Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone (Blu-ray + Digital)

Francis Ford Coppola has pulled off a minor miracle. He has taken a 30 year old movie, given it a new edit and structure resulting in a finished product indeed worthy of The Godfather name. I was one of the few who liked The Godfather III even though it had its flaws. I especially liked the way it worked in possible plausible elements.(I don't want to give anything away here.)First, Coppola changed the entire beginning of the film and eliminated the scene where Al Pacino is testifying before Congress. Immediately there is a smoother flow and coherence to the narrative. Politics, big business, and the Catholic Church are depicted as intertwined involving almost a trillion dollars. The Corleone family wants to become "legitimate" - a not so easy task given its history. What Pacino wants is not necessarily what all his former colleagues and present "friends" necessarily want. The attempt to "legitimize" is thwarted as a result of a surprise devastating assault on Pacino & Co. War is now declared. Echoes of The Godfather and The Godfather II are seen as retaliation leads to retaliation. REVENGE is the word. But there is much more.In the earlier version Sofia Coppola, the real life daughter of FFC, was excoriated by critics for her performance and possible nepotism. They should now apologize. Her role has been subtly expanded in such a way that she is more of a fully fleshed out character and handles it quite well. It is properly placed within the context of the entire story line making its final impact far more significant. A certain beauty not seen in the original comes forward thanks to an increased presence and carefully nuanced Baroque lighting. Her would-be romance with Andy Garcia is tainted because they are cousins. Pacino is unalterably opposed and, as a result, we have a tragedy worthy of Shakespeare or an Italian opera. Indeed. Pacino's son, Antony, who desires to be an opera singer and is much involved with music in general is literally given much more of central stage - a great improvement; and even appears as the lead singer in the grand music of Mascagni's tragic Cavalleria Rusticana which serves as a backdrop for the overpowering tragic grand finale of The Godfather III which Coppola subtly altered. The overall film score, compliments of Carmine Coppola, Nino Rota, and Mascagni is stupendous. The film is available only in Blue Ray and is quite dark both actually and figuratively. Use of Subtitles is recommended. The dialogue sounds too muted at times. It may be my TV audio, but is probably due to the original recording quality and the current transfer.The Godfather III still retains the graphic violence which is the very signature of this series. Betrayal, revenge, murder, assassination, greed, and the struggle for power are omnipresent. Yet for all that, the characters are wholly realistic, the performances most credible, and all the actors comport themselves exceedingly well - from Bridget Fonda's brief appearance as Garcia's one night stand to Talia Shira doing her best imitation of Lucretia Borgia to Pacino as the heir to the two Academy Award winners - Brando and De Niro - each of whom played the part of his father in Godfathers I & 2. A final word: Quora was highly critical of this film when it first appeared and was highly picky questioning the realism of parts of this film and the acting. I wonder if this version might change its criticism in any way. A caveat: This is only a fictional film meant to provoke, titillate, and entertain. It is not adocumentary.

This is a wonderful film. It's so vastly superior to movies today - I'll take a Godfather movie over anything. Such a cast, and an era captured perfectly without having to be overly blatant. What really stands out for me now is the immaculate use of darkness and shadows: the depth of scenes gives this classic such a realistic sense of depth. The production is rich and expertly connects with the first two films - you can tell it is a Godfather film just by the very look and feel. Again, the cast is astounding - Eli Wallach, Joe Mantegna, George Hamilton are only a few of the incredible faces peppering this chapter; Andy Garcia is especially intriguing. Talia Shire's character arc from the first film to this chapter is one of the greatest in film history, and she really digs her chops into the role. Sofia Coppola is absolutely stunning. She is breathtaking, and as a fan of the series, I am so glad Francis chose to have a real-looking woman in this role - she brings a grounded element to the film: this a woman you fall head over heels for, rather than some plastic Hollywood flavor of the month. And having her be family, like all the other Coppolas throughout the movies, makes it all the better. When you come to The Godfather movies, you're sitting to a lovely meal that Francis has invited you to, and it is always great to spend time with these people and their marvelous crime drama productions. Gorgeous on blu-ray. Timeless, and a gem. The new cut flows better and makes more sense, setting up the church plot right at the opening so that it has more impact and prominence throughout the story; plus it makes it feel more like a Godfather movie. Thrilled with this cut.

I realize Godfather 3 got tons of bad press. My take was that ROBERT DUVALL should have been in this picture. The mistake was re-writing his lines for Baldwin. With this version, there were made many tweaks and edits that combine overall to make the entire film more cohesive, memorable, and easier to follow. I also like the ending. A beautiful film, worthy of your attention, given that nearly everyone loves the first two. Allows you to say you love all three Godfather films, finally IMHO.

I'm amused at all the people who are up in arms simply because this version of GODFATHER III isn't *that* different from the previous cut. The changes are subtle, but they improve the film, and let's face it, they're more significant than the changes between the theatrical release of BLADE RUNNER and the "Director's Cut" that came along in the early 1990s that so many people said VASTLY improved that film. (As you recall, for BLADE RUNNER they spliced in one shot of a unicorn jumping over a log and lopped off the very last couple of shots of Dekard and Rachel flying across the mountains, having escaped from the city--oh and they took out some voice over narration.)As for THE GODFATHER CODA, this version begins differently, setting everything up in a way that makes the plot much clearer, and it ends differently. Beyond that, there ARE a lot of subtle little changes here and there. For me it goes up from a 3-and-a-half star film to a 4 star film. Is that a lot, no? Is it worth 12 bucks (the price of one movie ticket) to revisit it with some improvements? You can judge that for yourself. I, for one, am glad Coppola tweaked the film. Just as I'm glad he improved THE COTTON CLUB. You know this was common with writers, right? Mary Shelley made some minor changes to FRANKENSTEIN for the second edition, which is now the one most people read. The changes aren't radical, but if the author wants to make them, I'm happy to let them try. Especially if they keep the earlier versions in circulation.