The Godfather is a timeless cinematic masterpiece, but the original novel is not so perfect.
It is difficult to find a movie lover who does not rank The Godfather among the greatest films of all time. Released in 1972, Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece not only changed the way storytelling was done on the big screen, but also elevated the gangster genre – once considered a vaudeville – to the level of Shakespearean tragedy.
With a legendary cast including Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan and Robert Duvall, the film is a rare convergence of art, psychological weight and commerce. But to reach that height, The Godfather had to… say goodbye to many elements of the original literary work.
The novel “The Godfather” has too many stories
Author Mario Puzo is not an ordinary writer. He co-wrote the screenplay for the film, which won the prestigious Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 1973. But the 1969 novel The Godfather, despite its best-selling success, was not highly regarded as a literary work.
The reason? Simply because it was… too full of details. And not all of them were good.
In the book, the character Johnny Fontane – a Hollywood singer and actor – is told in many redundant details, from parties to love scandals, causing the story to deviate from the focus of the Corleone family. If you ever see Fontane in the film as just a passing guest, it is thanks to the skillful restraint of Coppola and Puzo when adapting.
And it doesn’t stop there, one of the most “difficult” storylines in the book is the love affair between Sonny Corleone and Lucy Mancini. The novel goes so far as to devote an entire section to a pelvic surgery… that allows Lucy to have sex with someone else after Sonny. The film completely eliminates this plot line – and Coppola is to thank for that.
The film is better than the original
No one denies the importance of The Godfather. But it is through the distillation and refinement that Coppola and Puzo have turned a “complicated but compelling” novel into a tightly structured, emotionally dense and darkly poetic film.
They cut out the extraneous details to focus on Michael’s transformation – from an outsider to a cold-blooded heir to the family legacy. Supporting characters like Luca Brasi and Captain McCluskey are retained in just the right amount, just enough to create atmosphere without diluting the main story.
That makes the film timeless – not just a story about the mafia, but a tragedy about power, family, honor and sacrifice. A tragedy that Shakespeare would have nodded to.
If you want to read the book – save it for after the movie
Of course, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read the book. But if you haven’t seen The Godfather, don’t let the novel spoil your first cinematic experience. Let yourself be swept up in the haunting fog, the dim yellow lights, Michael’s cold gaze and Don Corleone’s infamous whisper.
And when the film ends, when you’re still sitting there, stunned by the perfect twist, open the book and read. You won’t be disappointed. But you’ll also understand why sometimes the movie is the better version.
