A splendid finale

Rating: 10/10 (31 August 2010)

Occasionally marred by certain technical imperfections (such as problematic dubbing or, at least in one instance, unacceptably bad editing) and an unfortunate casting choice, the third part of the Godfather saga is the ill masterpiece that never got the recognition it deserved. Few directors possess the Promethean touch to spark atmosphere in their master shot, the feel for historical detail, the breath for a period saga, the skill to narrate a layered plot or the demonic ability to translate the operatic passion to a crime story. Mr. Coppola is this Viscontian descendant and the Godfather is his three-part Gatopardo. Godfather III is a film of almost serene beauty, toned perfectly in its operatic fatalism, shot (surprisingly for such a fluid picture) in mainly steady shots, baptized in the blessed air of Sicily for the better half of it and forever haunted by the probably deserved but certainly emotionally devastating fall of its protagonist.