Dead End.

Rating: 5/10 (28 May 2015)

Coppola really didn't want to make this movie but the studio prodded him and provided a lavish budget so he took another stab at it. However, he was now unable to get the cast he wanted. Duvall asked for too much money, so the role of consiglieri was reduced to that of George Hamilton's infrequent appearance as a plain legal adviser. Coppola could now shoot on various locations without fear of being fired but it was no longer The Family he'd been so proud of.
I don't really have too much to say about this venture. It's a little sad. Coppola is a sensitive family man. He loves babies. And he blames critics for condemning the movie because he cast his daughter. I don't know whether he's right or not. She looks proper for the part of the virginal Italian girl, not exotic or spectacularly beautiful but innocent. Her performance is hard to judge from one role. She comes across as natural rather than as a seasoned actress. It fits her role but it's hard to tell what her range might be. Diane Keaton was available, probably because not many parts were coming her way, but there is no spark between her and Pacino, just a wan regret without moment.
But Coppola is wrong in believing that the movie failed because of Sofia. The movie failed because it was a watered-down and meandering story that seemed without point. The material -- Al Pacino, his family relationships and his intrigues -- is no longer fresh. There is no novelty in it.
And sometimes it seems as if the elements that are important to the director are more personal than portentous. He may find it shocking that a newly elected Pope could be assassinated. I doubt that most people care as much as he does, especially since we hardly get to know Raf Vallone. The whole Vatican provides not much more than a backdrop for colorfully robed figures having business meetings and enacting rituals.
I'm happy for Coppola that he was able to cast his father as the local band leader in Sicily. And I like Coppola's personality. He's growing wine now in Napa or somewhere. And when I lived in San Francisco he owned a small underground restaurant, Tomasso's, where the customers waiting for a table could tap the wine barrel in the dark, tiny room as often as they liked and get half lit during their wait. The wait was worth while. The clams cuscus were a rarely encountered treat.
I wish I could recommend the movie as highly as the restaurant.