Saint Michael of Corleone

Rating: 10/10 (23 August 2006)

As I see it, the story is usually read as the descent into evil of an innocent. But I seethe story of an innocent awakening to something that he must conclude. When Michael Corleone is in hiding in Sicily, he falls truly in love. He is very happy, when the life he is in hiding from reaches out to destroy his beloved. He sees that he can bring it to an end, and that he must do it. Even though he will have to assume a role immersed in this terrible world, and appear to do terrible things. He is a man who has seen his fate. In it's period context, this is an allegory of Europe realising that Fascism must be stopped.
This is the tragedy of The Godfather part 3; it was a wasted opportunity for a truly enlightening trilogy. I wish someone had pointed this out to Coppola.