# The Godfather - was the movie easy to follow without having read the book? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 25, 2016, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660 "2016-10-25T03:33:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/1 "2016-10-25T03:33:45Z")
I ask this because I recently finished reading The Godfather, and I found it to be absolutely everything that has been said about it. A great read. So tonight I watched the move for the first time. Two things struck me: first, the movie followed the book far more faithfully than many movies do, and that was neat. Second, the movie seemed to have plenty of jumps and gaps where fresh knowledge of the book made it easy to follow. It’s this second point that I am wondering about. For example, almost all of the scenes in Sicily were spoken in Italian with no subtitles, but I knew what was going on from the book. Likewise, many subtle details were alluded to, but possibly stood out to me only because I had the back story–Fredo compliments Michael on his facial surgery when they meet in Vegas, but it only stood out to me because Michael’s facial disfiguration was emphasized more in the book. So there it is: Does the movie stand on its own in such a way that the whole story is understood without difficulty? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/2 "2016-10-25T03:41:33Z")
I think so. I’ve watched the movie many times but have never read the book. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/3 "2016-10-25T05:13:40Z")
Agreed. I had no problem following either of the first two films (I don’t believe I’ve ever seen Part III), and I’ve never read the book either. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/4 "2016-10-25T05:17:56Z")
I had no problem following the films before I’d read the books. ---
**Author:** ![Victor\_Charlie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7ea924/32.png) [@Victor\_Charlie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Victor_Charlie)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/5 "2016-10-25T05:42:41Z")
Same as the others. I appreciate movies that drop you into the middle of the story without feeling the need to explain absolutely everything being discussed by the characters, every bit of subtext. I don’t mind taking the effort to infer meaning from somewhat vague dialogue and find myself drawn out of a scenes when the filmmaker’s attempt at expository is obvious. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/6 "2016-10-25T05:50:10Z")
I doubt many of its fans have ever read the book, and it has a LOT of fans. I’m not sure I’d know that was based on a book except is always on lists of “movies better than the book.” ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/7 "2016-10-25T06:17:28Z")
Never read the book. Never had any trouble understanding the movie. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/8 "2016-10-25T09:44:56Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Never read the book. Never had any trouble understanding the movie. This was my experience, other than some confusion about the various crime families and who is scheming with whom. Which I guess is the whole point. It doesn’t help that I am not good with faces and they all dress the same 🙂 . ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/9 "2016-10-25T10:09:27Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Never read the book. Never had any trouble understanding the movie. +1 ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/10 "2016-10-25T10:35:06Z")
After I watched the movie, my brother filled me in with some tidbits from the book, like Sonny’s big dick and his relationship with his mistress. And like **leahcim** , I was a bit hazy on who the different mobsters were. But it still was an entertaining film. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/11 "2016-10-25T10:35:34Z")
The book was hugely popular in its day and saved Mario Puzo from bankruptcy. So many initial viewers of the movie would have been familiar with the book. I’m not even sure anymore which I did first; probably the movie. So the book helped understand things better, such as at the pow wow with all the Mafia chiefs present except Chicago (too uncivilized) why it was surprising that Barzini spoke instead of Tattaglia (although I don’t think Tom even noticed the significance but Vito did). Or various small details like why Vito didn’t do anything to stop Carlo from beating up Connie. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/12 "2016-10-25T13:26:22Z")
One thing I did notice, is that the mobsters at the toolbooth seemed to be from a totally different movie than the rest of them. Does the book give any insight into that, or was it just something I’m imagining? (And now I finally get this [joke](http://www.theonion.com/blogpost/sonny-corleone-would-still-be-alive-today-if-he-ha-36297)). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/13 "2016-10-25T13:30:43Z")
I never read the book, and had no problem following the movie. The writers knew what to cut out that wouldn’t hurt the narrative of the movie (that’s what all screenplay writers do). > [@leahcim](#): > > (And now I finally get this [joke](http://www.theonion.com/blogpost/sonny-corleone-would-still-be-alive-today-if-he-ha-36297)). Much like how Baz Lurhmann’s _Romeo + Juliet_ would have been much better if they had used FedEx. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/14 "2016-10-25T13:37:21Z")
Saw the movie first. Had no problem understanding it. Didn’t like the book as much as the movie. I think the story was better suited to a movie. I was pretty young when I read the book, not long after the movie came out, my tastes have changed and matured since then so I might think differently if I read the book again. ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/15 "2016-10-26T01:33:06Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > Or various small details like why Vito didn’t do anything to stop Carlo from beating up Connie. That’s in both the book and the movie. Mama Corleone says something at some point on the matter. Husband is the master of the wife. It wasn’t his business to get involved. They were able to provoke hot headed brother Sonny to fatal retaliation. ---
**Author:** ![Annoying\_Buzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Annoying\_Buzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annoying_Buzz)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/16 "2016-10-26T07:04:56Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > One thing I did notice, is that the mobsters at the toolbooth seemed to be from a totally different movie than the rest of them. Does the book give any insight into that, or was it just something I’m imagining? > > (And now I finally get this [joke](http://www.theonion.com/blogpost/sonny-corleone-would-still-be-alive-today-if-he-ha-36297)). They weren’t mobsters, they were actual toll collectors. Pop always told him never to try and break a twenty. (shamelessly stolen from MAD Magazine) ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/17 "2016-10-26T07:21:02Z")
they cut most of the side characters out was my problem with the movie… that and I think kay was so miscast… she was supposed to be blonde blue eyes all American girl … they did add in a version of the don’s rise that was in the second movie its funny tho how supposedly Chicago was portrayed as hicks in the sticks when they were the dominate crew in vegas and out west until the mid 80s And for some reason when I read the book I think of Michael douglas as mike… ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/18 "2016-10-26T08:11:05Z")
A little confusing, and more so in the second part, but I’m a little slow like that. Anyone notice that when Tessio (Abe Vigoda) has to acknowledge for the first time that Michael is the Don, he extends his \*left \*hand to shake hands with him? ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/19 "2016-10-26T08:13:55Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > they cut most of the side characters out was my problem with the movie… Yeah, Coppola really dropped the ball when he cut the 115 pages dedicated to the Adventures of Lucy and Her Embiggened Vagina. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/20 "2016-10-26T09:57:03Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > One thing I did notice, is that the mobsters at the toolbooth seemed to be from a totally different movie than the rest of them. Does the book give any insight into that, or was it just something I’m imagining? In the book, somebody hadda go back and get a shitload of bullets. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660.md?page=2)