Hats off to the grand father of ‘The Godfather’, the great gambler, and even greater writer Mario Puzo whose 1969 novel helped create a landmark motion picture in 1972, a cinemascope Mafia template which makers across the globe blatantly copy to this day, to little avail of course.
The moving story of Don Vito Corleone met the unanimous approval of the mafia world for being true to life but Puzo’s product was purely hypothetical, largely modelled on his iron-willed mom Maria who was the only ‘mafia’ to have influenced his life, as also his first-hand exposure to the gambling world as one of its compulsive practitioners.
Shifting NYC neighbourhoods - from the slum of Hell’s Kitchen to the mansion in Long Island – was made possible by the phenomenal success of The Godfather and the projects that followed it, but Puzo stayed the gambler he was; the stakes just got higher as he moved up the value chain of stardom and prosperity.
Once a railroad clerk, Puzo served in the World war II and won battlefield stars. Thanks to the GI Bill support, Puzo learnt literature and creative writing at New School for Social Research and Columbia University and turned a pulp fiction writer under the pen name of Mario Cleri. His novels preceding The Godfather – ‘The Dark Arena’ and ‘The Fortunate Pilgrim’ - won him accolades and nothing more. Advancing age, mounting debt, fractured reputation, and another lukewarm response to his children’s novel made him amenable to some practical editorial advice – write about the Mafia! After many inevitable rejections, GP Putnam and Sons found it worthy of print and Signet bought the paperback rights. The rest is history!
Film rights went to Paramount, so did all financial rewards (Royalty-deprived Puzo was yet another victim of the Hollywood mafia) but Puzo enjoyed collaborating with Francis Ford Coppola on the film, the inaugural instalment that is. No wonder, the flagship product became a cult classic giving Brando his dream swan song though it was not his last film appearance and Al Pacino his dream debut although it was not his first film.
Wish Paramount had not foiled Puzo’s earnest wish to make ‘The Godfather Part IV’ focused on the life and times of Sonny Corleone. It would have done some justice to the incredible James Caan but that was not to be. The cigar-addict Puzo finally succumbed to his diabetes and weak heart on July 2, 1999 leaving behind his last novel ‘Omerta’ and of course 'The Godfather' legacy.
The film is packed with iconic characters engaged in iconic scenes – Michael, Sonny, Fredo, Luca Brasi, Clemenza, Sollozzo, and many more but this meeting of the five dons is extra special, the way both said and unsaid is expressed by the players round the table - Vito Corleone, Barzini, Tattaglia, Cuneo, Anthony Stracci – and its towering significance in the context of what transpires in consequence. Tons and tons of analyses – articles, videos, talk shows, podcasts – is available on the internet, no point adding another! The frame is best viewed even when reviewed, the charm can be sensed better than it can be spelt out.
Better is to reel in the hypnotic effect, watching the one and only Brando deliver greatness:
“But let me say this. I am a superstitious man, a ridiculous failing but I must confess it here. And so if some unlucky accident should befall my youngest son, if some…..”A magic concoction brewed, stirred, and served by Puzo, Coppola and Brando along with other key members of the crew.
Goosebumps stuff – as much for the power-packed lines as for the subtle gestures made to the loyal lawyer cum consigliere Tom Hagen stationed behind in rapt attention.
Savour it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m8f8dLa_ig