The Godfather Part III: Coppola’s Re-edited Original Vision to be Released
Paramount Pictures has announced that a new edit and restoration of The Godfather: Part III will be given a limited theatrical release this December, followed by a home release.
The revised version of Francis Ford Coppola’s final film in The Godfather trilogy, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, has been retitled as Mario Puzo’s The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, acknowledging the film’s original title that was rejected by Paramount in favour of a more simplified name. The studio said Thursday that the new cut achieves the original vision that Coppola and screenwriter Mario Puzo had for the last chapter in the Corleone saga.
“For this version of the finale, I created a new beginning and ending, and rearranged some scenes, shots, and music cues,” Coppola confirmed in a statement. “With these changes and the restored footage and sound, to me, it is a more appropriate conclusion to The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II and I’m thankful to Jim Gianopulos and Paramount for allowing me to revisit it.”
In order to achieve the finest presentation for the upcoming release, Coppola’s production company American Zoetrope and Paramount Pictures’ restoration team spent six months searching through 300 cartons of negatives to pull out over 50 original takes to replace lower resolution opticals in the original negative, before working from a 4K scan to undertake the film’s meticulous frame-by-frame restoration.
“Mr. Coppola oversaw every aspect of the restoration while working on the new edit, ensuring that the film not only looks and sounds pristine, but also meets his personal standards and directorial vision,” Andrea Kalas, the Senior Vice President of Paramount Archives, said about the new edit and restoration of The Godfather: Part III, which also boasts an enhanced audio track.
The original release of The Godfather: Part III hit theaters 16 years after The Godfather: Part II, and focused on Michael Corleone’s efforts to free his family from crime and find a suitable successor to his empire. The film picked up seven Academy Award nominations, though it failed to win any, making it the only film in the trilogy to not pick up an Oscar. Despite being a box office hit, the third installment is generally considered to be the most disappointing film of the epic saga.
Alternative cuts of films have become increasingly popular over the course of history. Just this year, it was announced that Sylvester Stallone is working on a director’s cut of Rocky IV while Zack Snyder’s long-fabled cut of Justice League is set to debut in four, hour-long chunks on HBO Max next year. Snyder’s undertaking has reportedly cost upwards of $30M to produce, even though he’s previously confirmed that there will be no reshoots with the original cast.
