Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather
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- Create Date：2021-12-08 06:51:18
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Mark Seal
- ISBN：198215859X
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Summary
The behind-the-scenes story of the making of The Godfather， fifty years after the classic film’s original release。
The story of how The Godfather was made is as dramatic， operatic， and entertaining as the film itself。 Over the years， many versions of various aspects of the movie’s fiery creation have been told—sometimes conflicting， but always compelling。 Mark Seal sifts through the evidence， has extensive new conversations with director Francis Ford Coppola and several heretofore silent sources， and complements them with colorful interviews with key players including actors Al Pacino， James Caan， Talia Shire， and others for irresistible insights into how the movie whose success some initially doubted roared to glory。
On top of the usual complications of filmmaking， the creators of The Godfather had to contend with the real-life members of its subject matter: the Mob。 During production of the movie， location permits were inexplicably revoked， author Mario Puzo got into a public brawl with an irate Frank Sinatra， producer Al Ruddy’s car was found riddled with bullets， men with “connections” vied to be in the cast， and some were given film roles。
As Seal notes， this is the tale of “a classic movie that revolutionized filmmaking， saved Paramount Pictures， minted a new generation of movie stars， made its struggling author Mario Puzo rich and famous， and sparked a war between two of the mightiest powers in America: the sharks of Hollywood and the highest echelons of the Mob。”
Leave the Gun， Take the Cannoli is the lively and complete story of how a masterpiece was made， perfect for anyone who loves the movies。
The story of how The Godfather was made is as dramatic， operatic， and entertaining as the film itself。 Over the years， many versions of various aspects of the movie’s fiery creation have been told—sometimes conflicting， but always compelling。 Mark Seal sifts through the evidence， has extensive new conversations with director Francis Ford Coppola and several heretofore silent sources， and complements them with colorful interviews with key players including actors Al Pacino， James Caan， Talia Shire， and others for irresistible insights into how the movie whose success some initially doubted roared to glory。
On top of the usual complications of filmmaking， the creators of The Godfather had to contend with the real-life members of its subject matter: the Mob。 During production of the movie， location permits were inexplicably revoked， author Mario Puzo got into a public brawl with an irate Frank Sinatra， producer Al Ruddy’s car was found riddled with bullets， men with “connections” vied to be in the cast， and some were given film roles。
As Seal notes， this is the tale of “a classic movie that revolutionized filmmaking， saved Paramount Pictures， minted a new generation of movie stars， made its struggling author Mario Puzo rich and famous， and sparked a war between two of the mightiest powers in America: the sharks of Hollywood and the highest echelons of the Mob。”
Leave the Gun， Take the Cannoli is the lively and complete story of how a masterpiece was made， perfect for anyone who loves the movies。
Reviews
Gary Parkes
，
A must for fans of The Godfather！ Very well researched。
Adam Carrico
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Really fun and interesting book。 So many cool stories around the making of this film。 An enjoyable read。
Ed
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I thought I knew everything little thing about The Godfather but as I hoped， I was wrong。 “Little things” is the key phrase here as this is the most sense and exhaustive chronicle of the making of The Godfather。 If you’re a fan， you’ll know the broad swaths but the day to day drama and intricate details here are amazing。 I’m over the moon there are so many of these books coming out and can’t wait for more。
Michael Ritchie
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Though he did do some original research， it feels mostly like this guy has run rampant through every other book on The Godfather and pulled out the most interesting parts。 It's a fun read， for sure。 Though he did do some original research， it feels mostly like this guy has run rampant through every other book on The Godfather and pulled out the most interesting parts。 It's a fun read， for sure。 。。。more
Margaret Romero
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fascinating The most important inside and insightful analysis of a very important sagaClean clear concise Brilliant analysis Great stories Highly recommend
Steve
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Excellent book about the making of The Godfather。 A must read for any fan of that great movie。
Linda Smith
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Loved all the extra details and insights。
G
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4。5 stars rounded up。 Superbly written story of the making of The Godfather， from Mario Puzo’s struggles to complete the novel， to the history of Paramount Studios， the fight over who would direct it， the endless battles over casting， and the brutal grind of filming。 The Godfather has always been my favorite movie of all time。 For huge fans of the movie， such as myself， this is indispensable， literally like our godfather bible。 There were so many amazing events that occurred behind the scenes th 4。5 stars rounded up。 Superbly written story of the making of The Godfather， from Mario Puzo’s struggles to complete the novel， to the history of Paramount Studios， the fight over who would direct it， the endless battles over casting， and the brutal grind of filming。 The Godfather has always been my favorite movie of all time。 For huge fans of the movie， such as myself， this is indispensable， literally like our godfather bible。 There were so many amazing events that occurred behind the scenes that were simply unknown to me， each chapter and each page was like uncovering little treasures。 Even those readers who aren’t enamored with The Godfather movies will probably find this a worthwhile read。 Highly recommended。 🙂 。。。more
