"Make him an offer he can't refuse." If you haven't come across this line in your entire lifetime, then I strongly pity you—for you have missed the most influential gangster drama ever written. Period!
Welcome, fellas. Today's book recommendation is The Godfather by Mario Puzo. Initially published as a book, it received great popularity coupled with unnerving controversy at its release, which was then adapted into a movie winning countless accolades, including 3 Academy Awards. The Godfather has inspired generations of writers. To this day, I only regard two books as my all-time favourites: one is The Da Vinci Code, and the other is The Godfather.
Going into details the introduction is the GOAT—I fell in love with the book after reading the intro itself. I sat the entire night reading through the hype aggrandized for Don Vito Corleone, Mario Puzo is a genius, Imagine this: a person so rooted in India, and that too so rooted in Andhra Pradesh, is enjoying the vivid drama portrayed in a book that's based on the Italian Mafia residing in the United States. Isn't it astounding to read stories that have the capability to transcend boundaries, and this book is true art.
Now, coming to the structure—it's so different from regular novels. We find absolutely no symmetry in the length of the chapters, and the drama is so exceptional that we get hooked to the book. I read this masterpiece in the initial days of my reading journey, and at no point did it feel mundane. It was a perfect mix of crime and drama.
Read the story below to understand the beauty of Mario Puzo's writing:
"The story goes... Mario Puzo wrote both screenplays for The Godfather 1 & 2. He had never written a screenplay before that, and after winning 2 Oscars, he thought he should learn about screenwriting. So, he bought a book on writing, and on the first page, it said: 'Study The Godfather Part 1 & 2 as perfect examples of the art of screenwriting.' He put the book away."
And that's the beauty of art and literature—we don't need any rules.
Now, coming to the film—it's the Greatest Gangster movie ever made. Period! There are a lot of movies that stand on the shoulders of The Godfather as it's a masterclass in writing, directing, acting you name it—this movie has it all and gradually it's become an Itinerary for filmmaking. Even great filmmakers like Ram Gopal Varma are big fans of this book.
Young readers, please don't miss this novel, read this ASAP and also do watch the movie. I'm a big fan of TFI, and I do love elevations in movies like Salaar, KGF, Baahubali, Pardon me for saying this, but they don't even stand a chance against Don Vito Corleone's elevations,If You don't believe check out this reel.
RGV about The GodfatherAdios, amigos. Meet you in the next blog!
