This is a question for everyone. How different would The Godfather 3 have been if Duvall had been in it? Would it have improved it to the point where it would be held in the same regard as the first two movies? We will never know but it’s fun to speculate about how different the plot would be.
I'm a big fan of continuity in sequels. That's why I like The Trilogy and Star Wars.
I am not as negative about III as some Board members are. However, Duvall's presence in it would have made me feel a little more comfortable with it. Some of the negative comments about III are not out of line and I can agree with them. Thus, Duvall's presence could have mitigated my attitude toward III which isn't that bad to begin with.
As far as the plot goes, maybe FFC would have altered it with Duvall in it and produced a better product.
I also think that people are a bit too negative towards GFIII. I felt it was a good movie, just not at the level of the other 2.
Were there things in it that didn't make sense or were poorly explained? Sure, but that's true of the first 2 movies as well (e.g. who opened the drapes). But, while people think those details add to the intrigue of GF and GFII, they use them to dismiss GFIII.
To me, the main area in which GFIII doesn't hold up to its predecessors is in the acting. Eli Wallach and, especially, Sofia Coppola were TERRIBLE.
Maybe the real question should be how different GFIII would have been had Winona Ryder not backed out.
