Godfather Companion: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About All Three Godfather Films

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Summary: It's an offer you can't refuse!
Review: I read this a while ago, and it's terrific. Mostly because I can't see the movies, yet.

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Summary: If you're a fan of the Godfather movies, you need this book!
Review: Meticulously detailed book on the production and events surrounding the making of the three Godfather movies. Absolutely essential for film students and movie buffs. It doesn't go too deep, more along the lines of The Book Of Lists, but it's interesting to see how they were all put together and who was involved

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Summary: Biskind Falls Short
Review: The Companion is a nice book with lots of trivia, however many of the facts stated are inaccurate. It's a must-have for the true padrinophile's collection, but for more accurate research, check out The Godfather Legacy by Harlan Lebo (1997), or The Godfather Book by Peter Cowie (1997).

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Summary: Shallow but a lot of fun
Review: The Godfather Companion is, more or less, a gossipy fanzine done deluxe. That said, its still full of fun bits of trivia about the Godfather trilogy and should be enjoyed by fans of the films (and really, who hasn't sometimes wished they were a Corleone?) Perhaps my favorite sections are the heavily detailed passages dealing with the other actors considered for the roles made famous by Brando, Pacino, Duvall, et al. Some of the alternative possibilities are nicely intriguing (Martin Sheen would have made an effective Tom Hagen though certainly not one with Duvall's moral shadings) while others simply boggle the mind. (Just imagine, this could have been a film starring Ernest Borgnine, David Carradine, and John Saxon!) Also of interest are the extensive listings of scenes and actors cut from the three films and a helpful Corleone Family Tree in the back of the book. This book doesn't attempt to go into any heavy analysis concerning these films (other then to prove that the Godfather's symbol of evil was, for reasons never really explained, the color oarnge) but its still a lot of fun.