The Godfather Part III appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. Though the least appealing of the three movies, the Dolby Vision transfer provided a fairly impressive visual presentation.
Sharpness worked fine. Occasional slight soft shots emerged, but the majority of the flick brought nice accuracy and delineation.
Moiré effects and jagged edges caused no noticeable concerns, and I noticed no edge enhancement. Source flaws were absent, and with a nice layer of grain, I suspected no problematic use of noise reduction.
In terms of palette, the film often maintained a reddish-golden tone. Within its choices, the colors looked solid, and they came across as accurate and concise as a whole. The disc’s HDR added range and dimensionality to the tones.
Black levels were reasonably deep and dark, and shadow detail looked appropriately clear but not excessively opaque. HDR brought impact and heft to contrast and whites. This turned into a satisfying transfer.
All three of the Godfather films offered Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtracks remixed from the original material. However, the first two worked from monaural stems, whereas Part III reconfigured a mix that already provided multichannel sound.
During its 1990 theatrical run, Part III used a Dolby Surround track. As such, it should have given us the strongest auditory experience, and it lived up to those expectations via this good mix.
For the most part, the soundfield remained oriented toward the front speakers. There the music showed decent stereo separation, and a variety of elements cropped up from the side channels. These blended well and created a good layer of atmosphere.
The surrounds contributed mild punch at times – such as during a helicopter attack scene or an opera sequence – but usually they stayed fairly subdued and focused on reinforcement of the forward spectrum. Nonetheless, they did what they needed to do and gave the audio a good sense of place.
Audio quality held up well after the last 20-plus years. Speech sounded natural and concise, without edginess or other distractions. Music displayed nice range and vibrancy, as the score appeared full and rich.
Effects also demonstrated solid definition. Those elements showed good accuracy and packed a decent punch when necessary, such as during the more violent sequences. All in all, this was a consistently positive auditory experience.
How did the 4K UHD compare to the 2008 Blu-ray for the “Final Director’s Cut”? Both came with identical audio options.
Differences came via the Dolby Vision image, though. It brought the expected improvements in terms of definition, colors and blacks. As noted, this remained the least attractive of the three films, but the 4K still became a nice upgrade over the Blu-ray.
Expect similar views of Coda, as both Blu-ray and 4K offered the same audio. Because Coda gave us a superior image compared to the 2008 Blu-ray, the 4K boasted less of an upgrade, but it still fared better than its BD counterpart.
Only one extra appears here: the same audio commentary from director Francis Ford Coppola that appeared on the prior releases and accompanies the 1991 cut of the film. Once again, the director provides a running, fairly screen-specific affair.
I enjoyed his discussions of the prior two films, and he adds another largely compelling piece for III, though I admit I find it to be the least interesting of the three. Part of that stems from my general lack of enthusiasm for the movie, but I’ve been entertained by commentaries that accompanied other flicks I hated, so that factor doesn’t explain the apparent decline.
Instead, I think this commentary feels less satisfying because Coppola seems to be on the defensive much of the time. The reception accorded Part III appeared to leave him somewhat bitter, especially due to the criticism leveled at his daughter Sofia.
Coppola seems to feel she did a good job, as he frequently defends her during the track and appears to believe that people slammed her as an indirect attack on him. I think he’s wrong, but his affection for Sofia offers some of the commentary’s most touching moments, such as when he chokes up a little because her character cries.
The track for Part III probably suffers from a few more empty gaps than I heard during the first two films, but once again, I don’t mind these terribly. Due to the length of the movie, it’s almost inevitable that some blank spots will occur.
Overall, Coppola provides a reasonable amount of interesting information about Part III, but I feel the details lack appropriate depth. For example, he addresses some of the issues I discuss during my review, such as the differences in Michael’s character.
However, he makes it sound as though he changed the tone and the role for no particular reason. I don’t get a real feel for the cause behind the shift.
Perhaps there was no reason other than a desire to do things differently. Coppola seems generally unenthused about Part III as a whole, and his remarks leave me with the impression he did the film mainly for the money and the increased exposure. His stature had declined badly through the Eighties, and he needed something to spark his presence again.
As a guaranteed “A”-list project, a new Godfather film did that, but it feels like his heart wasn’t really in it. He even mentions the peculiar form of hell that comes with continually being asked to remake the same movie.
As such, many of the film’s changes appear to come just for the sake of change, and Coppola doesn’t do much to justify them here. Ultimately, the commentary seems good but not great, and I definitely prefer the tracks that accompany the earlier films.
Alongside Coda, we find an introduction from director Francis Film Coppola. In this one-minute, 32-second piece, he gives us a few minor thoughts about Coda. Don’t expect many insights.
While not a bad film per se, The Godfather Part III really doesn’t deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as its two predecessors. From some poor acting to a contrived plot, weak dialogue, and a myriad of other concerns, Part III remains reasonably interesting for the most part, but it fails to even remotely approach the levels achieved by the earlier classics. The 4K UHD boasts very good picture and audio along with a fairly interesting commentary.
The Godfather Part III is a film I’ll likely revisit occasionally out of curiosity, but I doubt I’ll ever care much for it, as it doesn’t provide a strong conclusion to the Corleone saga. It’s the weakest film of the series.
Note that as of March 2022, The Godfather Part III 4K UHD can only be purchased as part of a multi-disc “Godfather Trilogy” set. It comes with 1972’s Godfather, 1974’s Godfather Part II and three cuts of 1990’s Godfather Part III as well as a bonus disc.
To rate this film, visit the Boxed Set review of THE GODFATHER PART III
