The New York Daily News: 'The Family Corleone,' a prequel to 'Godfather'
“The Family Corleone” by Ed Falco is a prequel to “The Godfather” authorized by Mario Puzo’s heirs.
Jun 01, 2012
The New York Daily News
By, SHERRYL CONNELLY
Sunday, May 20, 2012
“The Family Corleone” by Ed Falco is a prequel to “The Godfather” authorized by Mario Puzo’s heirs. Paramount is in quite the snit about it and has taken legal action while filmgoers might think the territory was already covered in “The Godfather: Part II.” Never mind all that, Puzo fans will enjoy it. While veteran writer Falco doesn’t come up with any memorable lines to add to the "Godfather” canon, the story is Puzo-worthy. The novel starts in 1933 as Vito, in his 40s, is making his move beyond controlling gambling and numbers in the Bronx. Sonny, meanwhile, is dodging the respectable employment his father has lined up for him to head up a rogue gang of teenage hijackers at 17. Vito doesn’t know and won’t be pleased when he finds out. Michael is 13 and has his nose buried in his school books. Fredo and Connie are background material. It’s nice to see Luca Brasi gets the most “Godfather”-worthy story line, one equal to waking up in bed with a bleeding horse’s head. Falco, uncle of Edie Falco who played Carmela on “The Sopranos,” worked from an unproduced screenplay of Puzo’s, and gets a lot right. “The Family Corleone” is unlikely to make a major motion picture, but we’d tune in for the television movie.
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Jun 01, 2012
The New York Daily News
By, SHERRYL CONNELLY
Sunday, May 20, 2012
“The Family Corleone” by Ed Falco is a prequel to “The Godfather” authorized by Mario Puzo’s heirs. Paramount is in quite the snit about it and has taken legal action while filmgoers might think the territory was already covered in “The Godfather: Part II.” Never mind all that, Puzo fans will enjoy it. While veteran writer Falco doesn’t come up with any memorable lines to add to the "Godfather” canon, the story is Puzo-worthy. The novel starts in 1933 as Vito, in his 40s, is making his move beyond controlling gambling and numbers in the Bronx. Sonny, meanwhile, is dodging the respectable employment his father has lined up for him to head up a rogue gang of teenage hijackers at 17. Vito doesn’t know and won’t be pleased when he finds out. Michael is 13 and has his nose buried in his school books. Fredo and Connie are background material. It’s nice to see Luca Brasi gets the most “Godfather”-worthy story line, one equal to waking up in bed with a bleeding horse’s head. Falco, uncle of Edie Falco who played Carmela on “The Sopranos,” worked from an unproduced screenplay of Puzo’s, and gets a lot right. “The Family Corleone” is unlikely to make a major motion picture, but we’d tune in for the television movie.
Read More