1. Is Corleone a real place in Sicily? (Or Italy?)

2. In GF1, it doesn't show much about the relationship between Michael and Fabrizio, yet many on this board talk about Michael's great love for Fabrizio and his sorrow at Fabrizio's death. Is this angle shown more in the book or in GFIII? (I've only seen GFIII 3-4 times.)

3. Was Brando Italian?

4. There is a lot of talk about Al Neri here. But, I haven't seen too much of him, unless I'm missing him in all the right places! Who was he and why does he seem so central? Would Al Neri be the guy sitting at the table eating Chinese food with Clemenza, Tessio, Michael, Sonny, & Tom when they were waiting to hear where the meeting was going to be between Michael and Sollozzo? If it was not Neri, who was that guy?

5. What was the birth order of Vito's children?

6. Sonny mentions a guy by the name of "Genco" to Tom in an argument they were having about Sonny's war. I thought Genco was someone who Vito went into business with regarding the importing of olive oil from Italy. Was Genco also a lawyer? Which one was he in GFII?

7. When these guys "went to the mattresses" did they live 24/7 with each other until things cooled off or what was the living arrangements? What happened to their wives and children when they went to the mattresses?

8. How many "families" are there in reality? Was there someone very like Corleone that Puzo had in mind when he wrote the book?

Thanks for your help!

~~ Lollie

Yes Corleone is a real place in Sicily.Its on the west side Of Sicily if im not mistaken

Ill let the Knowlegable people answer your other questions

5. Sonny, Fredo, Michael, Connie. I think that Tom Hagen was around the same age as Sonny.

6. Genco was Vito's consigliere...the same position that Tom Hagen held. I believe that they first met when Vito worked at Genco's father's grocery store, as shown in Part II. Genco dies at the very beginning of Part I (from cancer or something like that) in a deleted scene. And he was also in the whole olive oil business with Vito, the company was actually called Genco Olive Oil.

Lollie, OK, I'll try to help you.
1. Yes. There's a museum of mafia in it.
2.Michael's great love for Fabrizio? Maybe you mean someone else? Fabrizio was a traitor and Michael had him killed. Read this thread attentively: Fabrizio.
3.No, he was not.
4.Neri came to serve Michael in the end of the book, so "the guy" was someone else. I don't remember who. You may post this question in the trivia game
Neri is not too central. He is Michael's executioner, prime enforcer. His character has a lot of space in the book.
BTW, If you read it, you'll have much less questions.
5. 1-Santino, 2-Fredo, 3-Michael, 4-Connie.
6. Genco is a friend and later consigliere to Vito, before Tom. He was not a lawyer. He is in GF2. Book says more about him.
7. they went to the mattresses to protect their wives and kids from attack. They lived there because it was more convenient. Like army barracks - you don't call every soldier every day from home to the battlefield.
8. There really were 5 families of NY, some of them still exist. There are many versions, but I believe Puzo took as model different mafia leaders. Some people say Bonnano, some - Genovese, and some-Costello. There's no full resemblance.

I've been wondering about that myself

Neri became Mike's "Luca Brasi" and his story was told in the book. That individual eating Chinese food with the guys was NOT Neri - that character was never identified. See pic below:



Genco was the guy with whom young Vito went to the opera to see the Italian play. Later, it was Genco that opened the door for Signor Roberto (the landlord who nervously visited young Vito). It was Genco's father who took young Vito "in" when Vito came to America, and it was in Genco's father's grocery store that young Vito worked.

You're thinking of Calo, Mike's other bodyguard in Sicily. In the book, Calo was killed along with Apollonia, but he was alive and faithful to Mike in Part III.

I'm waiting for someone to tell me it's Rocco

Actualy, it looks a lot like Bruno Kirby. Wasn't he one of the spectators in the fight scene with Sonny & Carlo? Maybe he filled in here......

That was Frank Sivero, the guy who played young Genco.

This does, however, open up another Pandora's Box - the following scene in which all the guys are leaving the Don's house - thats the first time we see Willie Cicci in the movie.

In regards to Brando's ethnic heritage-no, he wasnt Italian. I believe his main nationality was French.

if you wanna know what neri looks like, look at my avatar!

that guy looks nothing like bruno kirby, different hair, diferent face, not chubby! in think he does look a bit like rocco, but it's not him!

brando was american, yes, but still his ancestors had to come over from europe at some time, or do you think he sprang out of the woodwork in the rocky mountains?
brando was dutch/french/english/irish, i believe.

Thanks for all the help, folks! I do appreciate it. Brando was soooo good as an Italian, you really BELIEVED he was one! What an actor! We'll never see another actor like him or DeNiro! The quality of actors today is pitiful. Can you see Brad Pitt trying to pull off a Michael Corleone??? What a laugh that would be!

~~ Lollie