Mrs. Hercule Poirot, Duvall didn't want to be part of this film. Originally, Coppola included the Tom Hagen character in the script and gave it to Duvall, but Duvall didn't like the script, so Tom Hagen was written out of it. Duvall made this point in interviews at the time and ever since. He said flatly that Part III was not as good as Parts I & II, and Coppola made it primarily because of studio pressure and to make money. I respect Duvall's opinion on this.
@@brianforbes8325 Actually, what I've heard Duvall say over and over is that it was about money. The amount they offered him was low and since Coppola was clearly making the movie for money it didn't seem fair to Duvall that they didn't offer him more.
At 3:37 of this vid, Ebert mentions that the screenplay seemed "half-finished". We now know that this is true. The film will now be released in it's original, intended form. A very astute observation by Mr. Ebert. That's why he is a legendary movie critic.
No reviewers have made movie reviewing as fascinating as Siskel and Ebert. It is nice to see Gene and Roger alive again in their prime making movies the fascinating art form and making the viewers appreciate a talented movie reviewer. Gene and Roger are true legends and truly missed. What an incredible duo. Again, this clip brought Siskel and Ebert back to life and it’s as if this were
Its as if this clip were broadcast yesterday on public television which is were Siskel and Ebert had been on tv. Thanks for posting. Brought back great memories of how I valued their talent and option of film as an art form.
@@NoName-jq7tj Wow that’s great to hear, I’ve always felt Godfather 3 while not as good as 1 & 2 was still a worthy addition to the series even with its flaws. If I were to rate them it would be Godfather 10/10 Godfather Part II 9/10 and Part III 7/10
I always thought it was a really good film....the operatic ending was fantastic and the images of all the women Michael loved most that were now gone....Tragic irony indeed ....for in being strong for his family, he did indeed, in the end, actually lose it.
Coincidentally, not only has the new version of this film, The Godfather Coda, just been released. But, the other film they reviewed on the episode was The Russia House, which was based on the book by John Le Carre, who just passed. Moreover, Sean Connery, who starred in that film, also recently passed. Kinda sad, all this death.
Matt Pomara, I tend to agree with you, but who do you think was more accurate and honest about Sofia Coppola's performance? I think Siskel was. She may have since become a successful director, but she was out of her league in this acting performance.
Apparently, Ebert did too. The girl couldn't act her way out of a paper bag. However, she did turn out to be a pretty good film director in her own right. So, good on her.
exhaustion.....sheesh.....try working a week of 16 hour “double-shifts” at the factory....you get 2 days off (maybe) and then back to work.....Hollywood folks are weak (sick).
She couldn't have saved this movie; Duval couldn't have saved it. Cazale, Brando, Caan, etc. couldn't have saved it. Two more years of production time could NOT have saved it. Trilogies are a bad idea.
Every once in awhile a couple of guys come along in places we wouldn't have expected --in this case a backwater PBS movie review show--to become true movie icons. I really miss these two--taken from us all too early.
Thank you for saving this clip! I am waiting in eager anticipation for Coppola's new cut of the Godfather Pt3. It is due in December. The film will be restored to what he and Puzo wanted to make initially. What Ebert was saying about the opening scene and mismatched dialog. All that should be corrected in the new cut. I can't wait.
@@midnightfairycase2145 Yes, really. You can google Godfather Coda and that will show you what's up with it. I'm so excited. I've always liked pt3 but knew it could be better. Listen to Coppola's commentary track on Godfather pt3 as he talks about the differences he intended and what the studio demanded.
I never saw the original, only Coda. I didn't know what Ebert was talking about with the mismatched dialogue. I didn't notice any of that. Was that fixed in Coda?
@@jedijones yes, mostly. There were some things that couldn't be fixed short of being re-shot. But the dialog is clearer and the conversations are tighter. Where Coda starts was 20 minutes or so into the original cut. "I need your help, Don Corleone." Those early scenes are moved to a more sensible place or cut altogether to tighten it up. Imagine that, though, a director's cut that is shorter than the original release. Less is more. And the ending for Coda is superb.
