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Everything in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" is perfect, even when it isn't. In a script that often reads like poetry, it's well documented that some of the most beloved moments in one of the greatest crime movies ever made were simply happy accidents. James Caan's Sonny tossing money to photographers for a broken camera was a snapshot of spontaneity, and even Don Corleone's opening conversation was made all the more unsettling thanks to Marlon Brando bringing a stray cat to the scene and creating one of the most memorable character introductions in cinema history.

Among the essential improvisations that make "The Godfather" a masterpiece is the darkly humorous and incredibly heartless death of a traitor -- and the retrieval of a pastry that would be recited for decades. In the tense and tightly orchestrated assassination of Pauli Gatto (John Martino), a respected capo and dedicated member of the Corleone family,...

"The Godfather" trilogy is one of the most quotable series of films in cinema history. While the second and third installments of the series have their memorable lines, it's 1972's "The Godfather" which contains the bulk of the trilogy's most indelible dialogue. To illustrate the point: it seems everyone and their father has a Marlon Brando-as-Don Corleone impression in their back pocket (whether that impression is any good or not is another matter), and while the main reason for that is due to Brando's unique take on the character, it wouldn't be half as popular to do at parties and whatnot without the excellent lines from the film to back it up.

Most of this dialogue comes courtesy of "Godfather" author Mario Puzo, with co-screenwriter and director Francis Ford Coppola choosing to include the bulk of Puzo's prose in his screen adaptation. Although some of the dialogue in...