We are on the verge of seeing Francis Ford Coppola’s latest attempt to re-edit one of his previous films, this time tackling “The Godfather Part III.” The new version, dubbed “Mario Puzo’s The Godfather: Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone,” is about to be released in select theaters and on Blu-ray, giving fans of the classic crime franchise a new look at what is often regarded as one of the most disappointing sequels of all time. However, if you want to take star Al Pacino’s word for it, from the opening scene of ‘Coda,’ it’s clear that this is the definitive version of ‘Godfather III.’
Speaking to Deadline, Pacino talked about one of the biggest changes in ‘Coda,’ which finds a scene that happens about 40 minutes into the original cut being moved to the opening of the new version. The scene in question finds Michael Corleone (Pacino) doing business with the archbishop at the Vatican. It’s a scene that our reviewer pointed out as a pivotal change that puts the new version of the sequel more in line with its predecessors. And in its original place, Pacino says “people got lost before by a muddled trajectory.” But with Coppola’s new edit, the flow of the film is helped exponentially, said the actor.
“When he showed [‘Coda’] to us I saw that opening and breathed a sigh of relief because I knew it was better,” Pacino explained. “The trajectory was always there, from that scene in ‘The Godfather’ when Michael says, ‘It’s my family, Kay, it’s not me,’ and then this smart, college grad war hero gets caught up in the rush after his father was threatened, and he has to live with something he couldn’t find a way out of. In ‘Godfather III,’ he’s a guy trying to keep everything going. He had a natural ability for business and manipulation and a Machiavellian gift that made him the boss of a crime family even though I never felt he was comfortable being a stereotypical gangster.”
He continued, “Now came an opportunity for redemption from the church, as well as this new outlet for his skills that would give his family the respectability he wanted. And then he’s constantly thwarted, even in the confession he makes about killing his brother Fredo, to that priest who’s soon to become Pope. Soon, he suffers a diabetic attack brought on by the stress of having been screwed by the so-called Church in a massive betrayal of inordinate size. And then, to lose his daughter, which Francis smartly set at the opera? ‘Godfather II’ had tragic undertones, but of all the ways to lose your daughter, to do it in the arena of assassinations that he was part of, then lose his daughter because of him…it’s operatic and he’s completely broken.”
The sentiments of happiness by Pacino echo that of Diane Keaton who recently complimented the new version of ‘Godfather III,’ also. So, it would appear that Coppola has done something right with his new cut of the film, at least in the eyes of those who personally worked on the feature. As mentioned, fans will also get a chance to analyze the new ‘Godfather III’ when “Mario Puzo’s The Godfather: Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone” arrives on Blu-ray on December 8. And if you’re lucky enough to live in a place that has a theater showing it, the film is in select cinemas now. [Deadline]
