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Few genres delve deeper into the mythos of the American dream like the mafia drama, and no Italian-American mafia tale is more iconic than "The Godfather" saga. Adapted from Mario Puzo's bestselling novel by the same name and premiering in 1972, the first "Godfather" film was the highest-grossing film of all time until supplanted by "Jaws" in 1976....

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Buffalo native Patrick Gallo wasn’t born when the film classic “The Godfather” premiered a half-century ago. But the 49-year-old actor felt like he lived it when he watched it when he was about 12 years old with his father at the family’s Lancaster Avenue home. “It was like watching a home movie,” said Gallo. “My father had a lot of friends who wer...

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I read Mario Puzo’s megahit, “The Godfather,” in the early 1970s, along with most of the world’s population. As a feminist and a first-generation Italian-American, I had been baffled by the minor role women played in the novel. I knew from firsthand experience what powerful players women were in the Italian family dynamic. “Women and children can a...

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Leave the gun, take the cannoli, and see “The Godfather” in 4K later this year. In honor of the 50th anniversary of Francis Ford Coppola’s award-winning film “The Godfather,” Paramount Pictures announced that the acclaimed film will have a limited release theater run this year. Starting on Feb. 25, the film will run exclusively Dolby Cinema at AMC...

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Mario Puzo’s 1969 novel The Godfather was on the bestseller list for 67 weeks, selling more than 21 million copies worldwide. Puzo’s screenplay for the 1972 film adaptation, arguably the defining portrait of the Mafia in the 20th century, contained some of cinema’s most memorable lines – “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse” among them – an...

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Francis Coppola has long wanted another crack at “The Godfather Part III,” looking to shorten it in places, and strengthen it in others, and change the title. He has been tinkering with that for awhile, as he re-cut versions of other films including “Cotton Club.” But he always said he needed Paramount Pictures’ blessing. Today, the studio announce...

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In the renaissance period English playwrights such as William Shakespeare were obsessed with a man named Niccolo Machiavelli. In his day, Machiavelli was seen as the reputed expert of the art of political corruption and the attainment of power through sinister means. In fact he wrote a book titled “The Prince” that referenced history and offered in...

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Since their large-scale influx from the homeland in the late 19th century, Italian Americans have rendered their distinct pattern on the cultural fabric with their food, fashions, expressions and mores. Many have gone on to prominence in sports, academia and public service, overcoming perceptions of their limitations along the way, while a select f...

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Leave the gun, take a ride to the Patchogue Theatre. "The Godfather" is screening at the Patchogue Theatre on May 15 at 7 p.m. as part of the theatre's Classic Film Series. Tickets are on sale from $12 to $15 and can be purchased here.  The theatre's Classic Films Series is underway and includes other favorites like "Close Encounters of the Third K...

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DAVID BIANCULLI, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. I'm David Bianculli, editor of the website TV Worth Watching, sitting in for Terry Gross. This week marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Mario Puzo's "The Godfather." A new edition has just been released with an introduction by Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola and Puzo co-wrote the screenplays for...

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