CAMILLE AUBRAY says HAPPY 50th ANNIVERSARY to "THE GODFATHER" WITH LOVE FROM "THE GODMOTHERS"

While I've been on my book tour for THE GODMOTHERS people often ask me, " Do you think women like THE GODFATHER movie, or is it sexist?"

My answer is, "Yes to both!" I absolutely adore "The Godfather" film and I can out-quote its memorable dialogue as well as any male fan can. And yes, at the same time, it certainly is a movie that reinforced traditional female roles (as in relegated to the background) in the early 1970s, just when the women's liberation movement was gaining momentum! But if you can "walk and chew gum at the same time", then yes, you can love and admire the art and the artist and still want to tell him he isn't being fair to the women, even if that story was set in the 1940s.

So let's take this one step at a time. First, here's what I love about "The Godfather" movie: I am enraptured with its beautiful Rembrandt-like painterly tones of mahogany, gold and yellow; I admire Francis Ford Coppola's perfect choices of editing, angle, transition; I love the brilliant acting from the entire cast, and the excellent sets and wardrobe.

But what I especially admire about "The Godfather" is something that few people talk about--the very sound of the movie. Not just the haunting theme song in all its variations and emotional resonance, but the pitch-perfect sound effects that are so subtly powerful and evocative. For instance, think of the suspense and tension you feel when you hear the baker Enzo’s footsteps echoing down the hospital corridor, even before you--and Michael Corleone--see his shadowy figure approaching.

I could go on and on about the film's beauty, but did you know that Francis Ford Coppola had to fight like a tiger for every astonishingly wonderful thing about "The Godfather", because many of the studio executives at the time hated most of it? They thought that its stunning color palette was "too dark", they thought the music was all wrong and should be more peppy and mainstream, they didn't want Pacino and Brando, and they were constantly on the verge of firing Coppola himself . . . the list is stupefyingly endless.

Now, what about my feminist take on all this? Well, as I mentioned in an earlier blog, to understand my love of "The Godfather" you have to go to its source, to Mario Puzo, the author of the blockbuster novel, who said quite frankly: “Whenever the Godfather opened his mouth, in my own mind I heard the voice of my mother. I heard her wisdom, her ruthlessness, and her unconquerable love for her family and for life itself, qualities not valued in women at the time.” Puzo also noted, “The Don’s courage and loyalty came from her; his humanity came from her . . . without [her], I could not have written The Godfather.”

And that is what inspired me to get the women out of the shadows and to write my own novel, THE GODMOTHERS. Now, my four godmothers are not the wives of the big mob Bosses. But they are extraordinary "ordinary" women who, like a lot of women in the 1940s and 50s (and even nowadays) are undervalued and underappreciated by the society they live in. Yet together THE GODMOTHERS can rise to any occasion and face down anybody--even if their lives collide with the likes of Albert Anastasia, Lucky Luciano, Frank Costello and Tommy “Three-Finger” Lucchese!

And whoops, yes, this isn't the first time that I've written about an artist and his art whom some would like to dismiss as "sexist", such as, well, Picasso in my novel COOKING FOR PICASSO. But that, as they say, is another story for another blog.

So this month, I and THE GODMOTHERS send our warmest regards to THE GODFATHER and to Francis Ford Coppola and everyone who made that film the masterpiece that it still is today. There's room for everybody at the table, especially at my table. Check out my website recipes if all this talk is making your hungry! http://www.camilleaubray.com .

Camille Aubray is the author of THE GODMOTHERS https://www.amazon.com/Godmothers-Novel-Camille-Aubray/dp/0062983695 and COOKING FOR PICASSO https://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Picasso-Novel-Camille-Aubray/dp/0399177663 .

THE GODMOTHERS IS A “BEST BOOK” ACCORDING TO PEOPLE, BUZZFEED, PARADE, NEWSWEEK, VERANDA, AND PUBLISHERS MARKETPLACE'S "BUZZ BOOKS" 


“Setting her tale mostly in the 1930s and '40s, Aubray uses the dramatic changes in America to highlight the family drama—a saga reminiscent of Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola. Unlike them, though, Aubray focuses on the challenges particular to women . . . As violence erupts, power shifts, and war rises once again, the four women learn to negotiate power on their own terms. A fast-paced, drama-filled portrait of a family dynasty." —Kirkus Reviews

“Aubrey delivers an addictive and tense multigenerational feminist romp. . .This credibly flips the script on male-dominated Mafia stories.” — PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“Deeply complex and beautifully written women . . . a story perfect for devouring.” — NEWSWEEK

“A fascinating, fast-paced trip!" — PEOPLE Picks the Best New Books

"We love Camille Aubray’s THE GODMOTHERS." — PARADE

“This is historical fiction at its best.”— BOOKLIST

“I couldn’t put this down! I can’t remember reading such a juicy page-turner.” — MELANIE BENJAMIN, New York Times bestselling author

“Thrilling! Readers will enjoy immersing themselves in family drama and watching women’s friendships grow.” —LIBRARY JOURNAL

“Aubray shines in her ability to bring each woman alive with distinct personalities, and to weave individual stories and different plots into one collective story. . . Enjoy immersing yourself into this family's story." —HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW

“THE GODMOTHERS is my type of book; captivating, well written and full of love and drama.”—JACQUES PÉPIN

“THE GODMOTHERS might be one of the best books of the year!”—RED CARPET CRASH

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