@@WhatsWrongWithTheStreet Sounds like the descriptions of it only being changed by a couple minutes don't do justice to how much rearranging of scenes they did. I did feel that party in the beginning still went on too long, and was too obviously giving into the formula of how the other 2 movies opened. The ending's different too? I don't know if I should watch the first cut or let my impression of the movie stay pure to the Coda edition.
Roger gave this highly imperfect movie 3.5 stars out of 4, higher than the second one which he only gave 3 stars. No way is this better than Part II, which is a masterpiece. The first two were excellent, and this movie doesn't come anywhere close. Sofia Coppola's performance was pretty bad.
Thank you Ebert for saying the truth about Sophia, i loved her in that movie, it was perfect. To think Ryder was going to get the part is shocking to me, it doesnt make sense at all. Sophia worked so well, just like Connie, one the directors sister, the other his daughter. Sophia also played the baby being baptised at the end of part 1.
The Godfather Part III is not as bad as people remember. It got 7 Oscar nominations and 7 Golden Globe nominations for a reason. Ebert, Siskel, Berardinelli, and Maltin all liked the film. It simply isn't as good as Parts I and II, which are two of the greatest films ever made.
Ever since Siskel Ebert have passed, movies have never been the same. And I we still need an apology for not paying enough to Hagens actor. He was the most important one through it all
The true enemy of any rivalry, or of any war, is death itself. But there are different types of death. The death of friendship, the death of trust, the death of confidence, the death of innocence... those are but several of the types of death that we are aware of, and that we may have experienced ourselves.
I respect your opinion because I think the whole ending is very good, but the build up to that, even though is not bad, is much below the standard of the previous movies
People or actors in this fillm behave like they have better things to do. Even Al Pacino seems to be tired. Sofia Coppola is not acting at all...The problem from the start is, that we already got a brief but proper ending with Godfather 2.. All questions were not answered, but that is how it should be.. So now your trying to restart everything? The whole Vatican plot was way off. Since when did the Catholic Church need MORE money? The wealth of Rome makes Bill Gates look like a regular IT support guy with a few payments behind on his car loan. Forgiveness maybe? Ok, Francis, I forgive you.. Just don't make another one...
@@monmothma3358 yeah... I actually rarely remember she was part of the Godfather. Mainly because I don't watch Godfather 3 that much, I mean, I like it for what it is but I prefer just watching the first 2 most of the time. I haven't seen the new cut yet though
But the real ending makes more sense. It’s Michael paying for his sins and due to that he has no family left. In contrast with Vito who started alone and ended with a big family.
Personally I thought her performance wasn’t criticized enough lol. Just rewatched Part 3 yesterday and honestly it seemed Iike she was reading off of cue cards the entire time. Worst on screen performance in a mainstream Hollywood movie IMO
She was perfect for the role. I agree with Roger Ebert. ❤️ Godfather 3 was a fitting part of this trilogy (albeit for different reasons) and deserves its place in cinema history alongside the first two. 🔔🔔🔔
I agree that Sofia Coppola gets too much flak for her performance. She's not particularly "good" (she often comes across like a deer in the headlights) but the rest of the movie more than compensates for her shortcomings. It's by far the least of the trilogy but still pretty damn good.
Yeah, she's supposed to be a plain, average girl. A sort of ugly duckling. It even raises the question of Vincent being with her out of interest, being such a good looking guy.
@@Mario_N64 Calling 1990 Sofia Coppola an "ugly duckling" is beyond my comprehension. And while Mary Corleone surely doesn't have the most interesting personality, neither does Vincent. They seemed like a logical match.
@@Mario_N64 I don't think she was scripted that way. They had Rebecca Schaeffer scheduled for an audition before her death, who was as beautiful as any young actress around then.
I didn't feel like I was watching Michael corleone. It was just Al pacino with a gravelly voice. The plot didn't interest me all that much or the love story. It didn't feel like a godfather movie to me at all.
This movie is actually my favorite of the trilogy. I like the original title that Francis wanted, the Death of Michael Corleone, it fits the movie perfectly.
It’s his f*cling Achilles heel. It’s nice that he helped his sister, she’s a decent actress. Ok then he decides to help his nephew. Possibly the worst mistake of all (save for Leaving Las Vegas). Then he decides to help his daughter, who doesn’t even seem interested in doing this film. I mean idk she was young like 18 years old, she was probably nervous AF but it was not a great decision. I appreciate him helping his family members but they shouldn’t be in leading roles. Talia is superb as Connie. She plays it great, and I would’ve watched a spin-off about Connie. I think she could’ve pulled it off. But Nic and Sophia, no sir.
