The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone

Two of the biggest problems with Part III are 1) the scenes are literally out of order, making the plot unnecessarily convoluted & 2) the screenplay is just not up to the standard set in the first two films. Coda fixes the first problem but cannot fix the latter.

A well made conclusion to the Godfather Trilogy.

While not the best in the series. It’s It’s still worth watching and it stands alone as a great movie all by itself. Some of the casting calls a questionable but it’s still delivers the conclusion to the story that we love in the end.

Part 3 is an outstanding film that grows in popularity for three reasons. 1) It has the best ending of all three Godfather films. 2) Part 3 is the best modern interpretation of Shakespeare's King Lear. And 3) The clever use of allegory and metaphor in Part 3 elevates the artistic merit of the story by showing that the Coppola's became the family that Vito Corleone always wanted. Only the best artists know how to use allegory as well as Coppola in Part 3. Coppola uses an opera that his father conducted, Cavalleria Rusticana, with his uncle Anton seen conducting in Part 3, to show that Michael has failed to live up the the standard of rustic chivalry set by Vito. The incestous relationship in Part 3 is a reference to the Oedipal complex of King Lear where Lear's daughters are married to men very much like their father. Mary was attracted to Vincent because he represented the side of Michael that she was fascinated with, but not allowed to know. That relationship is also a reference to Coppola's grandparents, who were also first cousins, but married out of compassion because the face of Coppolas Grandmother was disfigured. Coppolas Grandfather, realizing that no men would marry her and that she might grow old alone, offered to marry her so that she could have children, knowing the biological risks. The moral judgment to marry out of compassion became a blessing. The Coppola descendants were not only healthy, but also hyper talented. Coppola cast Sofia to represent both the Coppolas and the Corleones with specific instructions to not act, but be herself and preserve the realism of the dialogue based upon conversations within the Coppola family. This highlights that the Coppolas are not criminal predators, like the Corleones. The Coppolas are a family of artists who make positive contributions to society. Mary dies in Part 3 from the sins of the Corleones while Sofia continues to thrive in real life by the virtues of the Coppolas. This can also be said of Nicholas Cage and all of the Coppola children.

The underrated, albeit superfluous third and final entry. A film that Coppola himself didn't want to make, but was pressured under contract by the studios after a string of box office flops by him. Even so, while it isn't as good as the first two, it's still and excellent film, and this newly edited and renamed 'Coda' version is probably the best way to see this final entry, although that it disputed.

Does not hold a candle to the first two films, and at times it truly feels cringey. But this trilogy capper still has its moments.

This movie is my favorite. I love that it sends out hidden messages. It’s really interesting, and I could watch it a thousand more times. I recommend it, but you need to have time to watch it because it’s a long movie. It’s the best movie I’ve ever seen. 👏

Brings a clearer, more succinct weight to the Film, the Series & to Michael Corleone.

Not the best in the franchise but it's certainly better than other movies out there.

I'll admit, this cut of the film is better than the original cut. The beginning gets right into the plot rather than showing the church ceremony and the party first. I much prefer the ending on this one as well. The title obviously implies that Michael dies, but actually he is dead on the inside and is cursed to a long, lonely life. That is so much better than Michael falling out of a chair. Al Pacino is great in this film. As everyone knows, Sofia Coppola is not. No amount of editing can fix that. The recutting of this film creates some continuity errors unfortunately. At around 1:24, when Michael Corleone is with his children in Italy, they are wearing the same clothes as in the scene at 1:42. In the original cut, it was all one scene. In Coda, it is supposed to be two separate days. Another one can be spotted when Michael offers Kay a piece of cake which hadn't yet been cut. There was also a lot of rehashing of lines from the first Godfather film for nostalgic purposes. Like, "Enzo the Baker" or "Now they'll fear you". So many elements of the plot are so over-the-top it's ridiculous. The helicopter assassination attempt on the whole commission, Vincent knows how to ride a horse and dresses up like an NYPD cop and hits Joey Zaza on broad daylight and of course, gets away with it. Oh, please. This film was never going to be as good as the first two, but it could have been a lot better than it was. That goes for either cut. Again, I do prefer this cut, but it is probably only 1 point better in greatness. Perhaps, if Francis Ford Coppola had been given the 6 months he asked for to write the script instead of the 6 weeks they gave him, it might have been better. Either way, the two Godfather films should have been left alone. However, I still recommend. 74/100