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The Godfather Family Album
“It’s dangerous to be an honest man.” ―Michael Corleone, Godfather IIIAs special photographer on the sets and locations of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather trilogy, Steve Schapiro had the remarkable experience of witnessing legendary actors giving some of their most memorable performances. Schapiro immortalized Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, James Caan, Robert Duvall, and Diane Keaton in photos that have since become iconic images, instantly recognizable and endlessly imitated. Gathered together in this book are Schapiro’s finest photographs from all three Godfather films, lovingly reproduced from the original negatives. With contextual essays and interviews covering the trilogy in its entirety, this book contains over 400 color and black-and-white images. Schapiro’s images take us behind the scenes of this epic and inimitable cinematic saga, revealing the director’s working process, capturing the moods and personalities involved, and providing insight into the making of movie history.
600 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
8 people are currently reading
164 people want to read
About the author
Mario Puzo
155 books4,844 followersPuzo was born in a poor family of Neapolitan immigrants living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York. Many of his books draw heavily on this heritage. After graduating from the City College of New York, he joined the United States Army Air Forces in World War II. Due to his poor eyesight, the military did not let him undertake combat duties but made him a public relations officer stationed in Germany. In 1950, his first short story, The Last Christmas, was published in American Vanguard. After the war, he wrote his first book, The Dark Arena, which was published in 1955.
At periods in the 1950s and early 1960s, Puzo worked as a writer/editor for publisher Martin Goodman's Magazine Management Company. Puzo, along with other writers like Bruce Jay Friedman, worked for the company line of men's magazines, pulp titles like Male, True Action, and Swank. Under the pseudonym Mario Cleri, Puzo wrote World War II adventure features for True Action.
Puzo's most famous work, The Godfather, was first published in 1969 after he had heard anecdotes about Mafia organizations during his time in pulp journalism. He later said in an interview with Larry King that his principal motivation was to make money. He had already, after all, written two books that had received great reviews, yet had not amounted to much. As a government clerk with five children, he was looking to write something that would appeal to the masses. With a number one bestseller for months on the New York Times Best Seller List, Mario Puzo had found his target audience. The book was later developed into the film The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The movie received 11 Academy Award nominations, winning three, including an Oscar for Puzo for Best Adapted Screenplay. Coppola and Puzo collaborated then to work on sequels to the original film, The Godfather Part II and The Godfather Part III.
Puzo wrote the first draft of the script for the 1974 disaster film Earthquake, which he was unable to continue working on due to his commitment to The Godfather Part II. Puzo also co-wrote Richard Donner's Superman and the original draft for Superman II. He also collaborated on the stories for the 1982 film A Time to Die and the 1984 Francis Ford Coppola film The Cotton Club.
Puzo never saw the publication of his penultimate book, Omertà, but the manuscript was finished before his death, as was the manuscript for The Family. However, in a review originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle, Jules Siegel, who had worked closely with Puzo at Magazine Management Company, speculated that Omertà may have been completed by "some talentless hack." Siegel also acknowledges the temptation to "rationalize avoiding what is probably the correct analysis -- that [Puzo] wrote it and it is terrible."
Puzo died of heart failure on July 2, 1999 at his home in Bay Shore, Long Island, New York. His family now lives in East Islip, New York.
At periods in the 1950s and early 1960s, Puzo worked as a writer/editor for publisher Martin Goodman's Magazine Management Company. Puzo, along with other writers like Bruce Jay Friedman, worked for the company line of men's magazines, pulp titles like Male, True Action, and Swank. Under the pseudonym Mario Cleri, Puzo wrote World War II adventure features for True Action.
Puzo's most famous work, The Godfather, was first published in 1969 after he had heard anecdotes about Mafia organizations during his time in pulp journalism. He later said in an interview with Larry King that his principal motivation was to make money. He had already, after all, written two books that had received great reviews, yet had not amounted to much. As a government clerk with five children, he was looking to write something that would appeal to the masses. With a number one bestseller for months on the New York Times Best Seller List, Mario Puzo had found his target audience. The book was later developed into the film The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The movie received 11 Academy Award nominations, winning three, including an Oscar for Puzo for Best Adapted Screenplay. Coppola and Puzo collaborated then to work on sequels to the original film, The Godfather Part II and The Godfather Part III.
Puzo wrote the first draft of the script for the 1974 disaster film Earthquake, which he was unable to continue working on due to his commitment to The Godfather Part II. Puzo also co-wrote Richard Donner's Superman and the original draft for Superman II. He also collaborated on the stories for the 1982 film A Time to Die and the 1984 Francis Ford Coppola film The Cotton Club.
