Sofia Coppola and The Godfather Part III Disaster
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 ม.ค. 2024
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In 1990, Sofia Coppola stepped in for an ailing Winona Ryder to play Mary Corleone in The Godfather Part III. It didn't go well!! In this video I break down why she was cast, how people reacted, and how it affected the course of her career.
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Few things in this life are as satisfying as knowing exactly which video you’re going to watch during your lunch break at work
This spoke to me. 😂
Literally😂
NOT as satisfying as THROWING my TV outta the TOP floor window! :P
This came out at 7pm my time, I’m watching it on my train ride home.
This comment is just so relatable that i wish i could like it a thousand times
As Sofia Coppola once said that she has more passion in filmmaking than acting so it's good to hear that the criticism for her Godfather III performance didn't destroy her
It destroyed her acting pretentions... Good - and of course she'd tell the world she has more passion in filmmaking than acting: the world has seen that she quite obviously can't act!
@@lewis7515 But her film making was also not very well recieved many times, unfair or not, The negativity was always there for her no matter what. She's just powered through it.
i enjoy Sofia’s work, so I’m very grateful she made the pivot into filmmaking instead.
(I’m also very glad she pushed through all the negative stuff, like i said, i love her work-i’m better for having experienced it & i enjoy it lol)
@@soaribb32 Her films are just so wearisome..... She should be glad of her sneaky Oscar and chill out.
@@soaribb32Most of her movies were well recieved dude, she's literally an Oscar winner for writing Lost In Translation. Now, people know her as a world class filmmaker instead of the person who ruined Godfather III. Because there were way worse reasons why Godfather III was a disappointment than Sofia's performance
I think what ruined the godfather 3 was the fact that it was made out of desperation.
the plot was poor
An incomprehensible plot
Bad acting (over acting in some instances)
Bad casting- not only Sofia Coppola but George Hamilton
I would of said greed.
Or they were bored and said, "Let's make godfather 3" and the studio said, "Just take my money."
Unpopular opinion, I guess - I honestly wasn't bothered by her performance.
I was bothered much more by Al Pacino's performance. He was Michael Corleone in I and II, but in III he was just Al Pacino.
What killed Part 3 was the studio refusing to pay Robert Duvall his asking price. The trilogy always seemed to be building to a Michael and Tom confrontation so when they lost Duvall, the true heart and emotional centrepiece of the movie (and the trilogy) went with him.
I didn’t remember if his character had died in an earlier movie. But ya his absence in part three is striking. Without him there’s not much to differentiate this from other Pacino pieces, scent of a woman or something similar.
Pretty sure show that Hamilton didn't replace him. They created a new character to take his place.
This was it for me.
Good point. Duvall is one of a very small number of really good actors. He could have made a huge difference.
This is true
Sofia Coppola went from being dunked on as the "worst performance of all time", to winning an Oscar and earning a reputation as a groundbreaking director for female filmmakers, and an auteur in her own right.
Seems obvious who had the last laugh
White privilege and nepotism at work
Sofia won the battle by just continuing being in the industry and creating projects. To have that much negativity pushed on her so young could have paralyzed anyone. Heck, even older people would have a fear of remaining in a field that hurt them so much.
Nepo babies don't have reasons to cry
@@cristianacevedo178even with all the privielege of the world you would crumble the moment you receive half the hate she received for this.
Nepo baby or no, being an inexperienced, untrained teenage actress forced to take on a key role in a film that your father's career has come to hinge on gives you plenty to cry about.
Sure, it's probably not a coincidence that one of the only female directors who's regularly thought of as an Auteur was the daughter of another Auteur, she was afforded opportunities as a creator that most aspiring female directors never would have gotten at her age, but I'm still glad she has more of a legacy than her performance as Mary.
This is sad to me that Sofia was eviscerated at such a young age by critics when her father was essentially drafting her into the role. I don’t understand why Francis Coppola’s purported love of family obscured the fact that this experience and media exposure could easily take a very harsh turn against his daughter.
This was a nepo move that went terribly. Sadly, the industry has not learnt from this at all .Sofia 's rise as a director is not entirely 'in her own right' when she she had her father's funding, production team , free mentoring, never having to struggle to make ends meet and a life time of exposure to contacts, scriptwriters, costumers, performers that only 1% of people have access to.
@@divinepoetry7882Pretty much everyone in the entertainment industry succeeds due to unique circumstances, luck, etc. until they start drafting movie stars like it's jury duty that will continue to be the case. She's definitely "succeeded in her own right" now because a Sofia Coppola film is its own thing with a unique and recognizable style and her movies receive critical acclaim, entirely outside of the fact of her being Francis Ford Coppola's daughter. When Sofia Coppola makes a film no one has to preface it by naming her father. Obviously nepo babies receive opportunities much more easily than those without connections but this just proves that the opportunity without the ability behind it still won't amount to much
maybe she had a choice in the matter and knew the risk and decided to do it anyway.... i mean anythings possible
@@augustalavenderblue7353 If the backlash was that bad then she's definitely "succeeded in her own right" now. She might have suffered for a few years, but if she really wanted to succeed, she would eventually get there. Besides, she was only 18. As for her father, he would have gotten old eventually and become irrelevant. I have heard of the Godfather series, but didn't even know who the actors were.
@@augustalavenderblue7353 "its own thing with a unique and recognizable style and her movies receive critical acclaim" - and "still won't amount to much." There, I just made it short and more importantly, succinct for ya. You're welcome.
Sofia was gorgeous in the movie, the negative comments about her appearance are not only inappropriate but innacurate.
it isn't her looks at all she is very pretty and has the italian look...its her acting. It may have been an unfair situation but there is no getting around her acting is wretched. She wasn't the only one.
