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| Dvdivas
was founded by John Gabbard in 2000. It's purpose has been and
remains to be to provide you, the entertainment community with
the latest dvds and movie reviews. It will continue to be your
link to the most popular dvd movies. |
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“The Godfather
Part III“
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Reviewed
by: |
Wayne A. Klein |
| Genre: |
Drama |
| Video: |
1.85:1 Anamorphic
Widescreen |
| Audio: |
Dolby Digital
5.1 |
| Languages |
English,
French |
| Subtitles |
English |
| Length |
170 minutes
|
| Rating |
R |
| Release Date |
5/24/05 |
| Studio |
Paramount
Home Video |
| Commentary:
|
Francis Ford
Coppola |
| Documentaries:
|
None |
| Featurettes:
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None |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
None |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
Theatrical trailer |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
None |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
None |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Al Pacino,
Talia Shire, Andy Garcia, Diane Keaton, Sofia Coppola, Joe Montegna,
Eli Wallach, George Hamilton, Bridget Fonda, Don Novello |
| Written
By: |
Francis Ford
Coppola and Mario Puzo |
| Produced
By: |
Francis
Ford Coppola, Fred Roos, Gary Frederickson |
| Directed
By: |
Francis Ford
Coppola |
| Music:
|
Carmine Coppola
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| The
Review: |
When Rodney Dangerfield passed away,
I was struck by his signature phrase “I get no respect” and
how it summed up many careers as well as films. The third
film in “The Godfather” trilogy is perfectly summed up by
Dangerfield’s comic comment. While it can’t hold a candle
to the first two films, “The Godfather Part III” has some
marvelous moments even if Sofia Coppola’s underwhelming performance
distracts from the film as a whole. While certainly flawed,
“The Godfather Part III” has a strong performance by Pacino,
a nice turn by Andy Garcia and Diane Keaton and a series of
great scenery chewing turn by Eli Wallach. Michael (Pacino)
is now in his 60’s but despite the trappings of his success,
he’s as restless as ever hoping to free his family from its
violent crime past by finding someone to succeed him. Michael
continues to pursue legitimate business ventures even as he
deals in drugs and other crimes.
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| Image
and Sound: |
Like the
other two films in “The Godfather” saga, “The Godfather Part
III” looks pretty rough in spots; the image is occasionally
soft and there’s noticeable grain in some scenes related more
to the image transfer than to the film used to shoot “The Godfather
Part III”. Despite these shortcomings, the vivid colors and
dramatic use of sound throughout the movie pumps up this film
beyond the technical limitations that dog it on DVD. The expansive
5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack sounds marvelous with considerable
presence. |
| The
Extras: |
We get
only the original theatrical trailer as the only extra here.
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| Commentary:
|
A great,
informative commentary by Coppola where he examines why he returned
to one of his most popular and powerful films. Although he defends
much of what he did in “The Godfather Part III” one secretly
suspects below his false bravado that Coppola himself knows
how badly flawed this final chapter is. Despite these flaws,
it’s a film that blows away the work done by most of his contemporaries
at similar points in their careers. |
| Final
Words: |
A flawed
close to his trilogy, “The Godfather Part III” works well most
of the time particularly when most of Coppola’s marvelous cast
dominates the screen. It’s a pity that Winona Ryder had to withdraw
from this film prior to production. Although I doubt that her
performance would have been perfect for the film either (or
fixed the dramatic flaws that dog the third film) it would have
given more dramatic gravity to the film than the performance
given by writer-director Sofia Coppola as Michael’s daughter.
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