The Godfather: Part III has its defenders (and scored seven Oscar nominations), but it is widely seen as the big disappointment of the trilogy, a flop of an ending that never lived up to its predecessors. Now, filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola has worked on a brand new restoration and edit that includes new scenes and will be released under a new title: (deep breath): Mario Puzo’s The Godfather Coda: The Death Of Michael Corleone.
This third effort focused on the efforts by Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone to free his family from the crime business. Diane Keaton and Talia Shire reprised their roles, but Robert Duvall refused to return as Tom Hagen.
"Mario Puzo’s The Godfather Coda: The Death Of Michael Corleone is an acknowledgement of Mario’s and my preferred title and our original intentions for what became The Godfather: Part III," Coppola says. "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."
Paramount will release the film in cinemas this December (Stateside, at least, but a UK schedule may also happen), followed by a debut on home entertainment formats. Will it finally be able to truly stand alongside its classic brethren? Just when we thought we were out...