Francis Ford Coppola's notes

The Annotated Godfather is the complete screenplay along with extensive commentary, behind the scenes information, et cetera. It's an excellent book and I recommend it for Godfather fans.

https://www.amazon.com/Annotated-Godfather-Screenplay-Commentary-Little-Known/dp/1579128114

In it, there's a description of how Francis Ford Coppola prepared the movie. He broke each scene down according to these categories: "Synopsis," "The Times" (the 1940s period quality), "Imagery and Tone," "The Core" (the essence of the scene), and "Pitfalls" (issues to watch out for, such as pacing and cliches). The result was a large notebook which Coppola, to use his words, "actually schlepped [...] with me every day of The Godfather."

There a photo of two non-consecutive pages from the notebook, both relating to Connie's wedding. Yesterday I quoted from one of those pages in responding to another thread here. But I later thought, others might be interested in this for its own sake, so I've transcribed the entire two pages here. I've tried to be as faithful as possible, including the occasional odd capitalization (e.g., "The Sex scene").

Coppola's notes are typed, but he also made some handwritten additions, which I've rendered here in italics. He also underlined some things, which I've rendered here in boldface.

Enjoy!

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(Sc. One First Notes #7)

IMAGERY AND TONE (Continued)

tension
so you know everyone's thinking "we have plenty of our own, why did Michael have to bring 'her'". Maybe families with eligible daughters should be introduced to Michael and Kay. "The American girl", an oddity. Michael and Kay think its funny; but they are really, underneath a bit uneasy about it. You'd have to be especially Kay.

maybe use Michael introducing KAY?
I think there should be a point where Michael introduces Kay to his Mother and Father. That could be economic and tell us a lot about Michael's relationship to his Father. Also, important that Michael is serious about Kay, and has brought her to the Wedding to ease her into the knowledge of who his father is.

The Sex scene with Sonny and Lucy should go very far. I like Puzo's screenplay image of the Maid-Of-Honor's gown up, practially over her head. 1946 morals? [illegible]

The scene with Bonasera is good and very important. It further defines the Don's power, and puts forth the essence of what it is the Don refers to as 'friendship' i.e. a pledge of loyalty. It is the gathering and manipulation of these pledges which give the Don his extraordinary power in the first place. It is very important that after Bonasera gives his pledge, that we understand he feels he is now under a grave and frightening obligtion to the Godfather. Bonasera must be a super, super actor.

Textures

Fat, older man dancing with a ten year old girl in a confirmation dress. Her little shoes on his big ones.

yes - more impressions and less exposition

Older couple, having just danced a Tarentella; he is around the back of her with a white handkerchief, mopping her back, even down her dress, for her.

Guest in an inappropriate tux, uncomfortable, adjusting it so he'll just look right. (Luca Brasi)?

Kids in little suits 'sliding around the sandwich man'.

Someone being asked to sing (Nino)? refusing and refusing as he is walking up to the bandstand.

Throwing the sandwiches.
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(Sc. One First Notes #9)

IMAGERY AND TONE: (Continued)

where we are. Also, it would be clear that we are viewing the overlap or repeated action through the eyes of a new character: one who had exited during the first time we had seen it; sort of like Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead; repeating and reviewing the actions from the perspective of other than the character's principally involved. We already know and experienced the whispering from the point of view of Sonny, Lucy, perhaps Sonny's wife; of that significance is it to Hagen, and therefore to the Don. This is an important stylistic decision.

THE CORE

The core of the scene: Introduce the Don, and gradually reveal the breadth of his power, make clear his relationship to Michael.

Establish the fusion of family and business.

Introduce all the main characters and sub-plots of the film.

PITFALLS

Boring

Cliches, Italians who-a, talka lika-dis; failure to make a convincing setting. People must feel that they are seeing a real thing, with hundreds and hundreds of interesting specifics, like the children sliding around the 'sandwich man', throwing the sandwiches: "Hey Bino, two copagole and one prociutto!" etc.

Failing to intoxicate with the formidability of the Don and his power.

Losing a basic 'humanity' to all these people.

Failing to set up a tension between the godfather and Michael re: the nature of their relationship.

Too much exposition.
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