HOW DO YOU MARKET ‘SICILIAN’? CAREFULLY

“The Sicilian” may or may not turn out to be a finely crafted historical saga.

But it is certain to present producer David Begelman and distributor 20th Century Fox with one of the more ticklish marketing challenges of this fall.

Because of contractual limitations, the movie’s makers will have to sell their outlaw epic without so much as mentioning “The Godfather”--even though it is based on a Mario Puzo novel that was written as a companion piece to the author’s Mafia classic.

Begelman and Fox, moreover, are planning to push “The Sicilian” at least partly on the strength of director Michael Cimino’s artistry--even though the director and Begelman’s closely held Gladden Entertainment Co. are still suing each other over Cimino’s right to dictate the film’s final form, among other things.

Toward the latter end, some conciliatory notes have already been sounded.

“I think Michael’s director’s eye is almost unequaled. He’s at the very apogee of his craft,” Gladden marketing consultant Richard Kahn said, despite the court battle over Cimino’s right to a final cut of the movie.

Fox plans to release an approximately two-hour version of “The Sicilian” in Los Angeles, New York and Toronto on Oct. 23. A wider release is expected shortly after.

Cimino originally submitted a 2 1/2-hour version of the film, then shortened it by slashing out critical action scenes in what Begelman claimed was a spiteful move. Begelman’s company cut the movie on its own after Cimino lost a Directors Guild of America arbitration that was filed in addition to the court case--and recently screened a shortened version for a research audience in Los Angeles.

Two sources familiar with the screening claim the results were disappointing. (Kahn says only that further editing is under way.)

But one of the sources, an executive involved with the movie, said the film’s strongest point appeared to be a richly evocative “look” that has been Cimino’s trademark, whether in a success like “The Deer Hunter” or in a resounding flop like “Heaven’s Gate.”

“This remains a Cimino epic,” says the executive, who declines to be identified. “It’s a rich, vast tapestry, and I think it can find its way to people who like ‘The Godfather’ and ‘The Untouchables.’ ”

Based on Puzo’s 1984 best seller, “The Sicilian” follows the life of Salvatore Guiliano--a real-life folk-hero/bandit, portrayed by Christopher Lambert (“Subway,” “Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan”)--who ran afoul of the law while trying to feed his fellow villagers in the chaotic days following World War II.

In Puzo’s book, Michael Corleone (the young Mafioso portrayed by Al Pacino in Paramount’s two Francis Coppola-directed “Godfather” films) is charged by his father with bringing Guiliano to the United States. In the movie, however, there is no Corleone presence--because Paramount holds rights to any “Godfather” sequel or to any use of the characters that figured in its two “Godfather” films.

“The film has never been viewed as a continuation of the ‘Godfather’ saga,” said Kahn. “The subject matter is very enticing in its own right.”

Still, it will be no mean trick to sell a Cimino movie, without Cimino’s help, to a “Godfather” audience, without breathing the word godfather .

Fox marketing executives declined to discuss their selling strategy. But several points have become clear:

--Cimino’s name will remain on “The Sicilian,” above the title. The studio’s marketing materials refer to the movie, which cost only about $9 million to produce, as “A Michael Cimino Film.” Fox and Gladden officials, moreover, have gone out of their way to conceal the identity of the film maker who stepped in to cut “The Sicilian,” in part to preserve the sense that cuts were minimal and that the movie is really just a more compact version of Cimino’s own work. (Unconfirmed word in Hollywood is that editing was done by a long-time, well-known movie director.)

--Cimino has supported the movie, at least passively, by keeping quiet. The guild arbitration over Cimino’s right to a final cut was a closed proceeding, and the director hasn’t publicly discussed Begelman’s cut--in sharp contrast to the open airing of creative grievances surrounding films like “Brazil” and “Reds.” Grateful for the silence (movie marketers hate conflict), Fox and Gladden representatives have concentrated on keeping details of the dispute out of the public eye. “There was really a concerted effort not to get the word out,” Gladden attorney Bertram Fields said of the dispute. “Trouble has never sold a movie.”

--Fox marketers, recognizing that Lambert isn’t an automatic box-office draw, will focus attention on Puzo’s book. (“Wouldn’t you?” asked Kahn.) Bantam is planning to issue a special movie edition in the next several weeks.

Fields maintained that Begelman’s success in the guild arbitration will probably lead to a dismissal of Cimino’s continued court claim that Gladden is required to accept his final version of “The Sicilian.” Such a dismissal, however, might still leave counterclaims against Cimino, including one allegation that the director won a contractual clause guaranteeing final cut by falsely claiming that he had such a right on “Year of the Dragon,” a 1985 MGM/UA release.

“Final Cut” was the title of a best-selling book by Steven Bach chronicling Cimino’s battle over the making of “Heaven’s Gate,” a movie released by United Artists in 1980.

Attorneys for Cimino didn’t return repeated calls seeking comment.

Yet Gladden representatives said they were now more interested in advancing “The Sicilian” than in pressing claims against Cimino.

“I don’t think anyone wants to handle this (movie) as a strictly legal thing,” said Fields. “If Michael Cimino came in today and wanted to consult (about selling the film), I’m sure they would welcome him with open arms.”