John "Johnny" Fontane is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and the series of films based upon it. In Francis Ford Coppola's film adaptation of the novel, he was portrayed by Al Martino, the role having been turned down by Vic Damone.
Novel and film
In the novel and film, Fontane is a famous crooner and occasional movie star in the vein of Frank Sinatra. He is also the godson of Don Vito Corleone, the head of a major Mafia crime family. There are four occasions on which Corleone intervenes to help his career. The first, years before the main time frame of the original novel and film, is when he uses violent persuasion (an "offer he can't refuse") to buy out a contract that Fontane is locked into with a big band leader, who was refusing to release Fontane despite Vito's initial offer of the penalty fee. The second, the infamous "horse-head" scene, is an act of intimidation, carried out at the Godfather's behest, to ensure Fontane receives a part in a war film. All parties, including the film's producer, agree Fontane would be perfect for the part. The producer, who later receives the severed horse's head in his bed, despises Johnny for "ruining" a woman he was sexually interested in. On the third occasion the Godfather's help wins Fontane the Academy Award for Best Actor, and on the fourth occasion, Fontane is lent money to start his own film studio.
Fontane is a minor character in the movie adaptation. In the original novel, however, the character is far more central, with large portions of the book dedicated to his adventures and misadventures in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, his precarious relationship with childhood friend and former partner Nino Valenti, and his struggles with losing the singing voice that made him famous. In the novel, Fontane develops (and eventually is cured of) lesions on his vocal cords.
Fontane was widely seen actually to have been based on Frank Sinatra. While Puzo never made this claim, he also never denied it.[1]
Novel sequel
The character is expanded upon in the novel The Godfather Returns by Mark Winegardner. In the 2004 novel, Fontane campaigns for the presidential election of his friend, James Kavanaugh "Jimmy" Shea, a young and privileged governor from New Jersey.
 |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |
 |  |  | .jpg) |
 |  |  | |
 |  | ||
0 comments:
Post a Comment