The Godfather Page #4

DON CORLEONE:

No, give him a living. But never

let him know the family's business.

What else, Tom?

HAGEN:

I've called the hospital; they've

notified Consiglere Genco's family

to come and wait. He won't last

out the night.

This saddens the DON. He sighs.

DON CORLEONE:

Genco will wait for me. Santino,

tell your brothers they will come

with me to the hospital to see

Genco. Tell Fredo to drive the big

car, and ask Johnny to come with us.

SONNY:

And Michael?

DON CORLEONE:

All my sons.

(to HAGEN)

Tom, I want you to go to California

tonight. Make the arrangements.

But don't leave until I come back

from the hospital and speak to you.

Understood?

HAGEN:

Understood.

EXT DAY:
MALL (SUMMER 1945)

Now all the wedding GUESTS excitedly clap their hands over

the entrance of the cake: NAZORINE is beaming as he wheels

in a serving table containing the biggest, gaudiest, most

extravagant wedding cake ever baked, an incredible monument

of his gratitude. The CROWD is favorably impressed: they

begin to clink their knives or forks against their glasses,

in the traditional request for the Bride to cut the cake and

kiss the Groom. Louder and louder, five hundred forks

hitting five hundred glasses.

EXT DAY:
MALL (SUMMER 1945)

Silence.

HIGH ANGLE ON THE MALL, late day. The GUESTS are gone. A

single black car is in the courtyard. FREDDIE is behind the

driver's seat:
the DON enters the car, looks at MICHAEL, who

sits between SONNY and JOHNNY in the rear seat.

DON CORLEONE:

Will your girl friend get back to

the city all right?

MICHAEL:

Tom said he'd take care of it.

The DON pulls the door shut; and the car pulls out, through

the gate of the great Corleone Mall.

INT DAY:
HOSPITAL CORRIDOR (SUMMER 1945)

A long white hospital corridor, at the end of which we can

see a grouping of FIVE WOMEN, some old and some young, but

all plump and dressed in black.

DON CORLEONE and his SONS move toward the end. But then the

DON slows, putting his hand on MICHAEL's shoulder. MICHAEL

stops and turns toward his FATHER. The two looks at one

another for some time. SILENCE. DON CORLEONE then lifts

his hand, and slowly touches a particular medal on MICHAEL's

uniform.

DON CORLEONE:

What was this for?

MICHAEL:

For bravery.

DON CORLEONE:

And this?

MICHAEL:

For killing a man.

DON CORLEONE:

What miracles you do for strangers.

MICHAEL:

I fought for my country. It was my

choice.

DON CORLEONE:

And now, what do you choose to do?

MICHAEL:

I'm going to finish school.

DON CORLEONE:

Good. When you are finished, come

and talk to me. I have hopes for

you.

Again they regard each other without a word. MICHAEL turns,

and continues on. DON CORLEONE watches a moment, and then

follows.

INT DAY:
HOSPITAL ROOM (SUMMER 1945)

DON CORLEONE enters the hospital room, moving closest to OUR

VIEW. He is followed by his SONS, JOHNNY and the WOMEN.

DON CORLEONE:

(whispered)

Genco, I've brought my sons to pay

their respects. And look, even

Johnny Fontane, all the way from

Hollywood.

GENCO is a tiny, wasted skeleton of a man. DON CORLEONE

takes his bony hand, as the others arrange themselves around

his bed, each clasping the other hand in turn.

GENCO:

Godfather, Godfather, it's your

daughter's wedding day, you cannot

refuse me. Cure me, you have the

power.

DON CORLEONE:

I have no such power...but Genco,

don't fear death.

GENCO:

(with a sly wink)

It's been arranged, then?

DON CORLEONE:

You blaspheme. Resign yourself.

GENCO:

You need your old Consigliere. Who

will replace me?

(suddenly)

Stay with me Godfather. Help me

meet death. If he sees you, he

will be frightened and leave me in

peace. You can say a word, pull a

few strings, eh? We'll outwit that

bastard as we outwitted all those

others.

