Never-before-seen footage chronicling the production of the classic 1972 film The Godfather at the Norton family estate on Staten Island’s Emerson Hill. At approximately 90 minutes in duration, the movie is presented in its original three canisters of 8mm master reels, as well as three additional transfer formats—a Maxell Professional HDCAM cassette, a set of three Sony digital videocassettes, and a pair of two DVDs—all of which consist of exclusive behind-the-scenes imagery of the film’s exhaustive set design and construction, candid moments between Francis Ford Coppola and his crew, the daily routines of stars like Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, and Robert Duvall, and home movie footage of the Nortons themselves as they grow accustomed to their novel film-set surroundings. An expertly detailed, typed four-page accounting of exactly what is on the film is present. Additionally included is a written narrative detailing the day-to-day work involved in preparing for The Godfather’s proposed two-month shooting schedule at Emerson Hill; a copy of daily journal entries detailing production events between early March and late June of 1971; and numerous copies of unique production stills and Staten Island newspaper articles reporting the latest news on The Godfather’s impact on the community, all of which originated from Mrs. Norton’s personal scrapbook that documented her family’s experiences during and after the making of the film. In overall very good to fine condition.
The estate of Edward Norton Jr. and his family at the end of Emerson Hill’s Longfellow Avenue proved the exact location Coppola and his crew desired for the home base of their Mafioso patriarch Vito Corleone. The central residence of a stately five-house complex, the Norton mansion underwent an extensive exterior makeover in preparation for a number of pivotal scenes. In addition to wrapping an enormous faux stonewall around the sprawling property, imbuing the Corleone Mall with a decidedly impenetrable look, local Staten Island craftsmen, masons, and carpenters alike were tasked with the construction of the Don’s infamous office, detailing the mansion exterior with a style more befitting of the mid-1940s, and preparing for the movie’s lavish opening wedding ceremony, a 200-guest celebration replete with two huge dance floors, thirty period cars, a six-foot tall cake, 100 gallons of red wine, twelve kegs of beer, and 400 Italian sandwiches. Other significant scenes filmed at the Norton compound include the ‘transition of power’ conversation between Michael and Vito, as well as Don Corleone’s tragic collapse among the tomato vines. Offering an unprecedented perspective into the making of The Godfather, this unpublished footage serves as a unique extension into the film’s background and the various key figures who aided in the work’s lauded authenticity. Originating directly from the estate of the Norton family, this once-in-a-lifetime cinematic treasure is being sold with the copyright.
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