The Godfather Part III

"The Godfather III" redirects here. For the Wiley album, see The Godfather III (album).

The Godfather Part III
Theatrical release poster
Directed byFrancis Ford Coppola
Written by
Produced byFrancis Ford Coppola
Starring
CinematographyGordon Willis
Edited by
Music byCarmine Coppola
Production
companies
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release dates
  • December 20, 1990 (1990-12-20) (Beverly Hills)
  • December 25, 1990 (1990-12-25) (United States)
Running time
162 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$54 million[2]
Box office$136.9 million[2]

The Godfather Part III is a 1990 American epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola from the screenplay co-written with Mario Puzo. The film stars Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Andy García, Eli Wallach, Joe Mantegna, Bridget Fonda, George Hamilton and Sofia Coppola. It is the third and final installment in The Godfather trilogy. A sequel to The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974), it concludes the fictional story of Michael Corleone, the patriarch of the Corleone family who attempts to legitimize his criminal empire. The film also includes fictionalized accounts of two real-life events: the 1978 death of Pope John Paul I and the Papal banking scandal of 1981–1982, both linked to Michael Corleone's business affairs.

Although Coppola initially refused to return for a third film, he eventually signed to direct and write Part III. In his audio commentary for Part II, Coppola stated that only a dire financial situation, caused by the failure of his 1982 musical fantasy One from the Heart, compelled him to take up Paramount's long-standing offer to make a third installment.[3] Coppola and Puzo wanted the title to be The Death of Michael Corleone, for they felt that the first two films had told the complete Corleone saga, so Part III would serve as the epilogue, but Paramount Pictures thought that that title was unacceptable.[4]

Winona Ryder was initially cast in the role of Michael Corleone's daughter Mary, but eventually left production due to other commitments and nervous exhaustion. The role was ultimately given to Coppola's daughter Sofia, a decision that garnered much criticism and accusations of nepotism. Principal photography took place from late 1989 to early 1990, with filming locations in both Italy and the United States.

The Godfather Part III premiered in Beverly Hills on December 20, 1990, and was widely released in the United States on Christmas Day. The film received generally positive reviews, although it was considered inferior to the previous films by some audiences.[5] Critics praised Pacino's and Garcia's performances, cinematography, editing, production design and Coppola's direction, but criticized the plot, the casting and the performance of Sofia Coppola. It grossed $136.8 million worldwide, and garnered seven nominations at the 63rd Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor (Garcia). It also received seven nominations at the 48th Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama (Pacino).

In December 2020, a recut version of the film, titled The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, was released to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the original version.

  1. ^ "THE GODFATHER PART III". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on February 28, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018. Approved Running time: 161m 33s
  2. ^ a b "The Godfather Part III (1990)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on August 5, 2013. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
  3. ^ "DVD commentary featuring Francis Ford Coppola". The Godfather Part II DVD. 2005.
  4. ^ "'The Godfather: Part III' makes a little more sense in the streaming era". sfchronicle.com. December 26, 2019. Archived from the original on December 27, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  5. ^ "The Godfather, Part III - Movie Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved October 28, 2024.