[A] detailed, fascinating, and frequently surprising look at the origins and filming of The Godfather ... Few movies have had such tumultuous origins and turned out to be undisputed classics, and Seal does a superb job of telling us exactly how this happened. For fans of books about moviemaking, this is a definite must-read.
Revealing and entertaining ... Through extensive research and interviews with key actors and production staff, Seal weaves his tale with enthralling portraits of The Godfather’s main architects ... Seal dishes up fascinating morsels for fans to savor ... Masterpiece yields masterpiece with this exuberant page-turner.
Much of this material appears elsewhere, and Seal is sometimes too intellectual about the film ... But Godfather fans will enjoy the behind-the-scenes squabbles that threatened the picture, the dealings with real-life mobsters, and other details ... A lively film biography that amply shows how great films aren’t necessarily born great, but they can grow great.
