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As a title,
The Godfather, Part III offers a certain promise. It presents the expectation of a ruthless Michael Corleone center stage, waging war to protect his business at all costs, focused on The Family as much or more than his own family. After two highly successful films carrying the title, itâs understandable that an audience would come to expect the familiar and be turned off by the uncertain. Itâs even more understandable that an audience would be confused by a film whose makers had no intention of continuing in that vein, which is why director/writer Francis Ford Coppola and author Mario Puzo wished to call their film
Earlier this month Francis Coppola released a re-cut of
The Godfather, Part III in honor of its 30th anniversary in 2020. But did the new version, called
Mario Puzo s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, fix the original s problems?
The director said in a statement at the time, “I created a new beginning and ending, and rearranged some scenes, shots, and music cues. With these changes and the restored footage and sound, to me, it is a more appropriate conclusion to
The Godfather and
The Godfather: Part II.” He would later tell
CBS This Morning that he felt this new version of the film would “vindicate” the final installment, especially his daughter Sofia’s infamous performance as Mary Corleone.
I consider “The Godfather, Part III” the ultimate “what if?” of motion pictures. It s clearly not at the same level as its predecessors, but it could have been a masterpiece if not for a few surmountable glitches. What if a more experienced actress was cast in the pivotal role of Michael Corleone’s daughter? What if Robert Duvall had agreed to reprise his role as Tom Hagen (my favorite character in the series)? What if Francis Ford Coppola had been given more time to develop the project? This third entry of the series still feels like unfinished business after all these years, and Coppola seems to agree. His new edition comes with the title he wanted to give the film all along: “The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone.”