GF IV Redux - Not Again!!

Yes, one more time. Since Pacino, Andy Garcia, Keaton, Shire (who did I leave out?) are still alive, couldn't some plot line work its magic as another sequel? A well thought out insight into the characters that might answer some of the questions that have swirled around this board. Unlike GFIII, no rush this time; no need to make any bucks. Just good, old-fashioned movie-making with an incisive look at the characters punctuated with some real time events in Mafia history for whatever period the film covers.

It is not a bad idea. The problem that I see with using those actors and actresses is that they have all aged somewhat, and to me it would not be very convincing if they decide to cover an earlier time. I would rather see a younger days version with some other actors that maybe would cover young Sonny, etc. But there is the problem of casting Brando's character. You just might be able to get away with using DeNiro in that role though.


Don Cardi

Well, to be honest Pacino and Keaton look younger then they did in The Godfather III, in my opinion. Pacino is thinner, and of course the longer hair helps...and Keaton looks as if she has less wrinkles. Now garcia, is another story. As opposed to the handsome Vincent Mancini in the last Godfather installment, he has gotten bloated and...mature. However, I haven't seen an updated picture of Shire.

Nonetheless, I think that it could still happen. Makeup does magic these days, and if garcia can just loose a few pounds, it could definately work out.

I would also like to see De Niro as a middle-aged Vito, it definately would be very entertaining. For some reason, if they do a flashback kind of movie (if they even do a movie) then I feel that it would gain much more acceptance and be a much better movie.

The trick would be to manipulate the storyline and cinema effects to present the best possible combination of both. Yes, a series of flashbacks to poingant moments in each character's history could work. I think it would be worth the try.

The more and more I think about it, the less I like the idea of flashbacks in a Part IV. It's a cheap ploy to copy the structure from Part II and there's no guarantee that it would work. You'd have different actors playing roles that we've come to know and love, although seeing De Niro as Vito would be awesome. But overall, I just think it kinda stinks.

Any fool can come up with an idea for a movie that takes place after the events in Part III -- which is where the most creative freedom lies -- but the trick is making it worthy of the other Godfather movies, and yes, that's including Part III. My guess is that someone would try to turn it into some kind of Sopranos rip off or something with slick talking guineas and lots of whackings, which is not what the Godfather movies is about.

You need people committed in every aspect of the movie for this thing to work. And with people looking to make a fast buck, I just don't see that happening anytime soon.

But I'd love to see more. I just want it to be good. And today, that might be too much to ask.