Newsroom

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Oregon State University film professor Jon Lewis will give an interactive and informative talk on "The Godfather" trilogy, including little-known insights into the films' connections with real-life mafia figures, at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 15.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the Memorial Union Journey Room (or Joyce Powell Leadership Center), 2501 S.W. Jefferson Way, on the OSU campus. It is sponsored by the OSU Bookstore.

Lewis' newest book, on the 1972 American film "The Godfather," was released in October through the British Film Institute. Copies of the book will be available at the Nov. 15 event.

Considered by many critics, scholars and historians as one of the greatest American films, Francis Ford Coppola's seminal gangster movie, "The Godfather," also has been credited with reviving the sagging film industry of the early 1970s.

Using film clips from the movies in "The Godfather" trilogy, production slides and other photos, Lewis will give an entertaining talk, highlighting some of his findings while researching his book. He also will trace the history of Hollywood's connections to real gangsters, and its treatment of gangsters in cinema.

"The Godfather" won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and was nominated in eight additional categories. The American Film Institute has it third in its list of the 100 Greatest Movies and the best gangster film of all time in its genre list.