Sofia Coppola is very pretty so I agree comments about her looks are ridiculous. Her acting, however… 😬
I haven’t seen this video yet, and maybe they’ll mention it, but she is beautiful. It was the way she was acting or delivering her lines in a sneer that made her look so awful. She just didn’t look beautiful in that movie because of her facial expressions (imo). I don’t think Winona Ryder would have been right for the part as originally cast. I wish they would have plucked a talented actor & non-nepo baby for the role.
Correct! The movie was a disappointment but not because of her. In fact, would always rather have seen her than Winona Ryder.
Inaccurate to you maybe, personally I'm indifferent, I just found her _normal._ I guess that makes me wrong, and so be it.
I felt that the first cousin romance was more of a weakness of the film than Sofia's performance.
I said the same thing about season 3 of The Sopranos. The Meadow and Jacky Jr romance is easily the worst writing found in the show.
I couldn't agree more although during the last century in some cultures it wasn't felt as odd as it actually is and always was
I completely agree with your thoughts. I really did not like Part 111
Absolutely agree. Sofia didn’t bring down the movie. Its flaws were in the story. The cousin thing was stupid and in my personal opinion, Andy Garcia is a horrible actor.
@@Stiffjab71 Muslims still do it to this day.
I'm glad Sofia didn't lose passion for filmmaking after all this.
She was useless in Godfather 111 she ruined every scene she was in
@@ian-fm2xcyeah
So exaggerative your really gonna blame an 18 year old for acting in this movie knowing she might've gotten pressured by her famous father to be in it? @@ian-fm2xc
@@ian-fm2xc God, take your opinion somewhere where it hasnt been heard before 🙄
@@ian-fm2xc Wow, you discovered hot water...again. Now tell us how good a director she became and we will have the whole story. She is incredible as a director, and that is as much fact as it is that she is not good as an actress.
Sofia Coppola has a delicate, artistic, and mature type of beauty. That being said her casting just wasn't believable. The critics got way too mean though. At least Sofia found redemption with some good directing.
Well it gets pretty annoying when the director decides to give his daughter a MAJOR ROLE in probably the biggest trilogy of all time just because she’s his daughter. He could’ve got an amazing actress who actually worked for it who would’ve done great and made the movie better
I think Sofia was great with that natural beauty ,when I first saw her in the film at first I didn't like that little snarl age does when she's telling Andy Garcia who she is but then l really looked at her man she' is gorgeous she's truly beautiful
@@kalebanth8323 "annoying when ... decides to give his daughter a MAJOR ROLE" - It's called arrogance. Famous folks feel they can foist their perfectly mundane offspring on the "innocent" public and expect us to be stunned by all the "natural beauty and gorgeousness" that Hollywood lighting and make up allow...
Although I felt her performance was lacking, I never once thought it was her fault, she was placed in an impossible position way over her head, a pivotal role in a faulty film, there are lots of things wrong with it that have nothing to do with her. And she is a talented director.
The insight into Life Without Zoe being strongly influenced by Sofia was just lovely. Francis may not have made the best decision for her with GFIII, but collaborating with her on New York Stories shows he obviously nurtured her talent.
I know the focus was on Sofia’s acting but when I first saw this movie as a teenager I couldn’t get over Mary messing around with her cousin without the movie being based in 1850😅😅😅
So weird and gross, especially with her dad behind the camera! Just goes as another example why the film was bad for more reasons than one side character did a bad performance.
Update: please read my words carefully as this is a hot topic, so people are likely to misconstrue them. I’m not trying to normalize anything here, just trying to point out why it might have been included in a storyline from a movie taking place after the 1850s.
Context. It’s an italian family. As a latina, having crushes and *some* people messing around with their cousins was not strange when we were young.
Note: I lumped crushes with “some messing around”, which means I’m mostly talking about crushes not being strange. And “messing around” is a vague term that some of you seem going off the deep end with.
You have to take into consideration that they didn't grow up together. We know to not mess around with our cousins because we learn to see them as almost brothers and sisters - she didn't spend this time with Vincent, so she only gets to see him as a hot guy that people say is related to her😅 But, I get it, it's weird either way
@@CarolinaFlorezCoaching well it is strange and needs to stop 🤮
The upper classes married relatives for centuries (many still do). Especially if there are titles, land or other property and wealth involved. Would you want all of those things going to a stranger? Also, people from different backgrounds, cultures, religions, financial and social status seldom have successful unions. It is just simpler to know who you are and where you belong.
I have nothing but respect for Coppola. Sofia was the perfect choice for Mary. Her personality is sidle and natural that allowed for the other characters to shine in their prominence.
Saw the title and ignored this video… then saw it was by you and knew I had to watch it. Thank you for this.
My love for Sofia just increased 10 fold after that final quote! I can't believe she was only 18 during filming, it just makes the cruelty and scrutiny she went through all that more heartbreaking. I'm glad she had the support system to protect her afterwards and that she's made her mark on the world
Right? Such a badass, I love her.
Obsequious
She was 18 , not 8.
@@czandler9234 Yeah this isnt making any point over anyone but yourself buddy
@@czandler9234Which was even more...intimidating. She may officially be an adult, but she was still a teenager, and the criticism would have even more of an impact as she's just starting to go out on her own, to build a career. Whatever your work as a child, it doesn't count when you're doing your first film as an adult. It's like starting over and the. viciousness of the criticism can be crushing. Good thing we didn't have the internet back then or it would have been even worse.
An hour of BKR on Godfather? I feel blessed and spoiled.
had to add the eyebrow cameo too!
A crossover between two of my favorite TH-camrs 😳
woman in movie business? nepotism - do better. nepotism SUCKS
I really love the background stories. I never knew any of the inside stories of this issue and it's great getting the full context. Sometimes the production drama is more interesting than the movie itself. That's why I really love "The Movies That Made Us".
