How would you have done it? What would you have done differently? I know that the film is very true to the novel so maybe this is the way most of us would have made it. I would have made several films depicting the years of 1945 through 1955..and still have them all made around three hours or longer. And a couple of those films to be made entirely about young Vito's days, then it switches back to 1945-55.
I would also have had the actual Part 2 and 3 films entitled something different, and there could be made a couple of films for the FFC Part 2 film as well. THEN, we would have an endless discussion.

Great question Gudfadern, but few replies I suspect because the fans of this movie (GF1) are loyal. Few would dare suggest ways to improve on what is clearly a perfect movie.

I liked the movie, but what spoiled it for me was reading far too many true crime books before really watching the classic mob flicks. Therefore I would do some things differently for the movies.

1. (This one will not be popular) I would not choose Alfredo Pacino to play Michael Corleone. He just doesn't strike me as a made man of Cosa Nostra.

2. I would not have hired a Robert Duvall to play an Irish Consigliere. The Consigliere would have been Italian in ethnicity.

3. Background music that properly underscored the intense negotiations between family bosses was non existent. I would have included some interesting dark score pieces there.

4. Kay's character was just goofy. I would have had a actress far shrewder in appearance playing the wife of Michael Corleone.

5. The wardrobes were corny. Everyone in the mafia was dressed like a banker instead of like pimped out gangsters. I would have had Al Pacino sporting tight double breasted suits with a pinky ring and shiny black shoes. You would have seen Al Pacino with an entourage of men all dressed that way, with everyone wearing fedora hats. Godfather tried too hard to appeal to mainstream America, and in so doing, it misrepresented even what Cosa Nostra members looked like.

Relocate the Corleone compound to the Nevada Atomic Testing Site, thereby eliminating the need for a Godfather III.

/sarcasm

I would have put GF and II in chronological order, and included all of the deleted scenes. That version, called "The Godfather Saga," was shown on US cable TV stations for quite a while. That would have made an epic-length, but much more enjoyable, theatrical release movie.

I would not have made GFIIII at all.

I agree TB. The flashbacks of II are great, but chronology would have been greater. III was okay, but unnecessary.

If made today, I think it a pretty good chance that this would have happened as a miniseries. The big problem is that if you had eight hours or more, you might have ended up with the Johnny/Lucy chronicles included in the film along with all the stuff we want.

Has Puzo ever explained why he included the Lucy material in his novel?

Heaven help us.

You need to highlight your post in GOLD. That's how GOOD it is!

If I was making it from scratch without being able to work with the movies as a template, anything I would have come up with would have been much inferior to the actual movies (I and II at least).

Boring answer but the most accurate.

If Anthony grew up with two heads, he could have been a singer and a "businessman"!

Personally, I am thrilled nobody wanted to add a 44-minute Lucy Mancini subplot about having scaffolding or whatever installed in her nether regions.

Thank you Alfa Romeo! And thanks for turning this thread into a rather big discussion.

One thing I can add is that I definitely would have added more scenes with all of the Corleone characters and related ones..I too would say Lucy would be the exemption in his case. Fredo should definitely have had more scenes from during the 40's era. Maybe even some of the characters of the other families. I understand the point of having particularly Don Barzini not shown as much through out the movie so I guess that was the only right route to go with, but other characters definitely. The Corleones at the least.

Thanks so much all!

Some of the deleted scenes are a bit corny and were rightfully left out, but I generally agree. And which true Godfather fan would have made Part III?

I wanted to know what became of Michael et all, so I welcomed a III. While the III that was produced pales by comparison with I and II, it still contained the climatic pathos that befit the Michael character that we've all come to know, love, hate, despise, and endlessly analyze.

Right, Oli: III works as a denouement and a reckoning for Michael and some of the others. I

I still feel it would've been better if it was left open to our own imagination. I'm sure Turnbull would've started some great threads on his thoughts of what happened to Michael if part III was never made..

Since GFIII was Paramount's idea, not FFC's, I have to assume that the ending of GFII showed Michael as FFC wanted us to remember him: contrasting the ruthless, vindictive Don who listened to the gunshots that killed his brother on his command, with the naïve, idealistic lad who signed on for the Marines on the day Pearl Harbor was attacked (flashback). I thought that served as a pretty good summary of what happened to Michael Corleone, and a reinforcement of the overall theme: Crime Doesn't Pay!

I can agree with Turnbull I do have a 6 vhs set of the entire trilogy with the timeline of 1901 -1980. Just wish they would release that on Blu-ray.


Godfather III was not needed and should have not been made