Puzo never saw the publication of his penultimate book, Omertà, but the manuscript was finished before his death, as was the manuscript for The Family. However, in a review originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle, Jules Siegel, who had worked closely with Puzo at Magazine Management Company, speculated that Omertà may have been completed by "some talentless hack." Siegel also acknowledges the temptation to "rationalize avoiding what is probably the correct analysis -- that [Puzo] wrote it and it is terrible."
Puzo died of heart failure on July 2, 1999 at his home in Bay Shore, Long Island, New York. His family now lives in East Islip, New York.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 23, 2023
The ultimate Godfather book!
To me, 'The Godfather' and 'The Godfather Part II' rank in the top five American movies of all time with 'Part II' being a particular favorite.
Steve Schapiro's on-set production stills and behind the scenes photos (some in black and white; most in color with a heavy emphasis on rich browns) are truly magnificent. Plus, lots of interesting articles and interviews about all three films. The bulk of the book relates to the first two in the trilogy which is only fitting as they are the masterworks in the series.
This huge, limited edition comes at a hefty price - I was lucky enough to purchase it when my bookshop was having a special sale, but it was still a costly (but worthwhile) buy. It was an offer I couldn't refuse!
Taschen has produced a cheaper version as well but for movie buffs, there is nothing like the original!
To me, 'The Godfather' and 'The Godfather Part II' rank in the top five American movies of all time with 'Part II' being a particular favorite.
Steve Schapiro's on-set production stills and behind the scenes photos (some in black and white; most in color with a heavy emphasis on rich browns) are truly magnificent. Plus, lots of interesting articles and interviews about all three films. The bulk of the book relates to the first two in the trilogy which is only fitting as they are the masterworks in the series.
This huge, limited edition comes at a hefty price - I was lucky enough to purchase it when my bookshop was having a special sale, but it was still a costly (but worthwhile) buy. It was an offer I couldn't refuse!
Taschen has produced a cheaper version as well but for movie buffs, there is nothing like the original!
December 7, 2020
I am a huge fan of The Godfather movies, and this book is a very good source of information about the movies. Also has a lot of pictures I had not seen before. If you are a fan of these movies this book will be very interesting to you. I like reading about things that were going on behind the scenes. Its interesting that in this picture you have so much talent and all working at different intersections of their lives and this movie launched everyone into stratrosphere from Francis Ford Coppola to Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duval, Robert de Niro, and Paramount Pictures. It really is a very interesting time. I think a lot of these actors and director did their best work in this movie. Really one of the greatest movies ever made, and so this coffee table book!
September 29, 2016
A beautiful book with awesome pics from the period of the three movies. On the other hand, I think that is a book for hardcore fans of the Godfather saga. Beside the pics (Just a few of them are rare, most of them u can find it in several video documentary about the films) There are five interviews or articles: I specially loved the Puzo´s and Coppola´s interviews and the Pacino´s interview. But as I am a hardcore fan and the Godfather films are top on my movie for good, I can´t be objective about this.
August 30, 2019
True masterpiece ❤️ for any godfather fan or not, only superlatives 🥰🥰🥰
January 5, 2020
Beautiful coffee table book that offers a fascinating and intimate photographic record of being on-set during the filming of the GODFATHER films. Schapiro's gorgeously reproduced photographs complement Gordon Willis' legendary cinematography, and the selected interviews and articles from contemporaneous sources provide a valuable running commentary to the making of these films.
A pure pleasure to read, browse or just visually savour. It certainly encourages revisiting the films - I certainly did immediately after reading it!
A pure pleasure to read, browse or just visually savour. It certainly encourages revisiting the films - I certainly did immediately after reading it!
July 19, 2023
An album you can’t refuse
October 16, 2023
Епохална книга и албум.
November 6, 2023
An offer Godfather fans can't refuse
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2024
A true gift of a book
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January 9, 2021"I was interested in the idea of succession- showing a father and a son both in their own time and drawing a contrast." - Francis Ford Coppola
A truly beautiful album collected of essays, interviews, behind-the-scenes stories and photographs that made me admire the making of The Godfather films and the Corleone family even more.
A truly beautiful album collected of essays, interviews, behind-the-scenes stories and photographs that made me admire the making of The Godfather films and the Corleone family even more.
March 30, 2025
la biblia
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews