What’s up with Francis Ford Coppola and his infatuation with constantly tinkering and re-editing his movies? “Apocalypse Now” alone has had, what, 4 different cuts? I lost track. And still, the original from 1979 remains the best cut. Coppola's love for re-editing doesn’t just stop with that film — over the years, he’s also released new cuts of “The Cotton Club,” “The Outsiders,” “Rumble Fish,” and “One From the Heart.”
So, consider me not that shocked that Coppola has re-edited “The Godfather: Part III” and changed its title to the preposterously lengthy “Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone.” Is he also going to be replacing Sofia Coppola, the nadir of that third chapter, with a competent CGI actress? Because, honestly, that’s the only thing he should edit out of Godfather 3. You see, I, unlike the majority of movie fans, actually love “The Godfather Part III.” Its bad rep stemmed from it having to follow two of the greatest movies ever made, so there was no way making a third film was going to end triumphantly for Coppola, especially since, by 1990, there was the overwhelming assumption, amongst critics and audiences, that he had lost his cinematic mojo with a bad string of films during the ‘80s.
Lusciously photographed by Gordon Willis, and brilliantly acted by all involved, the unique nature of “The Godfather Part III” is what surprised me most upon initial viewing: this was no strenuous attempt to reconvene the glory days. Instead, it was the most thoughtful of the three films, and its brilliantly sustained climax, merging various different storylines in operatic fashion, brought the entire trilogy into sharper focus. The last 30 minutes of this film are a sheer cinematic masterstroke of direction, editing, photography, and music.
Following the final days of an aging Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) firmly in place as the head of the family “business,” the third chapter felt like an autonomous movie, with brushstrokes that the other two chapters didn’t have. Maybe that’s why people were so disappointed by Chapter III — it wasn’t what people expected it to be. It was more arthouse and less mainstream entertainment.
Paramount’s Bluray of Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone will run 157 minutes, or five minutes shorter than the original 1990 version. It is being released on December 8th, 2020..
Francis Coppola’s statement: “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, and I’m thankful to Jim Gianopulos and Paramount for allowing me to revisit it.”