The Godfather Part III How The New Cut Fixes Sofia Coppolas Role NEXT Godfather 4 Should Never Happen (Not Just Because Of Coppola)

The Godfather Part III: How The New Cut Fixes Sofia Coppola’s Role

Sofia Coppola’s performance in The Godfather III has been bashed by critics over the years. Does the new Coda cut fix Sofia’s performance as Mary?

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The Godfather Part III How The New Cut Fixes Sofia Coppolas Role NEXT Godfather 4 Should Never Happen (Not Just Because Of Coppola)

How does Francis Ford Coppola’s revamped cut of The Godfather Part III, namely The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, fix Sofia Coppola’s role as Mary? The Godfather Part III has been criticized over the years for its anti-climatic pacing and convoluted plot-points, along with the void created by the absence of Robert Duvall’s rendition of the Corleone consigliere, Tom Hagen. However, it was Sofia Coppola’s wooden performance as Mary Corleone, that was met with scathing criticism from critics, who attributed it as a major cause behind the disjointed aura of the film as a whole.

The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone is a more taut re-telling of the Corleone saga, with a complete restructuring of the beginning and end – a creative decision that has granted the new cut a much more nuanced, elevated significance. Coppola is no stranger to the Director’s Cut format, as exemplified in 2001’s Apocalypse Now redux, which is an expanded version of his already-meticulous Vietnam masterpiece. The changes in The Godfather Coda serve to remold the third installment in the trilogy as a fitting epilogue, an element that was majorly absent in the original cut.

The tragedy of Michael Corleone is exacerbated in The Godfather Coda, which emphasizes his innate need for expiation for his sins by opening the film with Michael meeting with the Archbishop. However, redemption eludes Michael, as he finds himself embroiled in the murky politics of the Immobiliare conglomeration and finds himself knee-deep in guilt over the assassination of his own brother. When analyzed from this particular lens, Sofia Coppola’s performance as Mary Corleone comes off as more authentic, albeit rooted in an off-handed naturalism. It makes sense for Mary to be haunted by the sins of her father in The Godfather III, who is, above all, the head of a powerful criminal organization. This would inevitably manifest through her quiet, awkward stance, as she is merely an adolescent girl unsure of her footing within the Corleone family. This perspective grants a fresh spin to Sofia Coppola’s performance, as it now appears to be more rooted in the character she was supposed to embody.

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Moreover, the new ending of The Godfather Coda denies Michael the redemption he is desperately seeking, along with the sweet escape of death. Coppola removes the original ending, in which Michael dies unceremoniously by slumping over his chair, alone at his Lake Tahoe compound. Instead, the new cut ends with an anguished and utterly shattered Michael, cradling the limp body of Mary, his silent screams piercing the air like that of King Lear on finding a dead Cordelia. Much like Cordelia, who was the apple of Lear’s eye, Mary’s existence is almost-sacred to Michael, as she is someone whom he holds dearest, who is removed from sin, and is the embodiment of innocence. However, with her death, all hopes for paradise are dashed, and Michael is doomed to live with his insurmountable guilt.

Also, like Cordelia, and Mary – two fictional characters who ultimately suffered due to the sins of their fathers – Sofia Coppola, too, faced a similar fate. After all, it is incredibly difficult to be a part of one’s father’s legacy, that too as a last-minute replacement, only to be ridiculed by audiences and critics alike. While The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone still does not manage to eclipse the sheer brilliance of its predecessors, it does salvage Sofia’s performance by imbuing it with new-found meaning.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/godfather-3-coda-sofia-coppola-mary-character-fix/

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