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''The Godfather Effect'' is a 2012 critically acclaimed study of the ''Godfather'' films - as well as Mario Puzo's novel - and their effect on American culture.〔(Hollywood Reporter )〕〔(''Wall Street Journal'' )〕 Written by biographer Tom Santopietro, the book demonstrates how ''The Godfather'' was a turning point in American cultural consciousness. With its emphasis on proud ethnicity, ''The Godfather'' changed not just the way Italian-Americans saw themselves, but how Americans of all backgrounds viewed their individual and national self-identities, their possibilities, and attendant disappointments.〔''The Godfather Effect'', p. 83; by Tom Santopietro; St. Martins Press pub.; February 2012, ISBN 978-1-250-00513-7〕 The ''Godfather Effect'' had a broader philosophical dimension, as well. As noted by Santopietro, "what Puzo delivered - brilliantly - was nothing less than a disquisition on the madness, glory, and failure of the American dream."〔''The Godfather Effect'', p. 7; by Tom Santopietro; St. Martins Press pub.; February 2012, ISBN 978-1-250-00513-7〕 Early in the novel, Amerigo Bonasera declares “I believe in America.” The novel then depicts a nation where Mafia and big business are two sides of the same coin: both are corrupt, tell the truth selectively, and do exactly as they wish.〔''The Godfather Effect'', p. 81; by Tom Santopietro; St. Martins Press pub.; February 2012, ISBN 978-1-250-00513-7〕 This insight is bluntly stated by Michael Corleone, who recommends that Italian-Americans “must learn from the philanthropists like the Rockefellers – first you rob everybody, then you give to the poor.”〔''The Godfather Effect'', p. 72; by Tom Santopietro; St. Martins Press pub.; February 2012, ISBN 978-1-250-00513-7〕 ==Reception== ''The Godfather Effect'' was widely reviewed, and well received by the press. The ''Hollywood Reporter'' called it "a beautiful narrative of the way pop culture shapes our self-image."〔(Hollywood Reporter )〕 ''The Wall Street Journal'' declared that "part memoir, part devotional film essay and part reflection on the meaning of ethnicity in American life, ''The Godfather Effect'' defines how the ''Godfather'' movies, along with the 1969 Mario Puzo novel from which they were adapted, reflected the madness, glory and failure of the American dream. By exploring that dream in distinctly Italian-American terms, the movies succeeded in delivering nothing less than the Italianization of American culture. In other words, they were so cool that everyone wanted to seem a little Italian."〔(Wall Street Journal )〕 ''Newsday'' appreciated the personal dimension in Santopietro's book, noting, "In the end, it's the personal moments, such as Santopietro taking his aging dad to revisit the field where he played baseball as a child, that are most rewarding. The films make up the shell of ''The Godfather Effect'', but it's the connections with family that give it a center as sweet as cannoli cream."〔(Newsday )〕 The ''New York Journal of Books'' found that Santopietro “capably weaves together the memoirist elements, the history, and the analyses of the formal and thematic aspects of the films.”〔(''New York Journal of Books'' )〕 The book was recognized for its historical value by ''Smithsonian Magazine'', the official publication of the Smithsonian Institution.〔(''Smithsonian Magazine'' )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Godfather Effect」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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