The Godfather, Part III: Diane Keaton smiles after discovering the location of George Hamilton's mafia-operated tanning salon. Al Pacino, for his part, is thinking of ways to take over the lucrative tanning business.
Francis Ford Coppola's 1990 best picture nominee The Godfather, Part III will be the next feature presentation in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' "Great To Be Nominated" series. The overwrought but enjoyable crime melodrama will be screened on Monday, August 6, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
Actors Don Calfa (Louie Dragna), Franc D'Ambrosio (Anthony Corleone), Joe Mantegna (Joey Zasa) and Al Ruscio (Leo Cuneo); rerecording mixer Michael Minkler; co-producer Fred Roos; and stunt coordinator Buddy Jo Hooker will take part in a panel discussion following the screening.
Coppola's final film in his "Godfather" trilogy wasn't as well received, whether by critics or the public, as its two Academy Award-winning predecessors. Still, The Godfather, Part III couldn't be considered an out-and-out flop.
Personally, I find it on a par with both The Godfather and The Godfather Part II. All three are very good — not great — melodramas with pretensions of Greek tragedy, boasting lots of good acting, solid storytelling (the Part III screenplay was credited to Coppola and Mario Puzo), and generally excellent production values. In truth, of the three films about the pesky Corleone family, I probably like Part III a notch above the others.
The chief reason is Al Pacino's performance. Rarely has Pacino (right) — or any other actor — given such a nuanced, gripping, complex performance on screen. He was so good, in fact, that he didn't even get an Academy Award nomination for best actor. (Instead, Academyites opted to nominate the likes of Kevin Costner for Dances with Wolves and Gérard Depardieu for Cyrano de Bergerac. Pacino, at least, did land a best supporting actor nod for Dick Tracy.)
And if Sofia Coppola is utterly miscast in a role originally intended for Winona Ryder — who'd have been utterly miscast as well — other cast members, among them, Diane Keaton, Andy Garcia, Eli Wallach, and Talia Shire, do just fine. Also in the cast, George Hamilton, Bridget Fonda, Raf Vallone, Franco Citti, Helmut Berger, John Savage, and several shady members of the Catholic church. The Catholic connection, by the way, caused an uproar at the time of the film's release, as it implied that the mafia was involved in the assassination of a pope quite similar to John Paul I.
The Godfather, Part III received a total of seven Academy Award nominations: Best Picture (Coppola, producer), Actor in a Supporting Role (Garcia), Art Direction (Dean Tavoularis; Set Decoration: Gary Fettis), Cinematography (Gordon Willis), Directing (Coppola), Film Editing (Barry Malkin, Lisa Fruchtman, Walter Murch) and Music – Original Song ("Promise Me You'll Remember," Music by Carmine Coppola; Lyric by John Bettis). It failed to win a single Oscar.
Nick Park's Academy Award-nominated animated short A Grand Day Out with Wallace and Gromit, will be screened prior to the feature. In the film, Wallace and Gromit run out of cheese. Where to find loads of cheese? The Moon, of course. It certainly beats waiting in line at the market.
Tickets are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Tickets may be purchased by mail, in person at the Academy during regular business hours or, depending on availability, on the night of the screening when the doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets also may be purchased online at www.oscars.org/events. There are no minimum order requirements and no transaction or processing fees. Tickets may be purchased online until noon PST on the day of the event.
Curtain time for all features is 7:30 p.m., and pre-show elements will begin at 7 p.m. The Academy is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call (310) 247-3600.
Photos: Courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library/© A.M.P.A.S.
BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY: Great To Be Nominated
DANGEROUS LIAISONS: Great To Be Nominated
BROADCAST NEWS: Great To Be Nominated
AMADEUS: Monday Nights with Oscar
A ROOM WITH A VIEW: Great To Be Nominated
THE COLOR PURPLE: Great To Be Nominated
A PASSAGE TO INDIA: Great To Be Nominated
THE RIGHT STUFF: Great To Be Nominated
I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE THE GODFATHER AND ALL THE ACTORS