*AMAZINGLY* thorough and well-made video! I thought I knew all there was to know about Coppola’s life and career leading up to the decision to make PART III and cast Sofia, but your essay really opened my eyes to a ton of ancillary factors I hadn’t even considered. You’ve got yourself a new subscriber!
Sofia Coppola made the entire movie for me. Her role in this film is what made it work. Never once was I disappointed with her performance. She made me feel as much as all the other actors in this movie did, if not more. All the hopes and dreams I felt Michael had, were represented in her, and Sofia Coppola, made me feel as if Mary was the innocents of love tormented by the responsibility that such passion can create in a dangerous world. The only thing I ever wanted to change in the move was the loss of Mary. I had connected so emotionally with Mary by the end of the movie, that the twist of the loss of Mary didn't only confuse and bewilder me, it hurt and disappointed. Sofia Coppola and her father both, inspired the emotions of love and loss. This movie was more than just a work of art, it was an expression of life itself.
i've seen worse. sofia's performance wasn't that bad.
@@thevoid99umm yes. She was that damn bad. People have no idea what real filmmaking is anymore. Marvel/woke generation. Coppolas acting sucked bad.
@@correypeta
Good thing, opinionz r like dat place, where waste iz xpelled from. Ur opinion, iz crappy, n my opinion, bud!
❤😂😂😂😂😂😂
I did like Sophia, azz Mary. Peephole, wanted 2 c acting, like they did,n da 70z. Sophia, spoke & acted - LIKE DUH NEW GENERATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She wuz NOT, from da 70z. Plus, Sophia conveyed all da innocence, awakening sexuality, & doubtz about her familiez role n society, PERFECTLY!
Jesus, couldn't have walked on water, rite enuff, 4 sum of u peephole!
SMH
Yeah, that generation got robbed of their Meryl Streep. Sofia's performance should have received multiple Oscars. In fact, the reason that she wasn't nominated was because the Academy knew that she would have swept the board. She'd of won the award for every category, even ones like "Best Original Score" and "Best Special Effects." Her performance should be put in the vault in the Library of Congress, so that future generations can enjoy her stellar performance. Such an amazing performance 🙄🙄🙄
@@correypetalol right. Don’t even bother responding to these people who are blatantly lying to themselves about daddy’s little rich girl. A blind man could see how horrible her acting was
Ironic that Sofia was torn to shreds for this role but has since gone on to have the best reputation as a filmmaker of all the Coppola kids
But c'mon ?! Replacing Winona Ryder?! For your own ! Why have an audition if you don't want outsiders !
Is that really saying much, she is the best of the worst.
@@mountain85 why are u phrasing this like she did that did u even watch the video that was all francis. also winona ryder was bedridden, it’s good that she got a break.
@@inactive5501it seems to me that comment was phrased like it was directed at Francis Ford Coppola, not Sofia Coppola
Best? No no she is ok
I agree with Ebbert. The character is 18. Lot's of 18 year olds are a bit awkward as they wrestle their anxiety and a bit fake as they try to hide their true emotions. Her performance, I feel, has real truth. I believe she's half a kid in a new and scary adult world trying to navigate it, because she was.
The relationship with her cousin should NOT have great chemistry. The relationship is weird and creepy. For her it's daddy issues. For him it's far darker. People commented that she's not beautiful enough to realistically make Vincent fall for her and blah blah whatever. Vincent wants her because he sees it as a route to securing power. He's a bastard and if he marries her he feels he will be a true Corleone. He also thinks it will secure his status as heir. Both characters do not have true feelings for each other they're both in love with the idea of the other and in Vincent's case what he can get from the relationship.
This is the best comment on a youtube video, ever.
@@Mjhaider1985 Thank you so much 😊
I did think of something else. You could say that their feelings are all about Michael. She wants a stand in for her father and to also rebel so that Michael will give her more attention. Vincent wants to be adopted and have the dad and the belonging to a family he's always craved.
Awkward 18 year old are, the kids from modern family or stranger things, or the kids from the americans. These child actors played the awkward teenage very well
Sophia performance was giving its my first day in high-school drama class
Anyone who thinks she isn’t beautiful has got to be kidding anyway.
yeah yes yes this
This video was well-researched, well-edited & well presented
Thank you for your content. I'm a big fan and appreciate your research and hard work. ❤
I had no idea Coppola lost his son right before making Godfather III...this episode reminded me of why I love your channel!
She turned out to be the literal poster child to the phrase, "What I really want to do is direct." She is much better at it.
She'd be better as a porn actress than either as director or actress.
If you say so. My ex gf loved that Lost in Translation movie and I tried to get through it a couple times but its so boring.
Yeah, no explosions, car chases, catch phrases, big big guns?@@sole__doubt
The movies that she directs all seem like tampon ads.
@@sole__doubt That's kind of unfair. Not that it wasn't to your taste, that is fair, but it wasn't a well directed film with a voice. The cinematography was very good, the editing was very good, the direction was very good. I'm not a huge fan of her movies as an audience member but I can see they are well made with skill and passion, and if those were they type of stories I liked those would be movies I like.
I thought she portrayed a Italian Mafia Don's daughter perfectly.
Me too
Same... I thought her girl on a pedestal performance... the debutante awkwardness was quite good.
Delighted to see that I wasn't the only one.
Yeah, honestly I think she acted fine for a supporting cast member. I wonder if she would have been booed as badly if her name wasn't Coppola.
Same
Gotta say this is a banger of a project. From music choice to the editing. Just wow.
A tiny bit, I feel like the Virgin Suicides was the answer to this movie - like, "This is how you direct a young woman."
I love how safe she made Kirsten Dunst feel.