(clutching his hand)

Godfather, don't betray me.

The DON motions all the others to leave the room. They do.

He returns his attention to GENCO, holding his hand and

whispering things we cannot hear, as they wait for death.

INT NIGHT:
AIRPLANE (SUMMER 1945)

FADE IN:

The interior of a non-stop Constellation. HAGEN is one of

the very few passengers on this late flight. He looks like

any young lawyer on a business trip. He is tired from the

difficult preparation and duties that he has just executed

during the wedding. On the seat next to him is an enormous,

bulging briefcase. He closes his eyes.

INT NIGHT:
HONEYMOON HOTEL (SUMMER 1945)

The honeymoon hotel: CARLO and CONNIE. CARLO is in his

undershorts, sitting up on the bed, anxiously taking the

envelopes out of the silk bridal purse and counting the

contents. CONNIE prepares herself in the large marble

bathroom. She rubs her hands over his bronze shoulders, and

tries to get his interest.

INT NIGHT:
DON'S OFFICE (SUMMER 1945)

DON CORLEONE in his office. LUCA BRASI sitting near to him.

DON CORLEONE:

Luca, I am worried about this man

Sollozzo. Find out what you can,

through the Tattaglias. Let them

believe you could be tempted away

from the Corleone Family, if the

right offer was made. Learn what

he has under his fingernails...

INT NIGHT:
MANCINI APT. HALL (SUMMER 1945)

The hallway of an apartment building. SONNY enters, climbs

two steps at a time. He knocks, and then whispers.

SONNY:

It's me, Sonny.

The door opens, and two lovely arms are around him, pulling

him into the apartment.

INT NIGHT:
LUCA'S ROOM (WINTER 1945)

LUCA BRASI's tiny room. He is partly dressed. He kneels

and reaches under his bed and pulls out a small, locked

trunk. He opens it, and takes out a heavy, bullet-proof

vest. He puts it on, over his wool undershirt, and then

puts on his shirt and jacket. He takes his gun, quickly

disassembles, checks, and reassembles it. And leaves.

INT NIGHT:
DON'S OFFICE (SUMMER 1945)

A CLOSE VIEW of DON CORLEONE thinking quietly.

INT NIGHT:
MOVING TRAIN (SUMMER 1945)

MICHAEL and KAY on a train, speeding on their way to New

Hampshire.

INT NIGHT:
SUBWAY (WINTER 1945)

LUCA, in his bulky jacket, sitting quietly on an empty

subway train.

INT NIGHT:
AIRPLANE (SUMMER 1945)

HAGEN on the Constellation. He reaches into his briefcase,

and takes out several pictures and papers.

One photograph is of a smiling man, JACK WOLTZ, linked arm

in arm with fifteen movie stars on either side, including a

lovely young child star to his immediate right.

HAGEN considers other papers.

INT NIGHT:
DON'S OFFICE (SUMMER 1945)

DON CORLEONE looks, and then moves HAGEN into an embrace.

He straightens his arms and looks at TOM deeply.

DON CORLEONE:

Remember my new Consigliere, a

lawyer with his briefcase can steal

more than a hundred men with guns.

EXT DAY:
WOLTZ ESTATE GATE (SUMMER 1945)

JACK WOLTZ ESTATE. HAGEN stands before the impressive gate,

armed only with his briefcase. A GATEMAN opens the gate,

and TOM enters.

EXT DAY:
WOLTZ GARDENS (SUMMER 1945)

HAGEN and WOLTZ comfortably stroll along beautiful formal

gardens, martinis in hand.

WOLTZ:

You should have told me your boss

was Corleone, Tom, I had to check

you out. I thought you were just

some third rate hustler Johnny was

running in to bluff me.

(a piece of statuary)

Florence, thirteenth century.

Decorated the garden of a king.

Rate this script:3.9 / 20 votes