It feels like a smaller story, but one that is nonetheless fascinating. Part III and Coda simply tell a different kind of story than previous Godfather films.
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There, we witness corruption within a different venue, as forces plot to install a new pope and gain power over Vatican finances. There are minor trims throughout the film, which moves from violent mafia warfare in its early sequences thanks to hot-headed Vincent to an extended vacation for Michael in Italy as he recovers from a diabetic stroke. Now, viewers can finally experience this narrative for what it is a compliment to those films but not necessarily a conclusion. Losing the explicit flashbacks to previous films also establishes Coda as its own story, and Coppola has suggested that the Vito Corleone family story ended with Part II. The swap also makes the subsequent party scene much more effective viewers understand what Michael is attempting to do, and the familial rebukes sting much harder. This one swap corrects a criticism I have of the theatrical cut: That version seems to lack narrative urgency because you do not know what the conflict is going to be until well into the running time. This scene comes more than a half-hour into the theatrical cut, which opens with shots of locations from previous films, then moves to a papal ceremony honoring Michael before diving into the extended afterparty sequence where the family is re-introduced. The biggest edit Coppola makes in Coda is opening the film with a negotiation between Michael and duplicitous Archbishop Gilday (Donal Donnelly) about the Vatican deal. As Michael navigates the shark-infested waters of the American mob, corruption within the Vatican and across Italy threatens his intended acquisition of Vatican assets. Mary is enamored with Michael and leads his charitable foundation, but soon falls for Vincent Mancini (Andy Garcia), the illegitimate son of Michael's other dead brother, Sonny, and an up-and-coming gangster feuding with local mob captain Joey Zasa (Joe Mantegna). At a party in his honor, Michael's estranged wife Kay (Diane Keaton) tells him the contribution and papal recognition are "shameful," and Anthony declines an invitation to enter the family business, telling his father he is becoming an opera singer. His $600-million donation to the Vatican is intended to cover the Vatican Bank's enormous deficit, but also place Michael in line to lead its lucrative international real-estate business, Internazionale Immobiliare. Michael looks toward legal business opportunities, hoping to build a respectable nest-egg for son Anthony (Franc D'Ambrosio) and daughter Mary (Sofia Coppola). Weighing heavily on his mind are his orders to assassinate his own brother, Fredo, and the way his ruthless reign of terror has alienated him from family. Set in 1979, decades after the events in previous films, Coda sees 59-year-old Michael, the head of the Corleone crime family, coming to terms with his life. Part III was always worthy now, with Coda, perhaps it can earn a new generation of fans.
The edits are relatively subtle, but they do improve the flow of the film and earn back some of the urgency critics found it lacked upon release in 1990. One of this year's few pleasant surprises is the release of a new edit of the film, The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, which Director Francis Ford Coppola says represents his intended vision of the film.
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The movie is less about mobsters in America than it is about corruption in Italy, with a sprawling story of financial deception at the highest levels of power. Vito and Fredo Corleone are long dead, and Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) is an aged man trying to go legit for the sake of his family. Does it reach the heights of its two legendary predecessors, The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II? No, not quite, but Part III has always been a different kind of movie. I saw an article recently that declared, The Godfather: Part III was always worthy.
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