The journey to the big screen for Mario Puzo’s best-selling novel had been publicly bumpy, but Kael advanced what became the prevailing opinion: Coppola had “salvaged Puzo’s energy and lent the narrative dignity…[and a] quality of feeling.” The tale of Mafia Family, and family, mid-20th-century turf wars and reconciliations became a moviegoing phenomenon; and won Oscars for Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay (Coppola and Puzo), and Actor (Marlon Brando).