The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone - A New Cut

Introduction

The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone arrived in 2020, and while the 30th anniversary recut doesn't change much about the plot of the final Godfather movie, there are some key differences between The Godfather Part III and Coda.

The Godfather Coda Godfather 3 Directors Cut

1990's The Godfather Part III has always been deemed a controversial addition to the masterful saga, since it concludes the trilogy, not with a bang, but with a whimper. Coppola is no stranger to refurbishing the last Godfather film, as he'd previously released The Godfather Part III: Final Director's Cut in 1991. The Godfather Coda took another look at the maligned threequel with another extensive edit.

Al Pacino The godfather Coda part 3

The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone does not make drastic changes to the original narrative. Instead, Coppola's edits bring about a significant tonal shift to The Godfather Trilogy, adding a sense of purpose missing in the original film. This is not Coppola’s first attempt to tinker with The Godfather Part III, as the film’s home video release added an 8-minute exposition to the theatrical cut. The title of The Godfather Coda is meant to highlight that the third Godfather is an epilogue to the previous movies rather than a continuation and the edit attempts to make that more apparent.

The Godfather Coda: Changes In Length And Narrative Pacing

The Godfather 3 2020 Recut Is Four Minutes Shorter. The Godfather Coda has been slimmed down to a watch time of 158 minutes, as opposed to the original which ran a total of 162 minutes. Apart from this, Coppola has slightly tweaked the film’s pacing, as the reordering and complete absence of certain scenes add an aura of narrative clarity.

Al Pacino As Michael Corleone In The Godfather Part 3 looking somber during a ceremonial occasion in a church

The Godfather trilogy actor Diane Keaton has stated that these changes are bound to make critics and audiences reconsider the creative merit of the last entry in the trilogy. Most of the edits are slight prunings, wherein scenes commence midway and cut off earlier, granting a better momentum to the plot and The Godfather Part III as a whole.

Michael and Kay dance in The Godfather III

The Godfather Coda: Changes To The Opening Sequence

A Scene From 40 Minutes Into The Godfather 3 Opens The Coda Cut. The first words that greet audiences in The Godfather Coda are: “Don Corleone, I need your help.” This mirrors the iconic opening of The Godfather, wherein Don Corleone (Marlon Brando) is greeted by Amerigo Bonasera.

the-godfather-coda-opening-scene

The Godfather Coda opens with an entreaty from the archbishop, a scene which appeared in the original at around the 40-minute mark. The placement of this particular scene in the opening provides a solid foundation for the Coda cut, as everything that follows seems to seamlessly spring forth naturally from this interesting exchange. The omission of certain introductory scenes effectively eliminates unnecessary narrative baggage, as they only served to alienate audiences further in the theatrical cut of The Godfather Part III.

Vincent admires Mary in The Godfather Part III

Moreover, the placement of this scene also brings greater clarity to Michael’s psyche, and the inner workings of his mind, when he demands a controlling interest in the Immobiliare conglomerate. The overarching theme of forgiveness and expiation for Michael is also introduced in the dialogue, setting the focus of The Godfather Coda from the get-go.

Michael Corleone saying "they pull me back in" in The Godfather Part 3

The Godfather Coda: Alterations In The Final Ending Shot

The Ending Of The Coda Cut Denies Michael Corleone Redemption. The Godfather Part II had ended with Michael sitting in utter silence outside the Tahoe compound, alienated from humanity, cut off from any semblance of the stoic yet gentle Michael introduced in The Godfather. Twenty years later, in The Godfather III, Michael desires redemption for his sins, especially for the assassination of his brother, Fredo. After Mary gets shot, the film ends with Al Pacino's Michael, old, solitary, and stricken with grief and guilt, dying unceremoniously while slumping over.

Michael Corleone dies while sitting on a chair at the end of The Godfather III

This is completely taken out in The Godfather Coda, which ends with Michael’s harrowing silent screams after the loss of his daughter, and the montage of women whose lives were marred due to him in one way or another, namely Kay, Mary, and Apollonia. This editorial decision adds profoundness to the new ending, placing Michael Corleone in a position that denies him redemption of any kind but instead further exacerbates his spiritual anguish.

Michael's grief over Mary's death

The Godfather Coda: Changes That Were Not Made In The New Cut

The 30th Anniversay Cut Godfather Part 3 Kept Some Of Its Worst Elements. It's also important to address the changes that weren't made to The Godfather Coda, especially those that contributed to the criticism of the original. The absence of Robert Duvall in The Godfather Part III cast still holds the film back, as Coppola had originally meant to solidify Tom as a moral and emotional counterpoint to Michael, a nuance that could have greatly improved the film.

Sofia Coppola's awkward scenes as Mary Corleone, whose death is supposed to add a heavy emotional weight to the film, have always been a point of critique too. Coppola did trim these down, but her performance still makes for an uneven watch. However, some scenes are imbued with new meaning, such as the vacation sequence in Sicily and the reconnection between Michael and Kay, which now appears tinged with a bittersweet melancholy.

Sofia Coppola grinning as Mary Corleone in The Godfather Part III.

Did The Coda Cut Changes Improve Godfather III?

Coppola's Changes To The Godfather Part III Made It Better. All in all, the tweaks and changes that Coppola made to The Godfather Part III in his 2020 cut seem to have been for the better. The streamlined narrative, slight reduction of Mary's appearances, reordering of key information, and change to Michael's ending all help the film feel more intentional. As the final installment of the legendary The Godfather trilogy, this feeling of purpose and finality is exactly what was missing when the film first came out back in 1990.

At the same time, The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone is still far from a perfect movie and still doesn't fix the most glaring issues with the original. Granted, these problems (namely, Robert Duvall's absence and Sofia Coppola's presence) are impossible to fix at this point, but it's still hard to stack The Godfather Part III up against its predecessors, which remain nearly-infallible classics to this day. The short answer is that yes, the Coda cut did improve The Godfather Part III, but no amount of improvement will ever make it truly shine in the context of its forebears.

Why Francis Ford Coppola Made Coda In The First Place

Francis Ford Coppola's interest in revisiting The Godfather Coda is a bit surprising as Coppola never wanted The Godfather sequels at all. In an interview about The Godfather Coda (via NY Times), Coppola admits even The Godfather Part II, which won Best Picture and Best Director Oscars, was not something he was interested in. He only took The Godfather Part III because he was in a tough financial position at the time. However, he admits that he was compelled to return to re-edit the movie as it felt like unfinished business.

Coppola admits it was the title of the movie that started him on the path to taking another look, as he had always wanted to name the third movie, The Death of Michael Corleone. Coppola says 'It was the thread hanging out of the sock that annoyed me, so that led me to pull on that thread.' The result was him reworking the poorly-received Godfather Part III and identifying some of the issues that he decided needed to be addressed to improve it all. Despite the changes, Coppola is also aware the new version will not fully change the opinion on The Godfather Part III as with any movie that comes out 'whatever the reaction is will define it for its entire life.'