Paramount announced it will release a new edit and restoration of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Part III. The new version of the final chapter of the epic crime saga, now titled Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, will receive a limited theatrical release in December before being released on digital and disc format.
Released in 1990, The Godfather Part III served as the closing chapter of the Godfather trilogy and followed an older Michael Corleone attempting to atone for the sins he committed as the don of the Corleone crime family. While The Godfather and The Godfather Part II were acclaimed upon their release and continue to be regarded as two of the best American films, the third chapter of the saga is widely considered to be a weak conclusion to the trilogy in spite of landing a Best Picture nomination at the 63rd Academy Awards.
Now, Coppola’s new edit of The Godfather Part III will give the filmmaker the chance to conclude the story on a better note just in time for the film’s 30th anniversary. “Mario Puzo’s THE GODFATHER, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone’ is an acknowledgment of Mario’s and my preferred title and our original intentions for what became ‘The Godfather: Part III,’” said Coppola in a statement. The filmmaker also hinted at what changes to expect in this new edition of the film, saying, “for this version of the finale, I created a new beginning and ending, and rearranged some scenes, shots, and music cues. 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 re-edit the film to present his original vision for the finale, Coppola’s production company American Zoetrope and Paramount used a 4K scan of the original negative for a frame-by-frame restoration of both the new edition of The Godfather Part III and the original version released in 1990. The process of repairing the damage to the negative and enhancing the original 5.1-channel surround mix took over six months. While some of the work was moved to remote locations in the San Francisco Bay area and Los Angeles due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Coppola was still heavily involved in the entire process. “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,” said Andrea Kalas, senior vice president of Paramount Archives.
Between this new edition of The Godfather Part III and the announcement of Zack Snyder’s Justice League being released on HBO MAX next year, it’s been a good year for cinephiles who love to see filmmakers get a second chance at presenting original vision. That said, Coppola’s effort to restore The Godfather Part III may not come as a total surprise considering this is the filmmaker who has released multiple cuts of Apocalypse Now.
Of course, there’s no telling how successful the theatrical re-release of The Godfather Part III will be considering the world is still in the midst of a global pandemic that is expected to enter the second wave in fall or winter. If the situation for movie theaters has worsened by December, moviegoers may opt to wait for the home media release of Coppola’s restoration.
Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone will be released in limited theaters in December 2020.
Source: Polygon
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