The Godfather
The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone Is Tighter, Leaner, and Self-Aware: Review
The Pitch: The Godfather trilogy has to be the most beloved hated idea in popular cinema. The Godfather, about the semi-reluctant rise of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) to become the head of his family’s criminal organization, is one of the most watched and venerated American movies. The Godfather Part II, about Michael leveraging the last bit of his soul for control that isn’t his to take, broke a rule it could just as easily have created: it’s a sequel every bit as good as the original. The third Godfather movie, which sees Michael’s past replay itself in a violent burlesque? That’s a movie over which people are still personally aggrieved. They’ll come out of the woodwork to tell you The Godfather Part III sucked. Go ahead and post about it on social media, someone will find you and tell y...
Diane Keaton: Watching Recut Godfather: Part III Was “One of the Best Moments of My Life”
Next month brings the release of Francis Ford Coppola’s recut of The Godfather: Part III, now titled Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. The famed director has already finished the edit, and even screened it for a number of the film’s stars. As far as first reviews go, Diane Keaton’s couldn’t be more glowing, as she called watching the new version easily “one of the best moments of my life.” December 20th marks the 30th anniversary of the third installment of The Godfather series, a movie that was less than favorably received by critics and moviegoers upon release. To honor the pearl jubilee, Coppola decided to tinker with the film to highlight previously overlooked parts and give “a more appropriate conclusion” to the beloved trilogy. He reordered scenes, swap...
Oscar Isaac to Star as Francis Ford Coppola in Francis and the Godfather
Oscar Isaac will star as Francis Ford Coppola in Francis and the Godfather, a new feature film about the making of — you guessed it — The Godfather. Via The Hollywood Reporter, Barry Levinson will direct and Jake Gyllenhaal will play legendary Paramount head Robert Evans. The Godfather had a famously troubled production history. Evans picked up the rights to Mario Puzo’s book The Godfather for a pittance after learning that Puzo was up to his eyeballs in gambling debt. As he explained in his autobiography The Kid Stays in the Picture, he then offered the director’s chair to half of Hollywood before landing on Coppola. Personally, Coppola didn’t want anything to do with the “sleazy” story, but wouldn’t you know it, he was also deeply in debt. Things didn’t impr...
Francis Ford Coppola Announces New Version of The Godfather III
Francis Ford Coppola has announced a new version of The Godfather: Part III, which he promises to be a “more appropriate conclusion” to The Godfather trilogy. The new cut is titled is Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, which is “an acknowledgement of Mario’s and my preferred title and our original intentions for what became The Godfather: Part III,” Coppola explains in a statement announcing the film’s release. “For this version of the finale, 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.” In addition to the new edit, Coppola and has production team have restored the film in 4K...