@@CraigJordanLA LOL, Nic Cage is a legend and he's done far more great work than just one film, and sold a buttload of tickets in his heyday too, which is good for the entire industry.
anybody who watches this film and isn't immediately taken out of the story by the TERRIBLE performance by Sofia, must not know the difference between talent and a horse's arse.
A problem with this film is that Connie doesn't seem to know that Michael had Fredo killed in Part 2 - the story needs her to be loyal to Michael, so they sacrifice realism.
Godfather 3 wasn't bad. It just stands in the shadow of 1&2. Sort of like how Candy-O wasn't a bad album, it's just that it followed The Cars' first album, which is a masterpiece.
The Godfather Part III is my favorite Godfather movie. I realize many people love the first two better. Good for them!!! But...I do not, and I do not have to. Part III is much more awesome to me.
Winona being cast would have probably saved the picture. Sofia was just awful and the worst part about the whole movie. Aside from Robert Duvall not being in it.
I don't think Sofia was awful, she just wasn't that good. A little above Mediocre. I think she was miscast because she is just not pretty enough. I thought when Winona dropped out- FFC should have cast Madonna even though I heard it said he thought she was a little too old for the part. I dont' think back in 1990- Madonna was that old for the part. I think you needed an actress who was gorgouus and would be understandable why Andy Garcia would faill in Love with her. Maybe even Bridget Fonda might have played the role of Michael Corleone's daughter instead of playing the Reporter role.
Godfather III needs to be seen. It has its' own good qualities and does offer an end to the story. The death of Mary Coroleone and Michael's reaction is so memorable and heart crushing. Sofia's portrail is more subtle; a 2nd generation Italian-American that loves her family, but is more American, perhaps distracted by other interests other than the business or the family. Anyway, this movie has good music and other good attributes. Yet, maybe AL😢 Pacino carried the movie.
I love this movie. Never have gotten the hate. I think after 2 amazing movies people were looking for whatever they could to complain about. This movie was amazing just like the first two. And I REFUSE to watch "The godfather coda" bs.
I always saw the trilogy as a whole as a greek tragedy, you have Micheal as the hero, the first one is his rise, the second one is his fall, the last one is his death all three movies are an act to a large single story. And credit to Sofia because Winona dropped the film a couple days from principle photography, Sofia had to learn her lines, her marks, all that in a fraction of the time of other actors in a movie like this. Is it perfect no but some people make it sound like this movie is on par with The Room like on its own its still a very good film.
Point Vs. Counterpoint-Did Ms. Coppola belong in The Godfather 3? I happen to think so. She's very beautiful, and she seems to be the exact opposite of her Father. That tragic scene, where you can see that she has accidentally been shot through the heart, utters that one last word:"Father"...& then falls to the ground, dead, is something that I'll never be able to erase from my mind, for as long as I live! An innocent victim of a War that should've never happened. He sees his only beloved daughter, as she utters that word "Father", after being shot through the heart, and knows, in that moment, that he has lost not only someone that he loved more than life itself, but that a vital part of his very soul has died with her. That awful sadness and tragedy that sweeps through his body at that moment, is, in it's own merit, eternal. He mourns her loss to the day of his death.
I gave this film a negative review when I saw it 3 times, but I just finished watching the new version, The Death of Michael Corleone and I thought it was better than the version that came out in 1990 Not A Great Movie, but much better than I had scene, it's easier to follow, Garcia gets into the film sooner and ties things up, but Sophia, Bless her, still brings this film down and Joe Mantegna also is over the top when it didn't call for it Aside from a lot of still goofy scenes, that killing of the other Dons is still way over the top..not one person is alive at the end yet they say in the next scene that several survived, but whatever It still did not deserve any of it's top Oscar Nominations that year, but I still give this movie 3 stars
5:10 ahah dear Roger sticking up for Sofia Coppola's acting as a scene starts to play, he says how right he thinks she was for the role, and ... Andy Garcia starts talking, instead. she just stands there until later she delivers just "I'll always love you." that's pretty ironic. I bet the studio didn't allow the release of any real footage of her dialogue scenes for critical review. very wise. very wise.