Or Lick the Star.
Lmao@@LittleMissLion
I am sure her father needed instruction on how to direct, it’s not like he’d made any great movies before, right? Stop talking about women in cinema like they are animals or children i.e. that they are in need of extra guidance.
Not as good as her movies tho natural progression@@drtg101we7
Godfather III wasn't ruined by Sofia. It was ruined by Francis. Right from the start. The premise, that Michael was genuinely trying and succeeding in getting out of crime... that changed everything about his tragic character arc. The whole first two films were him breaking bad. And then he had an unearned off screen redemption between the 2nd and 3rd film. That doesn't work.
I disagree. Yes, he was breaking bad, but he still felt dragged into it, obligated to do it, because it was his family that was being threatened and nobody else who could save it. That doesn't mean that once he feels the family "business" is safe from external threats, he tries to turn the ship into a direction he feels more comfortable sailing in.
Do you not remember the ending scene of Godfather II, where Michael remembers how on Vito's 50th anniversary, he announced he'd dropped out of college and joined the Marines? What's so strange about the notion that he then decides he wants to link back to that?
Yes, in Godfathers 1 & 2, he slowly descends into icy-hearted sociopathy. In Godfather III, he's a lovable Willie Wonka.
Michael’s turn away from crime seemed believable- he’s considerably older at the start of 3 and he’s completely alone. Even Vito chilled out in his later years.
@@Crumphorn That's plain and simply false.
As I already pointed out, at the end of Godfather II, he sits, alone, reminiscing on how as a reaction to Pearl Harbor, he decided that it was his duty to serve his country, and that his country was as important to him as his family. Back then, he was left sitting alone at the table by his family.
He came back when they were threatened. He did what he had to do to protect them. Now they're gone, and with them their expectations as to what's right and what duties he has to whom. And that leaves him thinking back of those days when he decided to do what HE thought was the right thing to do.
I don't think there's much of an issue with Michael being racked with guilt. At the end of second movie, he's essentially done away with his enemies and has nothing but time to contemplate the monster that he is.
And it's not like he got away with it. In the end, he was destroyed by his decisions.
This was well-done! Great job!
Great video!! Subscribed to your channel as soon as I finish watching it.
Why is Paramount never held accountable for the result of the movie. They didn't want to pay Duvall what he was asking. Coppola wanted another six months to work on the script. Paramount could've put more time and money into it but they didn't.
A studio take blame? Are you mad? 😂
As much as I like Godfather 3 Sofia is the biggest problem of the movie & no Robert Duvall sucks also. However he did do one of my favorite movies Days of Thunder instead. So I guess it's a fair trade
@@rxtsec1and why is that joke of a movie your personal favorite?
I'm guessing because Paramount doesn't a whole lot more good than bad.
The movie was gonna come out regardless, that wasn't enough to sink the studio so no Mea Culpa.
@@willdiesel8431 I said I like the movie. I think it's the greatest trilogy of all time. Part 2 is my actual favorite movie of all time and part 1 is my 3rd favorite movie of all time
This honestly made me kinda emotional. Such a terrible position to be in as a young person. So glad that she was able to grow from it and become who she is today
Amazing video. Well researched!! I absolutely loved this.
Loved this vid. Very well done.
I have only discovered Sophia Coppola as an exciting director and never even knew she was in the Godfather 3. This deep dive was fascinating!
U have no idea how bad people criticised her back then. It was referenced in so many shows and movies.
4-year-old Sofia’s Apocalypse Now fanart is SENDING ME 😂
Why do people say “sending me”? Sending you where?
@@OasisJones sending into fits of laughter
@@RockyGems Then why is that common line cut off early, simply because it’s common? It just sounds too vague in ways to leave as is even if you know exactly what it means.
Moronic zoomer-speak
I somehow stumbled onto this channel just now. This is top-notch work. I'll watch more for sure.
Thanks for the heads up on Mubi! What a fantastic story this is. It's so awesome to see how she was able to persevere. We didn't know it at the time, but when she said "fuck em, I'll show them", she wasn't speaking about this role, she was alluding to where this journey will take her in the end. 32:21
I can understand where the critics were coming from, her performance is not that great but it adds a sense of realism. Her character is a young woman coming out of adolescence, of course she isn't going to have a lot of sex appeal because she is barely eighteen. The scenes between her and a thirty year old man kissing shouldn't be sexy, it's creepy and in reality shouldn't be so much of a fantasy because her character is being taken advantage of by her COUSIN twice her age.
yeah like she really lays bare that a natural performance is not necessarily a good performance, was just not the thing for this movie
Sofia was 18, but according to the series’ timeline, Mary is supposed to be about 25 (she’s born sometime in the mid 1950’s, and Part III is set in 1979). Playing someone considerably older and (ostensibly) more mature would challenge even a lot of experienced actors, so that’s just one more way in which Francis unintentionally set Sofia up to fail.
Madonna was closer to Mary's age, according to the timeline, than Sofia was. Mary was born in 53 and the film takes place in 79, making her 26. Madonna would've been, I think, 31 at the time, five years older. Sofia was eight years younger, at a stage of development where a few years makes a big difference.
Coppola probably would've been better going with Madonna. Situations where casting Madonna would've been a better choice are rare indeed, but here we are.
Carlo Gambino married a cousin. He tapped one of her relatives, Paul Castellano, as the next Don.
TWICE her age, you mean?
"Distractingly bad" is probably right, but having seen the results of Coppola directing Ryder in Dracula...I'm not sure the movie would be hugely different with the original casting.
Not my favorite Coppola movie. Haha!
Right? I never saw her as sexy...
As someone who thinks Ryder is insanely over hyped, yep. She was good with Cher and in Beetlejuice, and imho done her best to ruin Little Women, Dracula, etc etc etc. Cast her as exactly that one type, don't make her do a character, she can't pull it off.
