Francis Ford Coppola's 'Godfather Notebook' to Get November Release
Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 adaptation of Mario Puzo’s novel The Godfather (and its arguably superior 1974 companion, The Godfather Part II) is one of American cinema’s crowning achievements, and its production history has long been a source of fascination for movie buffs. Last year, Puzo’s literary archive, including many items providing insight into the making of The Godfather film, was sold at auction for $625,000. Later this year, fans will get a new chance to peek behind the curtain for an insider’s look at how Coppola went about creating this classic.
Related: ‘The Godfather Part III’ Turns 25: 5 Reasons It Deserves a Second Look
In November, Regan Arts will release The Godfather Notebook, a collection of Coppola’s notes and research for the film. Pitched as “The Publishing Sensation of the Year For Every Film Fan,” this enormous tome will be a lavishly assembled version of the “prompt book” Coppola used to develop the project, and then carted around with him on the set. As a 2011 video makes clear (watch it above), it’s an exhaustive compendium of every thought, idea, and plan the filmmaker hatched regarding his mob opus.
Related: Francis Ford Coppola Looks Back on ‘Dracula’ and Reflects on Hollywood’s Superhero Obsession
Featuring a new foreword from Coppola, as well as behind-the-scenes photos from the movie’s production, The Godfather Notebook seems like deep-dive catnip for both Godfather obsessives and anyone interested in understanding the complex creative process of a titanic artist at work. You can get a sense of what it’ll offer in the above video, as well as at Regan Arts’ website.
Watch Robert Duvall talk about how lines were taped to his own chest for Marlon Brando’s reference while filming ‘The Godfather’:
