Directed by Francis Ford Coppola and based on the crime novel by Mario Puzzle, the Godfather depicts the fictional sicilian Corleone crime family and their power struggles within the world of organized crime in New York City. During the production of the film, Coppola himself found himself intertwined with real life mob figures. Joseph Colombo, the head of the Colombo crime family, reportedly struck a deal with Paramount Pictures to sanitize the film's script by removing the word mafia to present a less negative portrayal of italian Americans