Suzi
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The only movie I truly love is The Godfather and this book is such an asset to my understanding and admiration of it。 Funny， touching， and nostalgic。 I love the book AND the movie。
Stuart Shiffman
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Some great stories and insight into the finest movie of its era。
Chelsea Connors
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Just fantastic。 The seminal Godfather history， told in a non-annoying way - meaning the stories tracked from others books about the making of the movie and felt organic。 So often the threads are lost and feel out of context， but this was crystal and juicy。 I thoroughly enjoyed， and made me fall in love again with the movie。
Tfalcone
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Very interesting and totally enjoyable。
Lisa
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 The drama associated with the making of one of America’s and perhaps the world’s greatest films is just as film worthy as it’s subject。
Richard
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I've heard many of the pieces but a story that merits telling in full。 The most screwed up production imaginable somehow produced the most perfect masterpiece。 A great tale of the creativity Hollywood style。 I've heard many of the pieces but a story that merits telling in full。 The most screwed up production imaginable somehow produced the most perfect masterpiece。 A great tale of the creativity Hollywood style。 。。。more
William
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I've read a lot of books about the making of The Godfather， but this is by far the best one。 It tells the story of Mario Puzo， the author， as well as Robert Evans and Francis Ford Coppola。 There's the nuts and bolts of movie making as well as the personalities that clashed in making the film。 Very enjoyable。 I've read a lot of books about the making of The Godfather， but this is by far the best one。 It tells the story of Mario Puzo， the author， as well as Robert Evans and Francis Ford Coppola。 There's the nuts and bolts of movie making as well as the personalities that clashed in making the film。 Very enjoyable。 。。。more
Mediaman
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Not sure the world needed another book about the making of The Godfather （there have already been at least a dozen）， but here it is， mostly quoting from other sources and rehashing stories we've heard many times before。 The writing is okay but it's odd that the author inserts first-person sections， which detract from any objective perspective in the book。 And there are no footnotes， instead at the end just chapter summaries with a list of books， periodicals， or interviews that contributed to tha Not sure the world needed another book about the making of The Godfather （there have already been at least a dozen）， but here it is， mostly quoting from other sources and rehashing stories we've heard many times before。 The writing is okay but it's odd that the author inserts first-person sections， which detract from any objective perspective in the book。 And there are no footnotes， instead at the end just chapter summaries with a list of books， periodicals， or interviews that contributed to that section。Seal also seems very chummy with the Mafia， acting like they're normal people and reinforcing the canard that The Godfather celebrates a great family。 It's honestly tiring that there are now so many books regarding celebrated films that provide no new insights but just quote after quote after quote from other published sources。 It might be nice to have everything summarized in one place but it didn't seem like this book was necessary nor written in a way that added much of anything to the film's history。 。。。more
Dawn Livingston
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Okay， I'm cheating a little， I'm reviewing this book on behalf of my mother who rarely reads and then reads only non-fiction。Firstly， she likes the movie The Godfather， is kind of fascinated by it and watches it when it is on tv。 She had a hard time at first getting into it because she said it was weirdly written。 Then she managed to overcome that and struggled to keep straight who was who because there were so many people mentioned。 She gave up trying to remember who was who and still managed t Okay， I'm cheating a little， I'm reviewing this book on behalf of my mother who rarely reads and then reads only non-fiction。Firstly， she likes the movie The Godfather， is kind of fascinated by it and watches it when it is on tv。 She had a hard time at first getting into it because she said it was weirdly written。 Then she managed to overcome that and struggled to keep straight who was who because there were so many people mentioned。 She gave up trying to remember who was who and still managed to enjoy the book。 She said the book was "interesting" and even "amazing" and gives five stars。 The book was very comprehensive， seemed to cover everything and have lots of detail。 It showed how difficult and stressful it was to make the movie。 Al Pacino came to work every day expecting to be fired。 The studio didn't want him， they wanted someone else。 No， I don't remember who， you'll have to read the book。Oh， my mom also said the book was almost as good as the movie。 That's some kind of praise don't you think？ So， read it。 I'm not really a fan of the Godfather， I don't like mob movies， so I won't but if you're the least bit interested in The Godfather， or you like Al Pacino or Marlon Brando then you need to read this。 If you like movies and are interesting on how they get made， this book is also for you。Oh， and they have some pictures， two pictures show Brando as his normal self and the second shows his look as The Godfather。 Amazing。 Guess you'll have to get this book to see the pics。 Go on， you know you want to。 。。。more
