One can argue about the greatest films of all-time, but there is no one who knows anything about film that would not place the 1972 film, "The Godfather" in any given top five list. Quite frankly, anyone who knows anything about film would most assuredly have it in the top three films of all-time. You can argue whether "Casablanca" or "Citizen Kane" might beat out "The Godfather," but pound for pound "The Godfather" would most likely rank as number one for the vast majority of serious cinema watchers. Even un-serious film viewers would cast a vote for the epic film directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
Who would have guessed that writing a book about the making of "The Godfather" would ultimately be one of the best non-fiction books written in the last twenty years. That is an intensely serious statement. Historical non-fiction is not an easy genre to write and at times reading it can be laborious and most assuredly not always entertaining, but writer, Mark Seal takes the filmmaking process to a level no one has ever done before with a book. He digs in deep and takes the reader on an epic journey canvassing the literal pre-production, production and post-production dramas within the framework of the film.
His research was intense and the nuggets of value keep pouring out page after page. He makes the reader realize that the Hollywood entertainment giants were nearly as corrupt as the gangsters that "inspired" the film. We get behind the scenes geography and history lessons about the likes of Robert Evans, Peter Bart, Al Ruddy, Mario Puzo and the entire filmmaking squad, along with the actors that brilliantly embodied the characters that Puzo pinned to page in one of the true classic fiction books of the 20th century.
We get an inside dose of real Mafia hoods and their henchmen. The non-stop stories of actors ad-libbing what are now iconic scenes in the history of film are downright compelling and make for satisfying page turning moments.
The book was originally released in 2021, but I finally got around to reading it. Even though I'm an avid reader and a huge fan of the original film I hadn't even heard of the book until I heard a political pundit make mention that he had just finished reading the book. This pundit is one of the smarter people in cable news and I walked away and placed an order at my local public library's webpage.
I refuse to offer spoilers, but when I say page turner I do not jest. Lots of worthwhile stories from homeowners not wanting to participate, to actors creating their own lines - you will not want to miss reading this book.
An exceptional read on all levels. Superbly written material by Mark Seal. Even if you don't know much about "The Godfather" the book entertains nevertheless. All the shenanigans involving a gambling addicted Mario Puzo to the prankster moments of Marlon Brando are worth the read.
"I believe in America." Amerigo Bonasera
Copyright Read On Read Now 2026