S Coppola might have had too large a part, but the entire Coppola family have been in the trilogy starting with both his parents in the Godfather. ...so it was not unusual to cast a family member
Sean Mcmeown I disagree, Coda is actually a pretty decent film. Aside from Sofia Coppola’s acting and the film being awkwardly paced in some parts, it’s not that bad.
Coppola Said That When He Wrote The Part Of Mary,It Was His Daughter-Sophia That He Had In Mind.I Thought Sophia Was Good In That Part.People Underestimated Her Role,And The Power Of This Movie Which Remain A Favorite Of Mine,And Sophia Is A Bust-Out-Fox!
I was so disappointed In Godfather 111. Especially the Andy Garcia part, he tried to hard over the top crap and it didn’t work. Pacino couldn’t get into it either and his pancake face was horrible. Michael got almost everyone killed including killing an innocent prostitute to set up the senator, his first wife was murdered with a bomb meant for him, almost got Kay killed in their bedroom . Killed his sister’s husband Carlo, and killed his own brother Fredo and in this bizarre number 3, his daughter gets killed and all of Michael’s chickens come home to roost and it’s horrible for him.
I loved Sophia. I don't care that she's no Meryl Streep - I think she portrays her as Mary is - beautiful and a bit uncomfortable. And as much as I like Winona Ryder, she's not Italian and she was too well known. I realize Kay wasn't Italian either, but still... I like that Sophia was relatively unknown at the time. It works for the similar uneasiness and naivety of her character, Mary.
Biggest problem with this movie was that it was unnecessary. Coppola for some reason felt like Michael needed to be punished for "getting away" with what he did in the second movie. He forgot that the ending of the second one already showed how Michael was punished being completely isolated and alone at the end.
But he wasn't punished in 2. Michael still had his kids and his lawyer, who was loyal to him. He lost a brother, who he didn't like anyway, and got a divorce.
I think it was primarily to mint money but there were some tragedies in Coppola’s life just before he wrote the script. His son had killed in a boating accident and Coppola blamed himself for it. His son was working with him on a movie and he was sent off to do something and that’s when it happened. I think Coppola was punishing himself through part 3. His daughter Sophia was the basis for Mary Corleone and as fate would have it, the actress who was originally cast was shot dead and Winona Ryder, the replacement, had to pull out last minute because of health issues. He ended up casting Sophia anyways.
my dad refers to mary corleone as shark lips and i think she did well; that sofia copola i buy her falling in love with vinnie. they're both so beautiful
Best thing about this lousy movie.........A buddy of mine was even MORE insane over anything Godfather than I was. So when I beat him to the Theater to see it by a couple of days, I called him to tell him it was EVERY superlative you could think of. Oscars abounding. He was foaming cannoli at the mouth, he was so excited. Then I waited. Two days later I get a call, back when you didn't know who was calling on the phone. "Hello?" I asked. "You BASTARD!" was the reply. Mission accomplished.
i found it interesting how wrong Ebert was while also being right when it came to Sophia Coppola as Mary Corleone. She does add a vulnerability to the character that a more polished actress perhaps wouldn't have but if there is one thing that should be obvious is how beautiful she is. How Roger can call her average and unremarkable (or whatever it was) I will never know. Siskel was also correct that her acting chops were not great but there is an honesty there that a more seasoned actress likely wouldn't have been able to muster.
Obviously I agree with you regarding Sofia's beauty. The only explanation (not defense) I can think of is that "Hollywood" standards of beauty were different back then, and even more narrowly defined then they are now. As for the acting, I forget where I read or heard it recently, but someone astutely pointed out that Sofia's generally flat line delivery is not so dissimilar from the way present day celebutante children of wealthy powerful families speak in real life (ie: The Kardashians, Ivanka Trump, etc). I doubt that was the intention in 1990, but it does add some context when viewing in 2020. I thought it was interesting anyway.
Not as good as the first two films but it's a decent Conclusion to the trilogy. Never understood the utter hate towards this film by some people, it's a good film in my opinion.