Godfather III

Abishai100

VIP Member
Sep 22, 2013
4,956
250
85
Coppola's Godfather III is the modernized sequel to his original two masterpieces, adapted from Puzo's acclaimed novels about a very reputed mafia family living in America after moving here from Italy. In the original, we see the story of the founding father of the Corleone mafia family, Vito (Marlon Brando) dealing with new developing drama in America while being counseled by his two sons, Sonny (too emotional) and Michael (too disinterested). In the 1974 sequel, we see Michael (Al Pacino) take on the role of the Corleone head after the death of Vito in the original film and deal with more evolving America issues and the need to deal with all challengers of American mafia while also seeing flashbacks of the younger Vito (Robert De Niro) developing the Corleone name after growing up in Americ. In Godfather III, Michael is an old man and is trying to tie up loose ends and seeking to pass on the Corleone mantle somehow if not diluting it completely so as not to 'pass on the curse' of mafia leadership, while the younger and more ambitious and more passionate nephew Vincent Corleone (Andy Garcia) seeks to become the new head of the reputed mafia family. However, Vincent must prove himself amidst all kinds of new era Italian mafia controversies in New York and Italy itself while courting a dangerous relationship with Michael's daughter Mary Corleone.

Godfather III is both more exciting and more modern than the originals and has received more criticism because of it!





copp1.jpg


====

Michael (Al Pacino) must wrestle with a host of modern problems for the Corleone throne including the management of a Vatican-related intellectual property matter involving a rival mafia family in America.

copp2.jpg


As Michael tries to coach the young and ambitious and more passionate Vincent (Andy Garcia), we see nuances of old world mafia imagination mixed with new era mafia intrigue such as the donning of street violence and street passions and mafia slang and slander.

copp3.jpg


Michael considers his daughter Mary (Sofia Coppola) very precious and doesn't want her to be entangled in a scandal with Vincent.

copp4.jpg


Godfather III was considered very cinematic and handsome when it was released in theaters in 1990, but it was also considered controversial for various subject presentations such as the evolved more slang-oriented street mafia culture in America as well as inter-family incest-oriented love-affairs between Vincent and Mary. Sofia Coppola was considered a great film-maker in her own right but in this cinema-industry debut received too much criticism for being 'favored' by her legendary director father for receiving the role of Michael's grown daughter and Vincent's love interest. In any case, Godfather III does manage to offer us a daring portrait of enduring mafia dogma in modern-day America.

copp5.jpg


As Vincent tries to deal with a dangerous street-mafia rival in NYC named Zasa (Joe Mantegna) with Vincent's help, Vincent and Mary (Sofia Coppola) deal with a burgeoning romance behind their father's backs.

copp6.jpg


There's a graphic and well-mounted movie scene in which Michael is invited to NYC to consult with his modern rivals but is betrayed by Zasa alongside all the other rivals who've rejected him for his more dramatic and crude modern approaches to crime management and leadership.

copp7.jpg


Vincent has to find a way to deal with Zasa personally after miraculously helping Michael escape from the shootout betrayal-trap incident in NYC involving the rival mafia heads who've denounced Zasa alongside Michael Corleone. Vincent even disguises himself as a horse-cop to do so amidst some street distractions in a climactic assassination sequence.

copp8.jpg


Michael has to concurrently deal with the threats posed by the Vatican initiative involving his enduring mafia rivals and a corrupt Archbishop as well as two hired lethal assassins assigned to kill Michael during an Italian opera performance which endangers all parties. This, like the other two Coppola mafia films, offers us great storytelling about Italian mafia drama and adventure, but this modern-day gem is more like a diary than a diorama, and it therefore ironically appeals to us younger folks interested in modern-day vernacular crime stories in America! I love reviewing this film. It's almost like a doll-show.

====


"Money is everything" (Ecclesiastes)


copp9.jpg
 
The ending of 'Godfather III' is one of the most poignant of all films I've seen.

Michael Corleone is a character motivated almost entirely by his love for family. After the loss of his beloved daughter, he dies alone and unmourned with no family.
 
The ending of 'Godfather III' is one of the most poignant of all films I've seen.

Michael Corleone is a character motivated almost entirely by his love for family. After the loss of his beloved daughter, he dies alone and unmourned with no family.

I feel the same way, man. It's nice to see Coppola want to tie up strings and bring the overall elegiac arc to some organized sense of closure, even if it's somewhat dark like you suggested. This is despite the fact the trilogy finale is more 'mod and reckless' than the original two.

Maybe that's what marks new age storytelling --- more chaos!

Perhaps I can invite you to review my recent 'modernism crime' (pseudo-fanfiction) piece, a sinister if not sarcastic 'nod' to Robin Hood era storytelling, inspired by a neo-crime horror film (The Strangers):

Brookline Strangers (Writing Forum)

Thanks again,

A
 

Forum List

Back
Top