Michael Reilly
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A great story well told。 The cast of characters is spectacular;Mario Puzo a failed literary novelist with a serious gambling problem who is barely getting by by pumping out pulp stories for magazines like "Man's Action" and "True Action"。 He decides to sell out as a novelist and just try to write a best seller。 He hits on the idea of writing a novel about the Mafia。Charlie Bludhorn is a wild man businessmen who cobbled together a conglomerate of disconnected businesses under the umbrella of Gulf A great story well told。 The cast of characters is spectacular;Mario Puzo a failed literary novelist with a serious gambling problem who is barely getting by by pumping out pulp stories for magazines like "Man's Action" and "True Action"。 He decides to sell out as a novelist and just try to write a best seller。 He hits on the idea of writing a novel about the Mafia。Charlie Bludhorn is a wild man businessmen who cobbled together a conglomerate of disconnected businesses under the umbrella of Gulf+Western。 He buys the failing Paramount Studios， despite knowing nothing about the movie business， and rules it with his usual bluster。Robert Evans is made the head of Paramount at the age of 36 despite having never produced or directed a movie。 He had a background in the fashion industry。 Bludhorn was convinced he could save Paramount。 Evans was a difficult， insecure prima donna with a drug problem。 He was married to Ali McGraw。 Francis Ford Coppola， age 33， had never directed a studio movie。 He was a stubborn loud guy who had an unshakeable belief that he knew exactly how to make a movie from Puzo's book。Marlon Brando hadn't had a hit in ten years。 Hollywood knew he was impossible to work with。Al Pacino， age 31， was a stage actor who had never appeared in a movie。 He was difficult and did not really believe he could carry his role。 （I saw him in a play in a small theater in Boston just after the "Godfather" came out。 He was fulfilling a commitment he made before the movie。 He had the title role in "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel"。 It was the best acting I have ever seen in person。）The story of the movie rounds out with a great assortment of gangsters， movie studio leeches， supporting actors good and bad， and the whole world of second guessers who knew this movie would be a disaster。Mark Seal does a wonderful job telling this story。 He has a good feel for Hollywood。 He tells one great story after another。 Brando's perfect screen test that was not a screen test， the Producer Al Ruddy meeting with Joe Columbo and the other Mafia guys to deal with their opposition to the movie， the shooting of the horse in the bed scene and how Coppola kept himself from being fired， are all told with great touch。 I came away thinking that Coppola and Brando where the only two people involved with the movie who had a clear idea of how to tell the story。 The movie succeeded because they both， over great opposition， got their way。 This is a fun movie book and a good lesson in persevering if you have a vision you believe in。 。。。more
Riccardo Lo Monaco
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Surprisingly cool story。 Loved this。
Dean
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Excellent。
Chris Voss
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Great book and amazing detail - glad to interview him on the show for our podcast - http://thechrisvossshow。com/the-chris。。。 Great book and amazing detail - glad to interview him on the show for our podcast - http://thechrisvossshow。com/the-chris。。。 。。。more
Linda McCutcheon
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Leave The Gun， Take The Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather by journalist Mark Seal is a riveting tale of dysfunctional Hollywood， real mobster violence， a brilliant director and actors so talented that even the distractions of many egos and budget confinements could not keep their brilliance from shining through all the BS。It may be 50 years since the ultimate mob movie The Godfather graced theater screens but we still refer to it whether we jokingly （or not） say phrases like Leave The Gun， Take The Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather by journalist Mark Seal is a riveting tale of dysfunctional Hollywood， real mobster violence， a brilliant director and actors so talented that even the distractions of many egos and budget confinements could not keep their brilliance from shining through all the BS。It may be 50 years since the ultimate mob movie The Godfather graced theater screens but we still refer to it whether we jokingly （or not） say phrases like "I am going to make him an offer he can't refuse" or don't give him the"kiss of death。" Poor Fredo （Spoiler Alert）！One of the most iconic scenes is after a murder in a car the killer is told， "Leave the Gun， Take the Cannoli。" His wife told him not to forget the dessert on his way home from work that night。 It was a complete ad lib！Besides fascinating reveals narrator Phil Thron gave me chills when reading the transformation the crew witnessed when Marlon Brando quietly sat down， put cotton balls in his cheeks， drew a mustache and quietly uttered his first words as Vito Corleone and changed the course of not only his career but Fancis Ford Coppola， Al Pacino， Diane Jeaton， James Caan and even， eventually Robert Dinero's in The Godfather II。I was also pleasantly surprised that the author of The Godfather， Mario Puzo is from my neighborhood of Bay Shore， Long Island。 Whether you are a movie buff， a fan of actors and actresses， authors， mob stories or directors this story is a compelling take that， ironically， would make a thrilling movie。I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher for a fair and honest review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
