When the estate of Mario Puzo asked novelist and creative writing professor Ed Falco to write the prequel to The Godfather, it was a very, make that very, very wise decision. Reading The Family Corleone it is as if Falco had channeled Mario Puzo, so perfectly has he captured the core of Puzo’s seemingly inimitable work - the accents, descriptions, characterizations, nuances and, yes, the epic violence.
No need to mention that The Godfather is iconic, a modern classic while the first two Godfather films directed by Francis Ford Coppola and co-written by Mario Puzo are considered by many to be two of the finest movies ever made. Fans of The Godfather and the ensuing movies will welcome Falco’s addition to the Corleone saga.
Based on an unproduced screenplay by Mario Puzo the setting is 1933 New York City. Our country is in the throes of the Great Depression and Prohibition has almost seen its day. Thus, there will be battle between the crime families of New York, a fight for their very existence.
Focusing primarily on Vito Corleone and his oldest son, Sonny, we see Vito around the age of 40. While Vito’s gang has its thumb on gambling, numbers and protection in the Bronx, Vito has hopes that his sons will become law-abiding citizens. Vain hope, indeed, as Sonny at the age of 17 heads a gang of teenage thugs. Eventually Vito has to accept the fact that Sonny wants to be a part of the real family business and the two join forces in violently battling the city’s other crime families.
- Gail Cooke
No comments:
Post a Comment