pay debt created by failure of One from the Heart (1981), which was settled in 90s. Another condition for Paramount was major financing of director’s Tucker: The Man and His Dream.

I never saw The Godfather: Part III in full. Every time of broadcasting on TV was short in any shown scene. I like tones, which follows to previous parts and nothing more in this awful film. Head of mafia presented as confirmed patriarch whom nobody respects. He is pity in attempt on importance of law degree for his son. What is a trouble to find an attorney? Presence of Key has a reason for commercial purposes as a character of previous parts. Of course, The Godfather 1-2 has mistake on accuracy of mafia, but I couldn’t look when underboss executes hitman’s job. Frequent annoying hysteria of Andy Garcia’s character in necessity to kill Joey Zaza or a sloppy staged scene with two assassins. Dialogs can pronounce people who made farewell to commonsense. What I saw in screenplay isn’t elaborated. Killing by glasses makes me laugh, because it recalls parody Mafia! by Jim Abrahams where one hitman takes a cover of Riverdance dancer. On surviving of shooting from helicopters, Michael says that Joey Zaza can’t allow helicopter and it must be somebody mighty. Really?

The Godfather IV, which was titled The Godfather: The Final Part, was in development in which Coppola and Puzo agreed, because the last wanted to make money for his kids.

Narration of potential film projected to repeat a structure of the second part what is not good as was reusing simultaneous kills in the third part. One action happens in 30s, where Robert De Niro resumes role of Vito Corleone and Leonardo DiCaprio planned to perform young Sonny Corleone. A second timeframe takes place in 80s and then 90s where was known that Andy Garcia and Talia Shire were ready to play their characters. For plot of this potential film’s part should have been fresh actual events what shows here that fantasy was nullified. Prickly boss Vincent Mancini makes from Corleone family in drugdealing clan what moves to degradation and eventually it finishes in storming of police special forces where from one of them Mancini gets a shot as whole was with Pablo Escobar, whose story was a pattern for the fourth film. Coppola wanted to finish the film in far-fetched dramatizing of simultaneous deaths of Mancini and Michael Corleone. It could be worst of The Godfather III. Death of Mario Puzo influenced on director to stop production, because he respects original creator.

The fourth film wasn’t released, but setting of 30s years in Puzo’s screenplay was transferred in the book The Family Corleone written by unknown Ed Falco.

Nothing exquisite in a text, which reading stopped close to half of the book. It was with feeling of throwing first from mind. Characters, who would be die shortly, live longer for make this composition in almost four hundred fifty pages. The Family Corleone’s actions aren’t from world, which I know. Dialogs contain simplistic phrases for filling empty spaces. Once was a moment where one personage went poetic about two wounded associates. One got a bullet in leg and it would to make him “eunuch” if moved on three inches in left. Second was shot in wrist and it was compared with “crucifixion of Jesus”. Not once Falco’s describing of situation was making me awkward. His using of Italian words don’t fit. I’ve dropped this hopeless book and cooked a rest of pasta, which stirred with fried onion and pieces of meat on pan to where added ketchup and drop of adjika and stirred again.