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Old 03-22-2022, 08:58 AM   #1
oldmanwinters
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The Godfather

Yeah, I know the first two Godfather movies are all-time classics, both in the conversation for "Best Movie of All Time."

I want to talk a bit about the infamous third movie. I actually never watched it until a few years ago when I bought "The Godfather Collection" on DVD. It's... fine I guess. Back in 2020, Francis Coppola decided to recut the movie and re-release it as "Mario Puzo's The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone." I have yet to watch the re-cut, but from what I read it doesn't transform the movie into something dramatically superior. The laborious title probably does capture more of the spirit of the director's intent moreso than the ol' "Part III" (and the new cut's runtime is shorter, for whatever that's worth).

Today, I noticed that the theatrical cut of Godfather Part III seems to have been purged from most digital streaming platforms: Amazon Prime, VUDU/Fandango, Apple iTunes Store. I have a digital license for the theatrical cut through VUDU from years ago, but I really hate the idea that studios believe they have to take away a consumer's ability to watch/purchase an older version of a film, presumably to push the newer cut. At least with films like Apocalypse Now, you have the option of buying/streaming theatrical, Redux, or Final Cut versions. Similarly, you can buy/stream three different cuts of the Richard Donner 1978 Superman film [Donner would have flipped out if Warner's vaulted his theatrical cut in order to push the 3-hour TV extended cut]. The Godfather Part III was never a classic, arguably not even a "historically significant" influential movie, but it is a part of film history, and in some ways stands as an prime exhibit on how hard it is to make sequels as good as original movies. Sure, there are tons of VHS tapes and DVDs of it taking up space in second-hand stores, but I'm disappointed it seems to be disappearing from future availability.
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Last edited by oldmanwinters; 03-23-2022 at 07:43 AM.
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Old 03-23-2022, 12:29 AM   #2
Andrew NDB
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I saw the Coda version. Maybe it flowed better, but I was missing the large chunks cut out. And what they did to the ending was bullsh**. They basically removed it and put a stupid pasted in quote instead. What I was expecting was just scenes rearranged and alternate cuts and deleted material restored... instead we just basically end up with the Alien "director's cut" that nobody likes better than the original version.

Also, I know a lot of people don't even want this, but I didn't like how this retroactive re-naming of Part III kind of shoots dead any hopes of one day seeing a Part IV with Andy Garcia.

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Old 03-23-2022, 07:51 AM   #3
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I assume the digital de-listing of the theatrical cut is something that came about on account of this year's release of "The Godfather Trilogy" 4K Blu-Ray, which also boasts a digital redemption code for the set. Looks like the theatrical cut of Godfather III as well as a 1991 director's cut (I'm not even aware of that) are both included as "Bonus Content" and apparently remastered. I guess that's fine if one owns the physical release, but if that is going to be the only availability of the films, it really feels a bit like a George Lucas Special Edition fiasco, where the original cuts slowly fade from memory and are only mentioned as side-notes to whatever the director/studio prefers to substitute several years later. The comparison to Alien: DC is interesting, as I think even Ridley Scott just says, "Here's an alternate look at it, enjoy it if you like."

I certainly wasn't one begging for an Andy Garcia focused sequel, but I have heard that his storyline was continued in one of the franchise's novels (never read any of them, sadly).

I think I saw the end of the Coda cut of GFIII on cable TV last year, and the last bit of the movie's plot was just as confusing as ever.
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Old 03-23-2022, 01:38 PM   #4
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I first watched the godfather when I was in middle school and this was after GTA3 had come out so I felt like it was fitting in themes. I didn't know I was supposed to dislike Part 3 and while weaker than Part 1/2 I found it to be good.

I do hate the idea of streaming services only carrying one version, I remember I gave up and just watched whatever version of Blade Runner was on Netflix instead of the "best" version which with so many edits I had no idea if it really is, seems to be like there isn't one.

It's annoying when you want the director's cut instead of theatrical for example and they only have one version. Or when you want to watch deleted scenes and alternate endings though I guess YouTube is there for that now.

But sadly there's not much we can do about it, Part 3 will always be a few clicks to stream in HD through piracy. Still easier than hunting down a copy of DVDs.
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Old 03-23-2022, 02:12 PM   #5
frank_one
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sdp View Post
But sadly there's not much we can do about it, Part 3 will always be a few clicks to stream in HD through piracy. Still easier than hunting down a copy of DVDs.
I hate to point this out but it's easier only if you are without a conscience.
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Old 03-23-2022, 02:37 PM   #6
oldmanwinters
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I like to think that The Freshman (1990) is Godfather canon-adjacent.
I watch that and it seems like a rare moment where Brando is actually enjoying himself in a film.

1990 was a fascinating year for movies, especially for The Godfather: official sequel, lovingly referential homage movie, and then a passing of the torch to a new Italian gangster movie with Goodfellas.
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