@@keenoled I agree, she is highly overrated! I would rather Sofia in this role than winona.
I LOVE that Drac movie despite Her. It overwhelms her until I don't even notice her or Keanu's weird English speak.
Thanks for the vid
a well spent hour or so. Thank you for the wonderful story - and yeah, Kudos to Ms. Copolla
I don't think any film has ever been derailed solely by one performance and, if it has, it was not the sole fault of a teenage actress. A better story, a tighter script, a tone that fit the first two better would have gone a long way into seeing the film better remembered.
I mean Jar Jar Binks was awful but you don't see people saying he's the reason the Star Wars prequels were disappointing. They know that a lot of things went wrong there.
Also maybe we don't attack teenagers in the press, especially over such slight things that weren't even their call?
I don't think *Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets* was ruined by the lead cast.
I think the problem was the script and directing, that put a weird emphasis on Valerian as an obnoxiously horny douchebag.
It's a visually gorgeous film, a fantastic realization of the comics it's based on, but Valerian himself is not. Luc Besson made a lot of changes to the dynamics between Valerian and Laureline, and its all terrible.
People always bring up the lack of chemistry between Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne, people want another *The Fifth Element* with Bruce Willis from 1997 in the lead, but I don't think ANY actor could have saved that mess.
Because the script is a mess.
People can say whatever they want. That doesn't erase the abuse the man behind the prosthetics had to endure.
The prequels weren't needed at the time they were demanded. The Star Wars movies already had their trifecta. The Godfather leaving off at 2 legendary movies would always draw ire for not being complete.
It wasn't derailed by that. It was more derailed by the helicopter scene and the unrealism of that. "My lucky coat". People were laughing at how absurb it was.
I worked on the set in NYC. Sofia was a great person but you are correct she was not ready for the role. We even had to push her in the little Alpha Romeo Spyder scene, Sofia could not drive a manual. Andy Garcia and Joe Mantegna were awesome on the set. Too bad the movie didn’t work.
I found you Jimmy. Where you been hiding since the '70s.....?!
@@paulie8440 down under
People claim to not get III. Truth is, it was too close for comfort to the reality of what was happening. NOBODY in Hollywood wanted to touch it.
someone who was there speaks honestly :D
She seems like a nice girl.
Thank you for this - always thought provoking and inspiring.
I had totally forgotten Francis lost one of his children prior to Godfather III. It's obvious even Sophia want to avoid taking a job because daddy is the director. But I will say this in the end of Godfather 3 and she looks at Michael Corleone is his daddy that's a heartbreaking moment. And it's supposed to be there were times in that movie even though it wasn't what she wanted to do necessarily, she delivered and honestly I can't see Winona Ryder playing an Italian princess any more than I can see her playing the English forward slash Romanian princess she played in Dracula I respect her as an actress and she's done a lot of good work but there's some things she wasn't cut out for. Just like Keanu Reeves as in English gentleman
Here i am, lying on my couch, childless, eating pickles and vaping, and I thought I could not be more ✨blessed✨
This is the kind of niche, slice of movie history shit I know nothing about but LOVE! You fucking rule 🥰
gonna take a guess and ask you to pet your cat for me (i will pet mine for you)
@@neongrey333 I’m allergic to cats and have no pets but I am definitely a cat lady in spirit so I’ll still accept
this is what i aspire to be
❤ Right on!!!
@@radioban
Alone and secretly miserable, lol yes…the “I wanna be an astronaut when I grow up” of the 2020s
The first one had Marlon Brando, James Cann and John Cazale. The second one had Robert Deniro and John Cazale. They both also had Robert Duvall and career best performances from Al Pacino. The third one had a mediocre Pacino, Coppola and Andy Garcia. It would take more than Winona Ryder to fix that.
Well said
the plot was terrible
there is only one memorable line and the sopranos made sure to point that out
i loved how they saw the godfather trilogy as a comedy
Mediocre Pacino? F off. He was the best part of it.
@ThePrinceofHisOwnKingdom and still it is absolutely no where near his performances in the first two. Arguably two of the best performances in cinema history vs a very ordinary performance.
@@edpoole1942 That comparison don't make it mediocre. His scream when his daughter died is haunting.
this video is great. quite insightful and all salient background & analysis.
Tbh the helicopter scene embodies so much of what's wrong with Godfather pt. 3. Its bizarre, feels less intimate and impactful unlike the previous installments in the trilogy
Thus kicked off a decade of blaming women barely out of their teens for adult men's bad decisions.
Huh? Examples?
Such as?
Monica Lewinsky?
@@SK28th she made her own decisions - was an adult
She was a full grown adult. She wasn't forced to do it. She could have said no. I bet you'd be the first to blame an 18 year old man for his bad choices.
Thank you for such a beautiful documentary. It was a real pleasure to learn about Francis and Sofia Coppola's history on their various films and I appreciate the humanity you highlighted in all Francis Coppola's panned works. As a father, I can fully appreciate Francis' attitude to grow, nurture, and challenge Sofia's talents, even at the potential cost of his own reputation. It is very unfortunate that Sofia was solely blamed for Godfather III and it must have haunted Francis as well. I'm glad Sofia's other talents pulled through and she was not utterly crushed by the unkind press and critics.
This was the comment I was hoping to find. People are so cruel.
This is exactly what I thought. Thank you for explained it so well!
