Godfather IV-Thoughts

Hi everyone, first post

I've been reading all the opinions of a future GF4 and I have to disagree with most of them. I feel very strongly about not making a fourth Godfather. However, I feel if it is made it should be made similarly to GF2. Although it is not realistic, if I had to choose, the fourth Godfather would be GF3 remade.

The main plot would be an aging Michael trying to become legitimate, just as seen in Godfather 3. A better actress playing Mary (Natalie Portman, Rachel McAdams, Marisa Tomei), and eliminating the Vincent character. He is COMPLETELY made up, the novel covers Lucy extensively after Sonny's death and never mentions her pregnancy. One of Santino's children or possibly Connie's could become this up and coming role.

The secondary plot would clearly be Vito's "lost years". The novel details a great many stories which would be amazing for a movie scene (Brasi and the baby, Vito and Brasi chopping up Capone's men Scarface style, Santino's armed robbery and his father's reprimand.) It would highlight Genco (John Travolta) and Vito (Deniro) relationship, Sonny's rise, the Maranzano war and detail Brasi (possibly Stallone) and his ruthlessness.

I thought the Immobilaire plot was actually interesting and could have led to a higher caliber movie. It involves Catholicism and corruption, a ploy that was used in the first film. The real problem with GF3 besides miscasting is the characters-too many being introduced (Vincent, Mary, Calo, Don Connie.) The first films were successful because they based the storyline off a classic novel-the parts that were not outlined in the novel still used the characters that we all grew to know and love through the book and movies. The third film should have been taking as much material from the novel as possible.

Anthony will never be a mafia don-that is clear from GF3 and is an impossibility. Hagen's kids are not Sicilian and should not even be mentioned. Michael's "lost years" either between Mary and his death or Vegas and legitimacy are too boring to create a classic movie. I'm not interested in seeing Michael blind in retirement or selling all of his illegal enterprises. As for detailing Vincent as the don, it is another bad idea. We all know GF3 was not up to par, why continue it? The Godfather series is not a soap opera, it should be based entirely off the characters from the first movie and the novel, not introducing an entire new cast every movie.

I think GF3 (or IV) could have a lot of potential if written correctly. We all know FFC could direct an amazing film, the writing just needs to be up to par, and with Puzo dead, as much remnants of the novel should be used along with keeping some modern warfare alongside.

How about a three scene picture:

1) Michael's Funeral.
2) Everyone back at the apartment afterwords, when we meet new and exiting people including at least one heretofore unknown old friend of Vito's.
3) After three hours of this all the "new people" in the movie
pull out machine guns and kill the entire extended Corleone family, thus rendering further sequels impossible to make.

Better yet. Al Pacino wakes up in bed between Victoria Principal and Patrick Duffy. It was all a dream. He's actually a ranch hand and concubine at Southfork.

And his name is Manolo.

Victoria Principal now or then?

Imho...godfather iv if made should definitely be made like two...but like puzos desire, it should contrast santino at a young age to vincent as don. In the flashback scenes, I would definitely make it to show the very different personalities of sonny and mike. The highlight of the movie would be a scene that convinces vito in a "what would a good leader do" type of way that sonny probably wouldn't make a good don but michael definitely would.

A famous killing scene would be how sonny made his bones by killing someone who loved his infant son so much...and the slight carlo type of violence could come with kids picking on fredo and sonny coming to the rescue. Id also like a little detail on connie and michaels relationship. Maybe even a rosanne's kids type of dislike for eachother...only to show michael and connie knowing they are all eachother has in their dying years.

In the current part of the film, the point michael tries to express with no breath left to vincent is that he can't let his temper control his decisions. That he must stay resonsible and act in a business over personal type of mindset.These scenes are what parrallels the young sonnys temper scenes...only to try so hard to not lose it that he ends up losing it one time and it cast a huge mistake. Id like for a traitor to be in the film...who is now a traitor by wearing a wire and will be star witness to vincent losing his temper.

But the traitor is secretly an fbi agent and get this... he's the infant son to the father that sonny had made his bones with. Id never put it out there in a corny way where the guy is like "your father killed my father!" Type of fashion. Ending the movie, I would have scenes depicted from the sonny scenes showing obviously that he was the little infant in the movie...almost like a Usual Suspects type of "ah ha" lightbulb for the viewer. This will fade into vincent looking out a small pen window just like vito was looking out the ellis island window as a child.

To theoffer - agree with this all - great ideas!

I would love a GODFATHER 4.
Start it off Opening with the Funerals.
Vincent Corleone taking hold of the Family and becoming the TOP family in NYC again.There could be many storylines and past events that they could flip back too like they did in Godfather,etc.Like Marys Funeral,Michaels funeral? What role Michaels sister plays now within the Family seen as how she was one of them that pushed the button on Joey Zaza.

We've been getting it backwards. Instead of a sequel, how about a prequel. We tell the story of the Corleone family from the time they move out of Hell's Kitchen up to the scene in GFII when Michael announces he enlisted in the Marines.

The whole back story. Sonny beating the crap out of Fredo as a kid; Connie being spoiled; Michael being sullen but a first rate student. The development of the relationship between Vito and Hagen.....

All younger actors, even some unknowns.

Brilliant, Dontomasso! That would make a great picture. James Caan's son could play Sonny. There's a lot of young talent out there that would make a GF4 prequel Oscar worthy. It would also have to have a good script and storyline as well. It could take place around the time of prohibition, the birth of the commission and the great depression - 1920 to 1941? Any other suggestions for casting?

I'll start looking.

I think from prohibition to 1941. We can have Hyman Roth and Vito running molases from Canada, someone to play Genco the consigliere and develop that character....Luca Brasi killing Capones people, and of course SOnny getting into fights with his brothers. I'd like to see a scene where he tries to fight Michael and Michael wins, after which SOnny always beats the crap out of Fredo.

BRAVO!!! Don Tomasso!, BRAVO!, Very Great Ideas!.......BRAVO!!!!

I personally don't dislike the idea of making a fourth part, because as the Godfather wikipedia says, Coppola wanted to conclude it with Vincent being hunted down and killed by the police. In fact, it would be interesting to see the law enforcement finally DO SOMETHING about the mafia, in the 3 films that have been made they are just almost non-existent dummies.

Anthony joins the family business after mary dies

That's why a fourth part should end with Vincent being send to prison for life, instead of being killed. He wanted "in", then he has to pay the price for it.

I agree, it just Coppola that wanted to have him killed in the movie. But it wouldn't be realistic, mafia members (especially bosses) almost never resist arrest, as far as I know.

But maybe it would have been even more realistic to have him killed by some friends of all those guys he had killed at the end of part 3. I think that massacre he did (along with the massacre Michael did at the end of part 1) are 2 most unrealistic moments in the movies. No crime boss can be that powerful to go against so many different powerful enemies and win without being killed. Not even Carlo Gambino or Lucky Luciano could have attacked Vatican, Swiss bankers, Italian masons and rival mafiosi at the same time just like that without paying the price.