I think I have evidence Francis Ford Coppola reads my blog.
Recently, Paramount Pictures announced that Coppola was working to restore, re-edit, and essentially remake The Godfather Part III. The reason cited was so that he could remake it closer to his and Mario Puzo’s original intent.
Studio interference, it seems, prevented them from…and so on. You know the dance. Read about it here.
There’s just one thing
I specifically wrote a piece in May 2019 asking, “Is It Time to Remake The Godfather Part III?”
This new version being released is completely re-edited, with a new opening and closing, changed music cues, and some rearranged scenes. It is going to change in its core structure to resemble not a simple special edition or director’s cut, but a substantially new work.
It is, in essence, a remake.
Now, I know that some might quibble because the idea of a remake usually means a completely reshot movie, like Gus Van Sant’s Psycho remake or Michael Mann’s Last of the Mohicans. But this is a brand new cut of the movie with new material created specifically for it and with what we can assume a completely different raison d’etre.
The one counterpoint to throw out there is that we didn’t call Apocalypse Now Redux a remake though that was a similar heavy re-edit of the film, featuring some rearranged scenes.
Maybe we should have called it a remake? But Apocalypse Now Redux didn’t have a different beginning or ending. It didn’t mess with the soundtrack. It was a re-edit, yes, but not substantially re-composed in this same way.
Further Evidence I Deserve Some Credit
They’ve been working on what’s now called The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corelone for the better part of a year. Which is interesting because I asked the then-farcical question, “Is it Time to Remake The Godfather Part III?” about a year and a half ago.
I’m therefore going to take responsibility for it. Don’t blame Coppola if you hate the re-edit, and don’t praise him too much if you love it.
Blame me or praise me. It was my idea…apparently.
This is something of a stunning revelation I have to accept as truth, regardless of whether it is or not. I mean, we’re in the era where I’m supposed to embrace “my” truth anyway, so even if it’s not, this is true. (Take that, LANDRU.)
Sure, I was kidding around and the piece was about how it’s better sometimes just to skip the remake, because they’re what everyone calls for now. Heck, George Lucas helped bring it in vogue to revisit and re-compose your works.
But if I’m going to take the blame or the praise, then I want a credit in the film and part of the merchandising. I want the freedom to make money off of The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone t-shirts and coffee mugs. I want to be able to sell baseball caps.
I think I deserve that, at least. Mr. Coppola, give me a call.
After all, it’s clear you read my blog.
“Could you go check again and see if kesseljunkie wants me to do the same thing with “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”?”
kessel korner 