David
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Fun read， reminding me of that time; as a teenager reading the novel then seeing the movie for the first time and going back to see it again and again and again。 Almost all of these stories were new to me。 If you were ever， as I once was， fascinated by the players--actors， writers， producers， director--this will bring it all back。 Movies were never the same after The Godfather， which was followed in 1973 and 1975 by Jaws and The Exorcist， movies that followed suit in that they were based on bloc Fun read， reminding me of that time; as a teenager reading the novel then seeing the movie for the first time and going back to see it again and again and again。 Almost all of these stories were new to me。 If you were ever， as I once was， fascinated by the players--actors， writers， producers， director--this will bring it all back。 Movies were never the same after The Godfather， which was followed in 1973 and 1975 by Jaws and The Exorcist， movies that followed suit in that they were based on blockbuster pop novels， created by unique and talented writers， directors， and actors， and continued the rare-until-The-Godfather phenomenon of movie theater lines around the corner， and universal popularity that resulted in the massively shared movie-going experience。 That aspect of the movies may be gone forever， with Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings the bookends to The Godfather。 。。。more
Lezley
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Airmail
Jill Meyer
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There seem to be more books written about the movie “The Godfather” and its sequels than any other movie ever made， with the possible exception of “Gone With the Wind”。 And I’ve read many/most of them！ But so far， the best one I’ve read is the recently published “Leave the Gun， Take the Cannoli - The Epic Story of the Making of “The Godfather”， by Mark Seal。Mark Seal has put together/written an extremely readable history of everything having to do with the book and movie。 He looks into the rathe There seem to be more books written about the movie “The Godfather” and its sequels than any other movie ever made， with the possible exception of “Gone With the Wind”。 And I’ve read many/most of them！ But so far， the best one I’ve read is the recently published “Leave the Gun， Take the Cannoli - The Epic Story of the Making of “The Godfather”， by Mark Seal。Mark Seal has put together/written an extremely readable history of everything having to do with the book and movie。 He looks into the rather diverse crew who financed， acted， produced， and wrote the movie， beginning with the author， Mario Puzo。 Other “characters” like Robert Evans and Charles Bluhdorn are also included， as well as people protesting the making of the movie。Seal takes the reader back to the late 1960’s/early 1970’s when the movie industry was being rocked by societal changes。 He’s written an almost compulsively readable book。 。。。more
Steven Schend
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Phenomenal look behind the scenes of the creative masterpiece that became THE GODFATHER （both the novel and the rare movie（s） that improved upon the novel）。 Of interest to anyone within the creative arts， movies， writers， and those interested in exactly what goes on when adapting one work into another medium and how things can go very wrong （or very right）。 Read via an e-ARC from Edelweiss and the publisher
Joe Meyers
，
A good overview of the creation of both the 1969 novel ‘The Godfather’ and the subsequent classic film。Seal wrote a long Vanity Fair piece about the film for one of the Hollywood issues but interviewed many more people for the book。The author does a great job placing the film in the context of turbulent late 1960s Hollywood。He also delves into sad anecdotes such as the actor Carmine Caridi landing the role of Sonny only to lose it a few days later。‘Godfather’ fans will love the book。
Matt
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4。5 stars
Barry Hammond
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One of the most classic gangster films ever made and， arguably， one of the most classic films， period， The Godfather had a tortuous and unlikely origin。 Mark Seal's account traces its origins from the brutal assassination of a Canadian baker and drug smuggler， through the novel written by an unpromising writer to the film made by a novice director and an egomaniacal producer locked in a vicious battle of control for a failing movie studio on the verge of bankruptcy。 It's a story of large talents One of the most classic gangster films ever made and， arguably， one of the most classic films， period， The Godfather had a tortuous and unlikely origin。 Mark Seal's account traces its origins from the brutal assassination of a Canadian baker and drug smuggler， through the novel written by an unpromising writer to the film made by a novice director and an egomaniacal producer locked in a vicious battle of control for a failing movie studio on the verge of bankruptcy。 It's a story of large talents， terrible power struggles， complex politics and real-world violence and corruption all meeting to produce something that would be a culturally significant work of great power and beauty。 A classic example of truth being far stranger than fiction。 - BH。 。。。more
Biblio Files （takingadayoff）
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