The Godfather Part III
by Francis Ford Coppola (1990)
Michael Corleone, now elderly and suffering from diabetes, is searching for a worthy heir to whom he can entrust his criminal empire.
Quote.
“Don Lucchesi, you are a man of finance and politics. I don’t understand those things.”
“Do you understand guns?”
“Yes.”
“Finance is a gun. Politics is knowing when to pull the trigger.”
(Vincent Mancini & Licio Lucchesi)
A DIFFICULT BIRTH.
The Godfather Part III, the third and final chapter of this epic saga, is widely considered by both critics and audiences as the least successful and not up to the standard of its predecessors.
Even Coppola himself admitted he wasn’t completely satisfied with the final result.
The origin of the issue was a conflict with the production company (Paramount) over the timeline and final compensation.
The director wanted six months to write the screenplay and six million dollars for his work as director, writer, and producer.
However, what he got was a sixth of the desired sum and only six weeks to finish the script, as Paramount was pushing to have the film ready by Christmas 1990.
In practice, he had just one year to prepare, write, direct, and edit the movie.
Al Pacino had initially requested a fee of seven million dollars plus a percentage of the profits, but Coppola, faced with this demand, threatened to rewrite the script to open the film with Michael Corleone’s funeral.
This convinced Pacino to lower his demands.
Another issue arose when Coppola had to give up the character of Tom Hagen, Vito’s adopted son and the family’s lawyer/advisor, a pivotal figure for the story, as he was in direct opposition to Michael.
This was due to Paramount’s refusal to meet Robert Duvall’s financial demands, offering him a salary disproportionate to that of Pacino and Keaton, leading Duvall to turn down the role.
There were also disagreements over the title of the film, which Coppola wanted to call The Death of Michael Corleone.
Reflections.
The first thing to point out is that Coppola himself was not initially keen on directing this film.
However, due to several failures and considerable debts, he was forced to reconsider his decision to end the Corleone saga with the second chapter.
He then decided to direct this third part, co-writing the script with Mario Puzo.
The result was a film that was less “epic” than its predecessors, but still interesting.
Particularly in its exploration of an old and powerful man (Michael Corleone) who feels the full “weight” of his crown.
A character not only physically weakened but also burdened with regrets and immense guilt, chief among them being the order to kill his brother Fredo.
From all this arises his desperate attempt to remove his family from the world of crime through political and “legal” alliances.
But also the dream of personal redemption, which seems impossible to achieve, and the rise to power of his nephew Vincent, guided by Michael himself.
A hope for salvation made unattainable by the overwhelming weight of his past and his mistakes.
The Godfather Part III was nominated for seven Academy Awards.
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