Most of the 125 photographs in this book are being published

here for the first time. They were selected after a review of some 49,000 images from The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, and The God-father Part III that are housed in the archives of Paramount Pictures in Hollywood.

Those Paramount files include dozens--often hundreds--ofphotographs of virtually every scene from these three films as they were being rehearsed and filmed. The thousands of images that were examined but not included here provided a bounty of visual references that helped to confirm--and in several cases to dis-card--some of the material that has gathered ow:r the past quarter century about the making of The Godfather.

Here is the official companion to Francis Ford Coppola's masterful trilogy,revised and updated, and packed with more than 1OO photographs.

The director was a renegade filmmaker who'd never made a profitable picture. The producer was hired because he could stay below budget. The star had a reputation for being difficult. A formula for disaster?

No, the makings of one of the greatest films of all time.

The Godfather Legacy explores the fascinating behind-the-scenes intrigue and uproar during the making of all three films:

The dashes between Coppola and the studio chiefs during the filming of The Godfather, the pressurized production schedule, and the project's near cancellation

The real story behind the cooperation of the Mafia in the creation of The Godfather

The worldwide acclaim and stunning financial success following the release of The Godfather a triumph that set the stage for the film industry's renaissance

The production of The Godfather Part H and the rise of Coppola, Al Pacino, and others to the loftiest heights of power in Hollywood

The creation of The Godfather Part III two decades after the original film and the completion of video projects that unified the three films for the first time

Featuring production records, credits, reviews, and interviews with many of the principals in-volved, The Godfather Legacy is a rare and vivid peek into the making of three of the most compel-ling films in Hollywood history.

To the Reader

The Godfather: A Recollection

"A Real Terror to the Piece"

The Great Seducer

A Portrait of Treachery

The "M" Word

"I Will No Longer Allow You to Discuss It"

"Four Corned-Beef Sandwiches"

The Look of a Bulldog

"Do We Trust This Guy or Not?"

"It's Only a Gangster Picture"

The Script Doctor

"These Guys Don't Go Around

Shooting Each Other Anymore"

"I Believe in the Mafia"

"It Was Just a Fantastic Thing"

The Godfather Legacy

Afterword: The Godfather in 2005: Another Look

The Godfather Films: Credits

Bibliography

Index