14:04 I love this summary, it gives me goosebumps for some reason. Great essay, thank you BKRW
Casting choices are ultimately the responsibility of the director, so this was Francis' fault - period. Sofia is actually good in some of her scenes, and she does look the part - but "looking the part" is nowhere near the same as "playing the part". Sofia couldn't help that she was in over her head as a so so actor at best. Hell, Francis could have switched Bridget Fonda to play Mary [with darker hair] and then recast her smaller reporter role. I do think that Annabella Sciorra would have been a great choice to play Mary after Winona Ryder. Sympathy for Sofia - she never even said she wanted an acting career [otherwise she WOULD have played the lead in Life Without Zoe], but dad saw her in his own way. The biggest problem with Godfather III [a film I actually DO like] is the overly complicated plot, by a mile.
It's funny Coppola parents didn't even ask Sofia if she wanted the part. The mother just told Sofia that she is going to do it, just like scene in Sofia's Marie-Antoinette where Maria Theresia tells Marie-Antoinette that she is going to get married - "get dressed and off you go into the carriage to Cinecittà,... eh France to your doom."
So I am not sure how everyone has to come to the conclusion that Sofia has no feelings about being dragged into Godfather III by her father. Meanwhile her entire filmography is full of teenagers that are outright abused by their parents (Virgin Suicides), sold off into bad sitiuations by their parents for the parents' gain (Marie Antoinette, Priscilla), abandoned in a foreign country by their director husband (Lost in Translation (Scarlett Johannsen was 17 when that was shot)), whose parents functionally absent (Bling Ring), total deadbeats (Somewhere) or have totally forgotten about their children who are stuck in a boarding in a middle of war zone. (The Beguiled.) And that's literally her entire feature film filmography.
One could get them impression that Sofia Coppola is feeling not great about her father casting her to meet a shooting schedule, ignoring that this would make her an easy scapegoat when Godfather III could not live up to the hype of previous movies. (It was a tall order and Coppola must have known that at any point.)
Fair point but most of these posts are written as if she wouldn't have given the proper credit even if she did turn in an acceptable performance. She's had alot of pressure put on her but I think she compartmentalized it and used that to fuel her as a director.
Interesting perspective
such good observations !
The general consensus that goes for "she's a bad actress" - is not a fair assessment. Her dad just wanted to "cut to the chase" as movie parlance goes, and short-circuited her path to working in front of the camera by "throwing the baby into the pool" (as someone has commented.) He has done his best though to support her forging a career behind it (the camera.) It's a tremendous help to have Coppola as your last name. Open doors like Charlton Heston parting the Red sea in 10 commandments. Normally newbie directors would not get within spitting distance to big names like Bill Murray, let alone casting him in their first gig. As long as Francis is alive, critics still quake whenever the name "Coppola" is announced... it's Hollywood royalty as far as movie fans are concerned. And as long as Sofia keeps making movies, she'll never have to worry about financing.
@@newhorizon4066Good points, just a note: “Lost in Translation” was not her first gig, that was “The Virgin Suicides”, from ‘99, adapted from the novel
This is truly the epitome of being kind to the rewind. The context to give grace and understanding of this controversy. I love it
This isn't about grace and being kind! Give me a break. This is filmmaking and it just needs to be good. If an actor sucks and decisions were made that wrecked a movie, then its just factual. No one owes grace. Other actresses could have been cast! Damn. We don't pay money to watch crap.
Rarely have I ever been in more agreement with an assessment than this one, except to say that I have multiple issues with Godfather 3, many, that seem to increase with repeat viewings, but admittedly that wasn’t the point of this video. I was completely unaware that the turnaround time between Ryder and Sofia was so unsympathetically quick, so unfair to her. Excellent video. 👏🏻👍🏼
For the record: I love Sofia's performance. She is essentially playing herself. And it never fails to move me.
Yeah, that generation got robbed of their Meryl Streep. Sofia's performance should have received multiple Oscars. In fact, the reason that she wasn't nominated was because the Academy knew that she would have swept the board. She'd of won the award for every category, even ones like "Best Original Score" and "Best Special Effects." Her performance should be put in the vault in the Library of Congress, so that future generations can enjoy her stellar performance. Such an amazing performance 🙄🙄🙄
A few hours!? Wow. Poor Sofia. She was so young!
Also, it’s insane who was considered unattractive in the 90s. A shitty era for any woman in the public eye.
Sofia was one of the first directors I ever interviewed when she promoted Virgin Suicides. It’s her most personal film, reckoning with her big brother’s horrifying death by decapitation. She’s not your ordinary privileged nepo-baby.
She is just a plain and simple privileged nepo-baby.
BUT SHE IS
@@natoArtBro4318 Everybody in hollywood is...
I mean Drew Barrymore's also a Huge huge nepo baby
How does the Virgin Suicides reckon with her brothers death? I know they kill themselves by hanging, sticking a head in the oven … I forget what happened to the other two in the movie .
I’ve seen Barbie dolls with more talent for acting and Sophia Coppola
Sofia was my favorite character in the movie. I was disappointed that she was killed off. I wanted to se more of her. I looked forward to her being in more movies.
Beautifully told. I had no idea of any of this.
The problem with Godfather 3 is that it was not even a good movie, muchless a good Godfather movie. I can still remember shots and scenes from 1 and 2 as though I were seeing them first time in theater. I cannot even remember if Michael lives or dies in 3. Sofia was not good in this, but she sure as hell didn't deserve the vilifying she took in the press...as though the entire weight of failure for Godfather 3 rested solely on her shoulders.
Same lol I do not remember a thing about Part 3 and it cannot be her fault
Yeah she sucked but the movie just sucked overall. Winona couldn't have saved it.
Blaming women ... a true classic. An early instance can be found in the Bible.
The Godfather 3 shot that sticks out to me is Mary standing on the opera steps with a bullet wound through her chest. The expression on her face…
@@bened22yeah I'm sure her father avoided ALL criticism because of what's between his legs.
You need help.
