Francis Ford Coppola is marking the 30th anniversary of The Godfather Part III by re-editing and re-releasing it as The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone.He didn’t need to. And the expectations set by the word “Part” in the title forced comparisons. Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), now in his 60s, seeks to free his family from crime and find a suitable successor to … Check out the trailer for “Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone” and Coppola’s featurette below: Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! “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,” Coppola said in a September statement. Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! All rights reserved. Garcia was always very good here—it’s one of his best performances, a great counter to Pacino's work. The action set pieces in “The Godfather Coda,” like the helicopter scene in Atlantic City and the massacre at the street festival, aren’t the strongest parts of the saga, but there’s practically no one who can ring more character and tension out of a “meeting” than Coppola. The flaws of The Godfather Part III can’t be fixed with editing, and the attempts to smooth it out make the film harder to criticize — but also harder to love. Paramount Pictures released the trailer and a Coppola featurette for the upcoming “Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone,” on Tuesday. Get The Latest IndieWire Alerts And Newsletters Delivered Directly To Your Inbox. Michael Corleone is dead. Though the first two installments in the trilogy are considered to be among the greatest films in cinema history, critical reception to “Part III” was decidedly mixed. Gone is the wishy-washy opening segment of the film that connects it more directly to “The Godfather, Part II,” as this new version opens in Italy with Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) meeting with Archbishop Gilday (Donal Donnelly) to discuss his contribution of $600 million to the Vatican, followed immediately by the after-party. Just in time for the film’s 30th anniversary, Paramount will debut Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. Synopsis: Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of The Godfather: Part III, director/screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola brings a definitive new edit and restoration of the final film in his epic Godfather trilogy—Mario Puzo’s THE GODFATHER, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. Godfather Part III is the moral statement that the world waited 16 years to see. He lost his will to live when his daughter, Mary, took a bullet intended for him in the closing moments of 1990’s The Godfather … Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone will be available on Blu-ray & Digital Dec. 8 from Paramount Home Entertainment. Here's every change in Coppola's new cut. From there, “The Godfather Coda” plays out in ways that will be familiar to fans of the 1990 version. Everyone who really matters is at that party, which happened much later in the original cut. The film, which has been billed as screenwriter Mario Puzo and Coppola’s original vision for the finale, will premiere in theaters on Dec. 4 and release on Blu-ray and digital on Dec. 8. The newly-released The Godfather Coda has been reconstructed to be more elegiac than The Godfather III. : Watching Gene Kelly From a Child's-Eye View by Ethan Warren. “I have re-edited it and given it what really isn’t a new title but rather the original title: ‘Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone,” Coppola said. The scene in which he confesses to ordering the death of Fredo is stunning, and there’s a bone-deep sense of tragedy that he carries throughout the movie. This marks the inception of a new … The Godfather is an extravaganza, nigh flawless, a cinematic magnum opus, ubiquitously acclaimed for its brilliance and for being in a league of its own. The Godfather Part II was released on December 20, 1974. There are great performances throughout these scenes too, particularly from Garcia, who makes a much bigger impact in “Coda” by virtue of being essential earlier. And yet Michael is also a smart man who knows the futility of some of his choices, especially as he watches his children pull away from him and his business decisions backfire. I found Pacino’s work this time to be among his career-best. The biggest change that Coppola makes is to get right to the heart of the story, and it's a drastic improvement. Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of The Godfather: Part III, director/screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola brings a definitive new edit and restoration of the final film in his epic Godfather trilogy—Mario Puzo’s THE GODFATHER, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. There are tweaks here and there—some notable—but the biggest change to come is the ending, which has been tightened and then cuts earlier with an on-screen quote that I’m not fully convinced works. You can feel the weight of his life on his shoulders. As announced in September, a new version of The Godfather Part III—given the director’s approved if unwieldy title, … Copyright © 2021 Penske Business Media, LLC. The oft-quoted line from the film is about “being pulled back in,” referring to the criminal underworld that Michael Corleone is trying to leave behind, but it also refers to the regrets and memories he can’t escape, and the doomed tone of the entire film. Reworking The Godfather Part III into a new form, with a new title: The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. The new version of The Godfather: Part III (sorry, The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone) has a new beginning, a new ending, and a few scenes that have been repositioned. The New York crime family remains a part of Michael's life, and it will eventually become a thorn in his side in later years when new players come onto the scene. “Overall, this version feels even more elegiac—a true coda instead of just another part of the same story,” he wrote. Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time, HBO's It's a Sin is a Radiant Coming-of-Age Story in a Dark Period, Three-Hour Brunch Friend: Greta Gerwig's Breakups, Getting to the Heart of America in David Lynch's The Straight Story, Bright Wall/Dark Room February 2021: Who Could Ask for Anything More? “In musical term, a coda is sort of like an epilogue, a summing up, and that’s what we intended the movie to be. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and Rolling Stone, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association. There’s no need for a third, and that's why Coppola avoided making it for years, only succumbing to pressure from Paramount after a few notable financial failures in the ‘80s. In honor of the 30th anniversary of "The Godfather: Part III," Paramount Pictures plans to release a newly restored and edited edition of … The director has a long history of recutting his work with alternate editions of films like with “Apocalypse Now: Final Cut” and “The Cotton Club Encore”. The film is in part both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather, presenting two parallel dramas.The main storyline, following the first film's events, centers on Michael Corleone, the new Don of the … The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration contains several new special features that play in high definition, along with additional scenes. Instead of dragging its feet, “The Godfather Coda” opens with Corleone doing business to legitimize his family and reputation. Removing that, making this a “Coda” instead, allows it a different tone. The feature-length film was again directed by Francis Ford Coppola and based upon Mario Puzo's novel of the same name. He's searching for that move that will allow his mind and soul some peace. Gone is the wishy-washy opening segment of the film that connects it more directly to “ The Godfather, Part II,” as this new version opens in Italy with Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) meeting with Archbishop Gilday (Donal Donnelly) to discuss his contribution of $600 million to the Vatican, followed immediately by the after-party. The first act of this new version has simply some of his best filmmaking as we’re reintroduced to Michael Corleone as an old man, figuring out for ourselves where he’s at in life through interactions with Gilday, Vincent, and Joey Zasa (Joe Mantegna). Francis Ford Coppola spent months working on the upcoming new cut of “The Godfather: Part III.” In a new video the legendary director promised that the film’s re-edit will give the picture “a new life”. The legacy of “The Godfather, Part III” has largely been reduced to two statements: “It’s not as good as the first two” & “Sofia Coppola isn’t good in it.” Neither of these declarations are false, but they turn what was always at least a solid film into a footnote, something director Francis Ford Coppola seeks to correct with this month’s “The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone,” a new version of the 1990 film that’s being released in theaters today and on Blu-ray and VOD on December 8th. You’ll see a film which has a different beginning and ending, many scenes throughout have been repositioned, and the picture has been given, I think, a new life.”. It also opens in select theaters on Dec. 4. Paramount Pictures released the trailer and a Coppola featurette for the upcoming “Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone,” on Tuesday. An offer you can't refuse: 'The Godfather Part III' will get a new ending. The film stars Pacino, Diane Keaton, Andy Garcia, Franc D’Ambrosio, Bridget Fonda, George Hamilton, Joe Mantegna, Talia Shire, Eli Wallach, Sofia Coppola, and Raf Vallone. Pacino, Diane Keaton, Andy Garcia, Franc D’Ambrosio, Bridget Fonda, George Hamilton, Joe Mantegna, Talia Shire, Eli Wallach, Sofia Coppola, and Raf Vallone. In this interesting endeavor, he hasn’t radically altered the bulk of the film in a way that feels designed to appease critics—his daughter’s performance hasn’t been cut, for example—and yet “The Godfather Coda” does seem different, thanks largely to how he opens and closes the film. Paramount Pictures stated in September that Coppola and his production company worked for six months to create frame-by-frame restorations of the new cut and the original “Part III” film — a process that involved sifting through 300 cartoons of negative, repairing scratches and stains, as well as enhancing the original 5.1 audio mix. This Article is related to: Film and tagged Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather, The Godfather: Part III. Brian Tallerico is the Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. “The Godfather Coda” settles, proficiently but without magic, for a less alluring era: New York circa 1979-1980, along with location filming in Rome and, once again, in Sicily. 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People completely turned off by Sofia Coppola’s performance won’t be swayed by this version, but if you’re someone who defended it or found yourself wondering if it was better than you remembered ... well, it’s definitely better now. The 81-year-old filmmaker recently reedited the final act of his mafia trilogy to create a new version of the film, titled Mario Puzo's The Godfather… The Godfather was a blockbuster, breaking many box office records to become the highest grossing film of 1972. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. The truth is that the first two “Godfather” movies tell a complete story. In "The Godfather Part III," Michael Corleone, played by … Overall, this version feels even more elegiac—a true coda instead of just another part of the same story. Now playing in select theaters, and available on Blu-ray and VOD on December 8. It's nothing personal; it's strictly business. A year later, Coppola’s wish has become reality. The film centers on Michael Corleone’s (Al Pacino) efforts to divest his family from the criminal empire he took over and managed in the first two “Godfather” films. It never felt like part of the same story. Interviews with leading film and TV creators about their process and craft. “I had a whole different destiny planned.” Even more than the original version, “The Godfather Coda” feels like a film about regret. And then it dives into an extended sequence that mirrors the wedding from the first film, while also getting Andy Garcia’s Vincent involved more quickly.