The Godfather, Part III (Widescreen Edition) (1990)

Another criticism is Michael's quest for redemption... that such a notion does not square with the character in Parts I and II. Again, I disagree. Recall Michael wanted nothing to do with the Family Business in Part I. His father had hopes he might become "Senator Corleone... Governor Corleone," but this was not to be. Michael had to step in for the sake of his family. This necessity does not change the fact that at one time he was a good son, who simply wanted to become a math professor, marry, and have a family. In Part II, he obviously put this notion behind him, but there must have been a part of the "old Dartmouth Michael" lurking somewhere deep inside.

In the years following the end of Part II in 1959, Michael took steps to legitimize the Corleones by getting out of illegitimate businesses. That done, he sought forgiveness for the wrongs he'd done. Had he not been betrayed in Part III, he would have likely found the redemption and peace he sought on a personal level. In addition, the Corleone Family would have been the legitimate family enterprise that would preserve and protect future generations of Corleones, as well as reform Vatican finances. This would have fulfilled his father's dream.

Some say the opera scene was too long. I disagree, and think it was both moving and beautiful. We're watching scenes from a violent opera that had a sub-theme of revenge. At the same time the opera is being performed on the stage, a real opera is about to take place in the audience. The music from "Cavalleria Rusticana" is perfect for this film - especially the final, moving scene in the courtyard of Michael's villa.

I'd say Part III is the "third best" of the series, but it is worth owning and watching, over and over again. The film should have received some academy awards, and I'll never understand why it didn't.

There's no sugarcoating the magnitude of the cinematic disaster that "Part III" represents. Everyone knows how poorly the casting is, particularly the unfortunate last-minute insertion of Sofia Coppola into Winona Ryder's planned role as Michael Corleone's daughter Mary. Her wooden performance and awkward screen presence by themselves deal a near-fatal blow to the film's prospects for success. Other casting blunders include the inclusion of the bland George Hamilton as a replacement for Robert Duvall as the Corleone legal adviser, and the use of Joe Mantagna to portray the supposedly dangerous gangster Joey Zasa.

Even with these problems, any "Godfather" sequel featuring such talented performers as Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, and Talia Shire should at the very least prove decent. That the film turns out so horribly reveals that the production problems extend to the plot concept, the writing, and the direction. The main premise of the film, that an aging Michael Corleone wishes to legitimize himself and put his violent, corrupt past behind him is certainly plausible, as is the notion that a "next generation" of gangsters (i.e., Sonny Corleone's illegitimate son Vincent) might be waiting in the wings. The resulting story, however, is muddled and unsatisfying. It is suggested that shadowy, murky kinds of corruption rattle the walls of the Vatican; we are introduced to entirely new and heretofore unknown underworld factions, which don't poke their nefarious way into the plot until midway through the film. Overall, the story is a kind of multilayered mess with countless loose ends, leaving viewers confused and with way too many "Yeah, buts."

Perhaps even worse than the tortuous story line is the film's presentation and pacing. Whereas first-rate dialogue, camera work, and editing caused the previous two "Godfathers" to sizzle from start to finish, this film exhibits a staid, plodding quality that by the last forty minutes or so has slowed to a veritable cinematic crawl. I swear that during the gratuitous scenes in Sicily in which Kay and Michael sit endlessly at a table reminiscing about the old days it's all I can do to keep from falling asleep. Part of the problem, in fact, is that so much of the film feeds shamelessly off the energies generated by the previous two releases. The endless recollection, reflection, and hagiographic dredging up of old Corleone family homilies permeates and nearly engulfs the entire project, leaving little that is new or distinctive that can be identified with the "Part III" production.

The film does have its moments, including a powerful final scene ... But such moments are too few and far between. Overall, this is a bloated turkey of a production which demonstrates that the sixteen-year interval between "Part II" and "Part III" was simply too long to sustain the creative energy that rendered the original "Godfather" films so successful. Frankly, it would have been better for the moviegoing public, for Francis Ford Coppola, and certainly for his daughter Sofia had "The Godfather Part III" simply never been made.