The Coppola family is so interesting in retrospect. both Sofia and Francis took risks, dealt with studio pressure and horrendous headlines, and stuck to creating memorable works of art.
while box office numbers vary, both of their films will be watched and studied for decades
Yeah, well, this risk didn't pay off.
I think she was ten times more fascinating than Winona Ryder could ever have been!
As a lifelong Coppola diehard, my gripe with Godfather III was the story didn’t capture that same essence as the first two films, NOT that he cast his daughter. Actually, after watching this, I’m happy that he chose her for the role. The way that you explained it, at least, it sounds like it was what Coppola as a human being needed in that moment. As far as I’m concerned, the man gave us Apocalypse Now and Godfather I & II so he’s more than earned the right to make whatever the hell he wants.
So thanks to you and this lovely breakdown, when I have my annual Godfather marathon later this year: this time, I won’t skip Part III ☺️🤗🫶🏽
FWIW Sofia is much better behind the camera, anyway. Virgin Suicides was hauntingly beautiful, a damn good film.
The audible GASP I just let out when I saw this was your newest video.
Right?! I drop everything when I see a new video from BKR.
I’m shocked that Coppola was okay with Winona Ryder taking the part, but not Annabella Sciorra? Annabella would’ve killed it!
She was too old.
Marisa Tomei would have been perfect!
@@rockyracoon3233 "Are you suuuuuuuure?"
We are talking about a teenage character. Although I love Sciorra she was way too old for the part.
@rockyracoon3233 I think so too
Nothing can be worse than Jaws 3 & then even worse Jaws - the Revenge. I loved Michael Caine’s reply when asked why he starred in it … “Money” 😂
That's what I'm saying people always make godfather 3 to be the worst movie ever. And I'm like have you seen jaws 4
“I’ve never seen the movie, but by all accounts, it’s terrible. I have seen the house it built, and it’s terrific.” - Michael Caine, on _Jaws: The Revenge_
Then he goes, "I bought my mother a new house." Classy.
This was an amazing analysis.
Godfather 3 wasn’t just Sofia. It was Andy Garcia & the change in Michael’s character
garcia was way over the top....but i blame coppola for that
Exactly, it was the writing mostly for me.
Garcia, should have been unpredictable but cold. One minute he's a hothead then turns calm & calculated. It ended at 2 with that beautiful scene, when Michael is remembering the family at the Don's birthday. @@thewkovacs316
Kay being introduced back was a no, no.
Eli Wallach was the best thing in 3 @@teeahtate
All of that plus what was up w Pacino’s hair? All in all, horrible, no but a lousy movie and for so many reasons
Please do a video about Madonna's ill fated film career. I would LOVE to see a video with so much empathy and context about that topic which a lot of people find so ficinating
What a great idea! I'd be very interested
@@johannawigg6921 there would A LOT to discuss regarding the feminism in both Desperately Seeking Susan and A League of Their Own (both directed by women). The misogyny in roles like Swept Away, Body of Evidence and Dangerous Game (all of them written and directed by men)
@@gabbyb7347Madonna really isn't a very good actress. The reason she did so well in the two movies you mentioned, plus Evita, is because in all three, she was basically playing herself. In "A League..." it's almost like the part was written *for* her.
@@gabbyb7347 The misogyny in Swept Away is pretty fascinating, because it's carried over directly from the film it's remaking, which was written and directed by a woman. The original had themes of class warfare that combined...badly with the gender dynamics of the leads' interactions, so I can at least sort of understand how it ended up that way even though it's...very yikes. But the remake is too vapid to have themes, so it comes off even worse.
Fantastic video!
Sophia Coppola really does it for me for whatever reason
The real crime was when Paramount forced theaters to put up $50,000 per print before anyone had ever seen it.
Yeah, she turned out okay
That part really gets to me - bashing on a teenager because they didn’t find her sexy or tempting.
The really sad thing is if she'd been 16 it would have been probably just as bad if not worse - eeek.
She was 100% a Nepo kid who got into film acting because of her father. Catch her horrendous performance as Kathleen Turner's younger daughter in Peggy Sue Got Married. She's almost as bad as in Godfather 3. Its awful how many talented child actresses could have done these roles. It has nothing to do with "sexy or tempting." She will forever be a terrible actress.
@@Scorchy666 If she was a Nepo kid, why wasn't she Coppolla's first choice? Or second or third or fourth choice? Anyway, I'll take nepotism over the casting couch. Compared to Harvey Weinstein, nepotism seems quaint.
@@kanaanpeep7792that fact she was a choice at all was due to nepotism lmao
Its so absurd that even here with an absolut horrible performance by Sofia people want to find "sexism" in the critics. It would have hardly been possible to make a worse impression than Sofia as the Dons daughter. It was just from start to finish on high school play level. She just has zero emotion, body language, acting ability nothing. Her other role was just as bad. She got the part because daddy wanted it that way end of story.
Excellent video. Subscribed
It's really not that bad. Sofia is flat as Michael's daughter, but III has that reliable sumptuous menace of the first two, Gordon Willis' cinematography is gorgeous, Pacino has one of his final understated performances and his reconciliation with Kay is lovely, and it wraps up with perfect tragic consequences. Better than 99 percent of today's movies.
I think if you watch on mute, her face is actually sweetly expressive. She seems like the kind of actress who would have had a decent career in the 1920s and then her career would have bombed with the Talkies. Anyway, I don't mind her performance too much--I think the movie has other problems. (INTERNATIONAL IMOBILIARRRRREEE)
As an Italian woman, Sofia was more appropriated than Winona. Sofia has such an Italian face. And I personally appreciated her in the role.
The giant schnoz? Her whiney, raspy, voice?
Feel the same. 'im just "can't/won't" picture Winona in that role (no dis sis). Sofia although new, did her thing. Critics can be "rigid".
