The Godfather: Part III (1990)

Director:

Francis Ford Coppola

Writers (WGA):

Mario Puzo (written by) &
Francis Ford Coppola (written by)

Release Date:

25 December 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

All the power on earth can't change destiny.

Plot:

In the midst of trying to legitimize his business dealings in 1979 New York and Italy, aging mafia don Michael Corleone seeks to vow for his sins while taking a young protégé under his wing.

Plot Keywords:

Mafia | Mafia Don | Gangster | Vatican | Epic

Awards:

Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 10 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. Nov. 26

4:00 PM

AMC

Cast

Al Pacino	...	Don Michael Corleone
Diane Keaton	...	Kay Adams Michelson
Talia Shire	...	Connie Corleone Rizzi
Andy Garcia	...	Vincent Mancini
Eli Wallach	...	Don Altobello
Joe Mantegna	...	Joey Zasa
George Hamilton	...	B.J. Harrison
Bridget Fonda	...	Grace Hamilton
Sofia Coppola	...	Mary Corleone
Raf Vallone	...	Cardinal Lamberto
Franc D'Ambrosio	...	Anthony Vito Corleone
Donal Donnelly	...	Archbishop Gilday
Richard Bright	...	Al Neri
Helmut Berger	...	Frederick Keinszig
Don Novello	...	Dominic Abbandando

Also Known As:

Mario Puzo's The Godfather: Part III (USA) (complete title)
The Death of Michael Corleone (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

162 min | USA:169 min (video version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian | German | Latin

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Iceland:16 | Canada:14A | USA:R (certificate #30195) | Brazil:14 | South Korea:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Portugal:M/12 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | Israel:PG | Japan:PG-12 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | Singapore:PG | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Poland:15

Filming Locations:

Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Most of the rogue characters are based on the key players of the 30-Day Pope conspiracy. Kenzig the banker was based on Roberto Calvi, managing director of the Bank of Milan who was found hanged in London in June 19 1982 for allegedly involved in missing Vatican funds amounting $1.25 billion. Lucchesi was based on Giulio Andreotti, an Italian politician. Gilday was based on Paul Marcinkus, a one time director of the Vatican Bank currently remained silent over the conspiracy.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: At the opera house, Vincent is heard yelling while his mouth is not moving.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Michael Corleone: [voiceover] My dear children: It is now better than several years since I moved to New York, and I haven't seen you as much as I would like to. I hope you will come to the ceremony of papal honors given for my charitable work. The only wealth in this world is children; more than all the money, power on earth, you are my treasure.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Godfather (1991) (VG)

Soundtrack:

SANTA ROSALIA

It really isn't that bad..

Having heard the endless amount of critique and insults that the last part of the Godfather saga carries.. I have to disagree. Although people seem to love to hate Sophie Coppola and say she ruined the film, I think her part alone wasn't that frail it'd ruin the entire cinematic experience. Saying that is just humorous. Also, the absence of Tom Hagen played by Robert Duvall is really a loss and even I think this film would've been a lot better if there was him in it.. but he got too greedy and couldn't make it into the movie, and that's that. I'm not going to judge a movie by what it could have been, but what it is and how good it ends up being.

Despite some shortcomings, Godfather Part 3 is a decent ending to the trilogy. While it may have been an attempt to cash off the audience, they still have Coppola bring us his finest directing. I found Al Pacino's performance extremely satisfying and even terrifyingly so. He embodies the mistakes and losses of his life with excellent skill, showing us a don that has lost his health, the loved ones of his life and even the respect for himself. While I never found Diane Keaton's performances in the saga that good, she still fills the spot required, same goes for Talia Shire, whose role in the ending finale of the film really came as a surprise to me - which was a good thing. I didn't find her role in Part 2 too appealing but in this one she has more character, more importance. Sophie Coppola was OK, like I said a lot of people have complained about her acting skills and I gotta admit she was a little "stiff" or sorts in some scenes but it's not notable all the time and it didn't spoil any moods for me. Andy Carcia was just excellent, my favorite add to the saga cast, playing the son of his father with excellence.

So, umm.. this film is perfectly fine. The ending finale was tremendously well shot and very climatic, filled with a lot of excitement. I'm telling you this movie is a great ending to the saga even because of that one particular scene so just go see it, despite what a lot of people have said about, badmouthing it for faulty reasons.. it brought a tear into my eye. It did.