A collection of Mario Puzo's rough drafts of The Godfather that includes multiple drafts of the acclaimed novel and movie screenplay has sold at auction for €562,000 ($625,000).
The treasure trove was part of the late Puzo's literary archive, including partial movie scripts and letters to Marlon Brando, and also featured the original script for Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather movie with the director's handwritten annotations.
The 45-box archive sold Thursday to a bidder from the U.S. who wishes to remain anonymous.
The Godfather (1972) is widely regarded as one of the greatest films in world cinema and as one of the most influential. Ranked second to Citizen Kane by the American Film Institute in 2007, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 1990 as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola and produced by Albert S. Ruddy from a screenplay by Mario Puzo and Coppola, the gangster movie starred Marlon Brando and Al Pacino as the leaders of the fictional Corleone New York crime family. The story spans the years 1945–55, concentrating on the transformation of Michael Corleone from reluctant family outsider to ruthless Mafia boss.
The film was the box office leader for 1972 and was, for a time, the highest-grossing picture ever made. It won three Academy Awards for that year: Best Picture, Best Actor (Brando) and in the category Best Adapted Screenplay for Puzo and Coppola.
Its nominations in seven other categories included Pacino, James Caan and Robert Duvall for Best Supporting Actor and Coppola for Best Director. The success spawned two sequels: The Godfather Part II in 1974, and The Godfather Part III in 1990.
