I have been reading this discussion and sitting on a copy of GFIII for about a week. I've been staring at the copy and debating whether to watch it because the last time I tried I turned it off absolutely bored. I decided I'd read the transcript our Don prepared so I could know ahead of time what kind of things I'd have to "sit through" and then see how bad it really was.
To be honest and fair, I was not appalled by the movie. I found it to be well acted by Andy Garcia, whom I really had no opinion of before but know I think he's a great actor. I know the conversation about his mother never being pregnant before but I think Andy's Vincent was a great contrast character to Micheal. Vincent was a total opposite of young Micheal, he wanted to be in the family and would give up everything to be Don.
Sofia, yes I know I read about her acting and I agree there were bad scenes, but I think had the lines I love you cuz, not been in the movie I probably wouldn't have thought much about it. I think however that it was an interesting subplot to the movie, only because Micheal's son and daughter became his weakness, and this try to make this more evident to the viewer.
I thought that George Hamilton was pretty bad yes, and I think that was a bad miscast, but don't all movies have miscasts? Yes not having Duvall was bad, but it didn't kill it for me.
It was tough to follow at times, the dealings with the vatican weren't always explained, I was lost at times trying to figure out which ones were good and bad, but that has more to do with writing, IMO. The death(s) at the opera were interesting, seeing Mosca pretend to be dead was crafty, and I thought that Sofia's death was well shot (no pun intended). The donkey noise was disturbing, did no one else feel this way? Ugh.
I know there was a post before, and forgive me, I don't know who posted but I think The Death of Micheal Corleone would have been a more worthy title. With this in mind, the forgiveness scene with the Cardinal was great, seeing him come full circle from the innocent Micheal in TGF to the dark Micheal in GFII to the Micheal who sees what he's become was absolutely beautiful. The Micheal who was now ill, diabetic, troubled by his enemies and getting weaker. The scene of him dying alone is magnificent, only because when his father died, young Anthony was there. There's no one there when Micheal dies. It seems like such a powerful statement of what becomes of a man like Micheal. We start to like him at times and at the end he realizes who he is, and it pains him. I have to say with an open mind that it is not the same action packed type of story like the first two, it much more deep in some scens and not as well written in others. That in mind, I think it does deserve to be where it is, and that is the closing chapter on Micheal.