The first installment of "The Godfather" trilogy was released in 1972, followed by the second installment in 1974, the third installment in 1990, and a recut version in 2020.
Despite the fact that the original source material was only one book, Francis Ford Coppola decided to make three films in "The Godfather" series. The first Godfather film was released in 1972, and "The Godfather II" (1974) is a direct sequel to the first film. "The Godfather III,” the final installment of this notable franchise, was released in 1990.
"The Godfather" is a trilogy of American crime movies produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It was based on Mario Puzo's 1969 book of the same name, which was written by an Italian-American author. The movies follow Vito Corleone, the patriarch of the fictional Italian-American mafia Corleone family, as he becomes a significant figure in American organized crime. Michael Corleone, his youngest child, succeeds him. The movies were released in 1972, 1974, and 1990 and were distributed by Paramount Pictures.
The films in the series were commercially successful, grossing $430 to $517 million worldwide. Many people consider "The Godfather" and "The Godfather" Part II to be two of the greatest movies ever made. With nine wins out of a total of 28 Academy Award nominations, the series has received numerous accolades.
The following is a synopsis of the entire “Godfather” trilogy:
"The Godfather" (1972)
Virgil Sollozzo, a notorious drug lord, offers Don Vito Corleone a job in the drug trade, but Corleone declines, sparking an assassination attempt that sets the stage for the story. The family business is subsequently taken over by Vito's eldest son, Sonny, who joins forces with Michael to plot the murder of Sollozzo and a dishonest police captain as retaliation for the assassination attempt, forcing Michael to flee to Sicily in hiding.
When Michael is in Sicily, he travels the island and meets a woman he marries, but she perishes in a car bombing. After learning of his brother Sonny's murder, Michael leaves for America and marries Kay, a former flame. Michael is then given control of the family by Vito.
Before executing his plan to relocate the family business to Las Vegas, Michael's father passes away, prompting him to devise a scheme to assassinate the heads of the five families on the day of his nephew's baptism. The abusive marriage of Vito's daughter, Johnny Fontane's success in Hollywood, and the involvement of Vito's second son Fredo in the family business in Las Vegas are some of the other subplots.
"The Godfather" II (1974)
The full-length movie, which was once again directed by Francis Ford Coppola, was based on the same-titled book by Mario Puzo. The movie presents two parallel dramas as a sort of prequel and sequel to "The Godfather."
Following the events of the first film, the main plot follows Michael Corleone, the new Don of the Corleone crime family, as he struggles to keep his business endeavors afloat from 1958 to 1959.
The other plot involves a series of flashbacks that follow Vito Corleone from his early years in Sicily in 1901 to the establishment of the Corleone family in New York City.
"The Godfather" III (1990)
In addition to directing the feature-length film, Francis Ford Coppola collaborated with Mario Puzo on the screenplay. It was Coppola's belief that the first two movies had told the entire Corleone saga and that there was nothing more to add that caused him to turn down multiple requests from Paramount to make a third installment for more than a decade.
Until severe financial difficulties brought on by the critical and commercial failure of “One from the Heart” (1982) forced him to accept the long-standing offer. Coppola made this statement in his audio commentary for Part II. "The Godfather" Part III concludes the narrative of Michael Corleone, who is currently attempting to legitimize his criminal organization, and depicts Vincent Corleone's ascent to the position of Michael's successor. The movie also depicts a fictionalized account of actual events, such as the demise of Pope John Paul I and the Papal Banking Scandal of 1981 and 1982, connecting them with Michael Corleone's business dealings.
According to Coppola, Part III was supposed to serve as a conclusion to the first two movies. Sofia Coppola, whose portrayal of Mary Corleone in the movie received unfavorable reviews from critics; according to Leonard Maltin, Sofia Coppola's casting was the movie's "almost fatal flaw."
Recut Version (2020)
"The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone,” a recut version of the movie, was made available on Blu-ray, streaming services, and in a select number of theaters.
According to Coppola, the movie is what he and Puzo had originally planned, and it "vindicates" the trilogy's status as well as the performance of his daughter Sofia.
Is there a fourth installment of "The Godfather"?
Coppola claimed that he and Puzo had spoken about the possibility of a fourth chapter. The fourth movie was meant to be both a prequel and a sequel with a plot similar to Part II. They had talked about a possible plot that would have Vito Corleone and Sonny gaining the families' political influence and criminal empire in the 1930s.
Vincent Corleone running the family business through a destructive war for ten years and ultimately losing the family's business interests, respect, and power; and Michael Corleone appearing in one final scene before his passing, concluding the 100-year tale of the Corleone family. A fourth movie with García playing the lead was reportedly in development, according to The Hollywood Reporter in June 1999. García has since claimed that the movie's script was almost made, but Coppola decided to put the movie series on indefinite hiatus after Puzo passed away on July 2, 1999.
The early 1930s were the focus of Puzo's contribution to the potential sequel, which was later expanded into a book by Ed Falco and published as “The Family Corleone” in 2012. The Puzo estate had fought to prevent Paramount Pictures from making “The Family Corleone” movie. After a resolution, Paramount now owns the rights to produce additional Godfather movies.
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