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Thats the word that comes to mind when I think of theGodfathersaga.
All these films are about people whove been damned, whether they know it or not.
And the movies respective endings often hold the keys to their meaning.
But in truth, it is Michael who has consigned himself to the darkness.
So much ofPart IIis about Fredos betrayal and the growing divide between himself and Michael.
By killing Fredo, Michael effectively condemns himself.
Its amazing how subdued Michael is during these scenes.
It was Walter Murch who removed the sound from it and created the silent scream.
It was not me, Coppola told mewhen I interviewed him last year, crediting his legendary editor.
Its almost as if Michael is screaming from another dimension, as if hes already in hell.
After all those years of quiet brooding, this is a shocking way to end aGodfatherpicture.
… What, you think youre going to go back to living in a room?
Like the old days?
Youve had money for too long now.
You gotta get back to work.
Of course, the silent scream isnotthe final scene of the thirdGodfatherfilm.
In his reedit of the film, however, Coppola cuts away from Michael before he dies.
In other words, Michael no longer gets the reprieve of death.
An odd edit perhaps, given the new title of this revised version.
And it was something worse than that, because indeed, Michael Corleone was not an angel.
What you start to do when you make a new cut is you follow your nose, he said.
Coppolas change to the last shot also points to how personal the project was for him.
It perhaps made sense in 1990 for the film to then cut to the fathers own death.
He lives with the fact that he destroyed his child, which is why he was doing it all.
The echoes with Coppolas own life dont end there.
The director also noted that the films reception mirrored what happened in the movie itself.
They came after Sofia so much that it was just like the story, Coppola said.
The bullets that killed the daughter were really meant for the father.
I felt that I did this to her.
Which points to another reason why this is one of the greatest endings of all time.
Full disclosure: I love Sofia Coppolas much-reviled performance in the film.
Its true shes not veryGodfather-y; theres an effervescent quality to Mary that feels all wrong for this series.
She isnt tense, repressed, or calculating.
(And besides, Sofia had partly inspired the character in the first place.)
When she dies, a light is extinguished, and he is consigned forever to his evil world.
It is his final damnation.
And this time, it will never end.