I respectfully disagree. She was the worst part of that movie
@@MrARhodes BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA
@@luckylatella9908 BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Thanks for this video. It was 👍
Love love lovvve your videos madame! I trust your opinion implicitly and your voice is so soothing 🤝
I hadn't seen this movie in so long that I forgot Andy Garcia played Vincent. My muddled memory had swapped in Nicolas Cage, which would have made the whole cousins thing so much worse.
Oh God just the horrible mental image I got reading that lol. Although him biting that guy's ear off would be a very Nic Cage thing to do
No problem with a non-Italian playing Italian?
@@tessdurberville711 considering Marlon Brando and James Caan weren't either, it's just following tradition lol
He did it in The Untouchables as well. Do you blame DePalma?@@tessdurberville711
@@tessdurberville711considering Italians and Spaniards have played Latinos for years…nah 😂
Excellent point about Vincent’s role also being questionably written. Coppola and Puzo openly said they wanted Vincent to be a combination of Vito, Sonny, Fredo, Michael, AND Tom - but that’s impossible given how vastly different all five of those guys were. Andy Garcia did his best, and he definitely deserved that Oscar nomination, but he didn’t have much more to work with than Sofia did.
I agree. As stated in the video, I found it hard to accept him as Michael's successor.
@@greense65 The worst part is that out of all the Corleone men, he takes after Sonny the most (not surprising from a writing standpoint, since Sonny was his father). He wouldn’t have made it to _The Godfather: Part IV_ without somebody whacking him first.
@@gelchert 👍
I liked your presentation of a very balanced review of Godfather III and Sofia's role in it. Not sure I want to see the film again though.
And now this is one of the best one of the trilogy her innocence came through so beautifully no one else could have played that part better
this would be an awesome double feature with patrick willems' video on francis ford coppola's ouvre all being about his family (including his wine company!) i always thought sofia was so gorgeous in this movie and knowing how much FF cared about fostering their creative partnership makes it kind of touching to me. great video as always!!
This was the role I believe actress Rebecca Schaeffer was up for. She was waiting for a script to be delivered to her apartment before her audition when a stalker showed up at her door and shot and killed her.
Oof, I don't remember that bit of gossip, but how awful her attack was.
Schaeffer was CAST in the role but was murdered days before shooting and Sofia was essentially drafted to replace her, not entirely of her choosing.
Actually, Winona Ryder was supposed to play Mary and dropped out at the last minute due to health reasons. Coppola then replaced her with his daughter.
I feel this part was kind of cursed with how hard it was to cast (with Ryder dropping out, Schaeffer's death, Roberts being busy, etc.). Honestly I think Sofia was picked not just because of nepotism but because she was there, warm & breathing.
@@b-zoneonroku2020no she wasn’t what TF…..let’s not just make stuff up….she hadn’t even read for the role I’d love to kno how she got the role. She was a nobody in a silly forgetful sitcom. You don’t know how Hollywood works now or in 1989.
Wonderful, brilliant. And very fair to Sophia. Thanks, BKR
Another superb essay.
That is an excellent observation: the types of actresses initially meant to play the part were so divers, the writing of her part so unspecific, Coppola himself seemed not so sure what his daughter was supposed to be like in the film.
He was, he simply couldn't cast the person he wanted in this role and then he got his wish anyway. The only thing I wonder is:" How does this qualify as a disaster?
The 80's and 90's had so many Hollywood films with dilettantes in leading roles, how does this film stand out at all?
Further more, given the current state of Hollywood and what we have learned about past Hollywood during the last few years, how is this an issue at all?
If the worst thing that ever happened in Hollywood was that a father had cast his daughter, after the first choice for the role had dropped out, then we would be living in a much better world than we actually do.
I would have liked to have seen Marisa Tomei play the role.
now that would've been $$$$$$. plus, they should've had robert duvall in the film and in the end. make connie.... the godmother! kay would be consigliere by killing someone.
👍
I swear, I never thought of her for the role, but she would probably have been outstanding.
George?
You are so right. Marisa Tomei would have been great.
I am watching this video for the THIRD time! Fave TH-cam channel🧡💜🧡💜👏🏾
Thanks for your insight
I think Sofia did a fine job. The real problem with Part III is the writing, which is just not up to the level of the first two.
I mean who man who played Tom Hagen, said it best. *Since it was goin to be a third movie, which was obvious for money. I felt why shouldn’t I get paid as well?* He wasn’t there because they only wanted to pay him 500k-1 million while Al Pacino was getting 3-4 million. He didn’t like he was getting 1/3rd of what Al was getting.
That’s still a shit Ton of money and Duvall being back would’ve been a plus for the film
Couldn’t agree more. The critics seemed to take out their frustration on an easy target to avoid the real confrontation - the rather tepid plot.
Mmmmm, OK. I find the acting quite lacking, more than the writing in this case
I agree. It was a weak screenplay and some of the plot elements were just not believable.
I lost my middle daughter in July 2020. It was so devastating. To realize other, famous people have experienced the same loss does help one feel less tortured,
i am so sorry for your loss. grief is an ongoing process and i hope it gets better for you
@@taptap2446 Thank u.
Misery loves company
@@n1ck1930 I am not sure I would say misery “loves” company. But it helps to not feel. punished.. if that makes sense?
I wish you strength, I am very sorry for this unimaginable loss of your loved one. take care
This was so well done. I’ve always had a soft spot for her and felt her acting and looks was realistic if the Godfather was real life.
I’m glad she rose above to follow her passions.
And you’re right, those critics are fing crazy.
So basically Sophia got thrown into a shitshow because her father was being bullheaded and wouldn't listen to reason. And she got torn to shreds because of it. Definitely could've been avoided.