The Godfather Wiki¶
I believe in America. America has made my fortune. Amerigo Bonasera — the first words of the film
An open, community-maintained reference to The Godfather — Mario Puzo's 1969 novel, Francis Ford Coppola's films, the continuations that followed, and the people who made all of it.
Two things live here side by side. The first is a reference work: who's who, what happens, what it cost, what it won, where it was shot, which version you're watching. The second is an analysis: what the trilogy is actually doing with light, with time, with the sacraments, and with a man who believed he was different from his father.
If you want the short version of why any of this is worth a wiki: The Godfather is a film about a decent man who becomes a monster, told so patiently that most viewers don't notice the moment it happens. Finding that moment is the whole project.
Start here¶
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New to the wiki, or new to the films? Reading orders, watch orders, and what to skip on a first pass.
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The novel, four film versions, three continuation novels, and a video game all contradict each other. Here's the map.
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Every Corleone, every in-law, every capo, and how the bodies connect.
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1901 to 1997, from Vito's flight out of Corleone to Michael's death in a courtyard.
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Embedded clips, trailers, and interviews — Coppola, Pacino, Caan, Duvall, Brando, and Gordon Willis on lighting.
The films¶
| Film | Released | Runtime | Budget | Worldwide gross | Oscars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Godfather | March 24, 1972 | 175 min | ~$6–7M | ~$250–291M | 3 of 10 |
| Part II | December 20, 1974 | 202–205 min | ~$13M | ~$93M | 6 of 11 |
| Part III | December 25, 1990 | 162 min | ~$54M | ~$136.9M | 0 of 7 |
| Coda | December 4, 2020 | 158 min | recut | ~$0.17M | — |
Part II is the first sequel ever to win Best Picture, and one of only two in the Academy's history. Part I and Part II are the only original-and-sequel pair to both win. All three films were nominated — a feat matched only by The Lord of the Rings.
→ Full detail on every recut and restoration, the deleted scenes, and the Part IV that never happened.
The books¶
Puzo wrote a potboiler to pay off gambling debts and accidentally wrote the defining American novel about immigration and business. Then other people kept writing them.
- The Godfather (1969) — Puzo. 67 weeks on the bestseller list; over nine million copies in two years.
- The Sicilian (1984) — Puzo. Michael's exile, wrapped around the true story of the bandit Salvatore Giuliano.
- The Godfather Returns (2004) and The Godfather's Revenge (2006) — Mark Winegardner, chosen by Random House from thousands of entrants.
- The Family Corleone (2012) — Ed Falco, built from an unproduced Puzo screenplay, and the subject of a lawsuit.
Read the analysis¶
- Themes — family as the alibi business tells itself
- Michael's Arc — tracing the exact frame the man dies in
- The Baptism Sequence — six minutes, five murders, one sacrament
- Cinematography — Gordon Willis and the courage to underexpose
- Music — Rota's waltz, and the trumpet that is always alone
- Book vs. Film — everything Coppola threw away, and why he was right
- The Women — Kay, Connie, Carmela, Apollonia, Mary
- Part III Reassessed — the case for the defense
Data¶
Built from the films and cross-checked against public records:
- Complete awards tables — 28 Academy nominations across three films
- Box office — original run, reissues, and inflation-adjusted comparison
- Body count — who dies, who orders it, and who does it
- Quote index — sourced, with the ones people misquote flagged
- Charts — visual breakdowns of the above
About this project¶
Everything here is plain Markdown in a public repository, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Corrections are the most useful contribution you can make — see Contributing.
Not affiliated with anybody
This is an independent fan project. It is not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by Paramount Pictures, the estate of Mario Puzo, or Francis Ford Coppola. No screenplay or novel text is reproduced beyond brief quotation for commentary and criticism. The site carries affiliate links and accepts contributions — see Support the Project.