Before Dominic Toretto and his family became so famous from the Fast & Furious film franchise, there were the Corleones. There's no denying that The Godfather trilogy is one of the greatest sagas of all time. After all, Mario Puzo, the author of the novel, wrote all three films with director Francis Ford Coppola.
When The Godfather Part III came out in 1990, I recall it wasn't as well-received as the first two films. Nevertheless, it went on to earn several award nominations, including Best Picture. Evidently, people came to appreciate the movie more as time passed.
The Godfather Part III, which came out 16 years after Part II, is set in 1979 and brilliantly modernizes the storyline as Michael Corleone seeks to go legit and move away from his gangster life. Most people are already familiar with the main characters from The Godfather films, but for Part III, devoted fans will appreciate the return of and references to certain characters like Enzo, the baker, and Calò, the bodyguard, from previous films.
In 2020, Paramount Pictures released Francis Ford Coppola's recut of The Godfather Part III, which is titled The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. Interestingly, this version is shorter than the 1990 theatrical version. Several scenes were shortened and deleted, and the opening of the film was completely altered. As a result, the recut has a slightly faster pace than the original release.
Most importantly, The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone is closest to Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo's vision of the film. In fact, the term "Coda" was in the original movie title. In a sense, the 1990 theatrical release of The Godfather Part III is more like a "director's cut" with a longer running time and deleted scenes added back in.
The Godfather trilogy is essential must-see cinema. The first two films are truly masterpieces, and while Part III may not be as acclaimed, I greatly appreciate both versions of the third installment.
Because of how it was written, you could almost follow Part III without seeing the first two movies, but you will always appreciate a film series the most when you watch the movies successively, and The Godfather is certainly no exception.
One of the best things about The Godfather films is seeing actors reprise their roles, including Diane Keaton. As a character who was non-Italian, she brought an interesting dynamic playing opposite Al Pacino as Michael Corleone and provided a different perspective in the saga.
Incidentally, Diane Keaton praised and also preferred the recut The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone.
Diane Keaton's breakout role was in The Godfather from 1971, and it's criminal she didn't receive a single nomination for her memorable performances in any of the The Godfather movies. Still, that didn't keep her from earning numerous accolades for other films.
Rest in peace, Diane Keaton.
Comments
Post a Comment