# 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:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/21 "2016-10-26T15:34:44Z")
I never read the book, but one thing I never got until my third viewing of the movie was how important the scene where the don and sons meet with the Turk. The first couple of times I thought they tried to kill Vito afterwards because wanted more power and because he wouldn’t go along. I’m not sure how clear the book is that they are trying to install Sonny as the new don so he would participate with their entry into the drug business. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/22 "2016-10-26T19:25:40Z")
Never read the book, saw the movie only once, and followed it just fine (although I may have missed out on some subtleties or allusions). > [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > In the book, somebody hadda go back and get a shitload of bullets. Oh no, don’t do that, don’t do that. If you shoot them, you’ll just make them mad. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/23 "2016-10-26T19:43:19Z")
There are a lot of details that the book makes clear, that aren’t clear from the movie itself. Like just how formidable and pathological Luca Brasi was, and why he was so totally devoted to Vito. And the reason why Michael was always using a handkerchief in Sicily - because of a problem caused when Captain McCluskey hit him in the face, and how that got fixed later. You understand more about many minor characters, like Vito’s wife. The book is well worth reading just for all the extra details, but it’s also an excellent read on its own merits. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/24 "2016-10-26T19:55:10Z")
Also Sonny in the book comes across as a lot more intelligent and capable than he does in the movie. ---
**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, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/25 "2016-10-26T20:31:16Z")
> [@zbuzz](#): > > Yeah, Coppola really dropped the ball when he cut the 115 pages dedicated to the Adventures of Lucy and Her Embiggened Vagina. Well She was the dons front in vegas as she was the one who legally owned everything it tied in to ninos and johnnys story … ---
**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, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/26 "2016-10-26T20:39:07Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > I never read the book, but one thing I never got until my third viewing of the movie was how important the scene where the don and sons meet with the Turk. The first couple of times I thought they tried to kill Vito afterwards because wanted more power and because he wouldn’t go along. > I’m not sure how clear the book is that they are trying to install Sonny as the new don so he would participate with their entry into the drug business. that’s the main plot of the first half of the book is sonnys holding them off because if he became don and how hed have to make a deal he didn’t want to make if the don was killed It turned to desperation when sonny let the soliders loose and it hurt the other families after mike killed sollozzo is when it was decided to kill him ---
**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 27, 2016, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/27 "2016-10-27T01:04:35Z")
Glad to see that the movie really does stand on its own merits. Though, from what I’m seeing here folks who have never read the book will appreciate the back story to many of the details. I liked a lot of the Johnny Fontaine storyline that didn’t get into the movie (after the horse head incident). Rumor was that Fontaine represented Frank Sinatra, and Sinatra was not happy about it, so the role was downplayed. The movie really was an excellent abridged version of the book, so it’s not like there would be glaring differences like in so many other movie/book combinations. ETA: And yes, the guys who shot up Sonny really did look like they came out of some entirely different gangster movie! ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/28 "2016-10-27T16:33:40Z")
I found The Godfather to be more easily followed on the second viewing, and the original infinitely easier to follow than part II. I didn’t read the book, maybe after retirement I’ll get around to it. One thing that confused me was how Vito told Michael that whoever sets the meeting up is the betrayer. Why would this be true? Damned if I’d ever set up a meeting if that would be suicide. I’d also make sure to never be around any oranges. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/29 "2016-10-28T04:55:49Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > One thing that confused me was how Vito told Michael that whoever sets the meeting up is the betrayer. Why would this be true? Damned if I’d ever set up a meeting if that would be suicide. I’d also make sure to never be around any oranges. It’s true because after the meeting of the heads of the families, the Don realizes Barzini’s plan to take over. So anyone approaching them with an offer from Barzini is a traitor. The reason it’s not a suicide move is because everyone by that time thinks the Corleones are finished as a family- the Don is weak and Michael is a newbie who is letting Barzini chip away at Tessio and Clemenza’s territory with zero repercussions. Tessio, being the smart capo, makes the logical, calculated move of betraying the family. (I vaguely recall this is dealt with a bit more in the book where Tessio is shown to be ambitious, but knows what a good deal they all have under the leadership of the Don, so he’s content.) Unfortunately for Tessio, the Don still sees the game board better than anyone and Michael, far from being a neophyte, is a coldly brilliant tactician into whose trap Tessio has just fallen. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/30 "2016-10-28T05:24:02Z")
One nice detail not in the movie is when Michael questions his brother-in-law about setting up Sonny. How Michael wants to be sure and i believe Tom Hagen is stunned that this line of questioning is even taking place. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/31 "2016-10-28T07:42:26Z")
I saw the movie without reading the book. It certainly wasn’t a movie you could drift along with and hope to follow: you had to pay attention. Subject to that though, it was coherent and could be understood. ---
**Author:** ![Doyle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doyle/32/439_2.png) [@Doyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doyle)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/32 "2016-10-28T15:40:58Z")
Thank God for the omission in the movie of the Lucy Mancini/Las Vegas story that was a large part of the book. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/33 "2016-10-28T17:35:52Z")
I found the book very useful for understanding some nuances in the movie but it wasn’t necessary to “get” the movie as a whole or enjoy it. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/34 "2016-10-28T17:56:33Z")
> [@Doyle](#): > > Thank God for the omission in the movie of the Lucy Mancini/Las Vegas story that was a large part of the book. What?? You don’t want to see…right smack in the middle of a 70’s mobster movie…a woman start crying because her vagina is so large??? Judd Apatow presents The Godfather. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/35 "2016-10-28T21:28:50Z")
Saw the movie several times before reading the book. I found the movie a better work of art than the book. So, no real need to read it before or after. As mentioned, a few subtle things here and there are made clear in the book. The Luca Brasi backstory is more the stuff of nightmares, OTOH. The main thing I found interesting was whole dialogue in the book made it into the movie. E.g, most of Bonasera’s monologue at the beginning comes from the book. That’s rare for most adaptations which disregard the book wholesale. Things like this are more add more enjoyment in a secondary way. ---
**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 29, 2016, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660/36 "2016-10-29T00:31:57Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > One thing that confused me was how Vito told Michael that whoever sets the meeting up is the betrayer. Why would this be true? Damned if I’d ever set up a meeting if that would be suicide. I’d also make sure to never be around any oranges. I understood this as a show of the masterful leadership of Don Corleone–his ability to see clearly what is not obvious to others. He was truly a great tactical and strategic thinker. This conversation was not in the book as it was shown in the movie. In the book, after Don Corleone’s death, Tom asked Michael where the attack would come from, and Michael explains the guidance given by his father before his death. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-godfather-was-the-movie-easy-to-follow-without-having-read-the-book/769660.md?page=1)