About the Author

Francis Ford Coppola is a five-time Academy Award-winning writer and director, most noted for The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now. His remarkable film career has spanned five decades and he is considered one of the most influential modern American filmmakers.

Reviews

"Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Notebook breaks down the cannoli."

--Vanity Fair Hot Type
"The Godfather Notebook [is] an exact reproduction of [Coppola's prompt book], right down to the handwriting, plus rarely seen photos."

--The Hollywood Reporter
"[A] nifty document of film history . . . [that] shows how he brought Mario Puzo's 1969 novel to life in a film that would go on to win the Academy Award for best picture in 1973, excising whole portions of the story and highlighting what he believed was a flawed novel's essence: a narrative of capitalism in America, as seen through the spilled blood and guts of one family."

--Jacob Bernstein, The New York Times
"A delicious dive into film history."

--Ty Burr, The Boston Globe
"An insider's view of the film . . . The 720-page notebook depicts casting notes and a new, moving introduction by Coppola [and] . . . never-before-seen photos."

--Haute Living
"Legendary director Francis Ford Coppola reveals how a cinematic masterpiece came together . . . [in] a publication packed full of Coppola's original notes on the novel."

--Radar Online
"This production diary includes . . . notes for himself and others on what he was trying to achieve in each scene, notes for actors, thoughts about all aspects of the production."

--Leah Garchik, San Francisco Chronicle
"When Francis Ford Coppola was preparing to shoot The Godfather, he took a razor blade to Mario Puzo's 1969 book, cut out every page, and pasted them into a notebook. Then he scribbled in the margins and underlined important passages, while slashing others. For each section he planned to film, he included notes on synopsis, texture, tone, and pitfalls to avoid. That 700-plus-page notebook has been made available for the first time in this reproduction, which includes an introduction by Coppola himself. It's a stunning document of an iconic film, and a rare behind-the-scenes look at Coppola's creative process."

--NPR BEST BOOK OF 2016