“Leave the gun, take the cannoli” is one of many iconic lines from the “The Godfather” film. Mark Seal uses the line in the title of his book, “Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather.”

The backstory behind the near-perfect crime film is nearly as dramatic as the film itself. I reached out to Mark Seal and asked him why he wrote the book. “I have an almost lifelong fascination with the movie, which I first saw as a college freshman on spring break in 1972,” Mr. Seal replied.