THE GODFATHER PART III: You Can go Home Again
she rejects her father, not so much because she loves so strongly, but because this is the first time. And I think she does a good job in the other scenes to make her believable.
There are other strange casting choices which work equally well. No one can replace Robert Duvall, but George Hamilton does well showing the kind of slick, dependable lawyer Michael needs at this stage. Eli Wallach is also not my first choice for a don, but he is able to show both the friendship and treachery of his role. Finally, Don Novello, best known as Father Guido Sarducci, is unrecognizable here as one of Michael's advisors. Other casting choices are more expected, like Garcia, who's able to move from ill-tempered thug to thoughtful leader with ease, and Mantegna, who's both elegant and ruthless. And cinematographer Gordon Willis and production designer Dean Tavoularis, who both did the first two films, show visually, once again, how the Corleones remain trapped in a world of their own making.
This last battle to make a GODFATHER movie seems to have enervated Coppola. Since then, he's made three films, only one of which (BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA) shows off his talents to his best. But this film shows that, unlike Michael, he could go home again.
Next time: GOODFELLAS, the last of the Best Picture nominees.
Latest Articles