CNN anchor Chris Wallace had the audacity to ask actor Andy Garcia on air if the final installment of the Godfather trilogy, The Godfather Part III, was the “flawed one.”
Not that Wallace didn’t tiptoe into the question while interviewing Garcia on this week’s episodes of Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace.
“A few years later, you play Vincent in ‘The Godfather III’ in which you are going to take over as the new head of the family and here’s a scene of you with the old Don played by Al Pacino,” Wallace said, in setting up a clip from the movie where Garcia’s character, Vincent Mancini, is asking Michael Corleone, played by Pacino, of course, to let him help protect the family.
After playing the clip, Wallace said gingerly, “Godfather III — I hope you’re not going to get mad at me — is considered the flawed one as compared to the two masterpieces. First of all, do you think that’s fair? And secondly, does it bother you?”
Ever gracious, Garcia assured Wallace that he would not get angry but the look of annoyance on his face spoke volumes.
“Well, I don’t think it’s fair. You have to judge the movie on its own merits,” the actor replied. “You know, I think it’s a beautiful piece of work. It’s hard — you know it’s hard to follow two masterpieces. It’s like Da Vinci painted a lot of masterpieces. I’m sure there’s a lot of things you can say, well, that statue is not quite the David, but you look at the statue and it’s still a Da Vinci.”
This being a fair assessment, considering the first installment is seen by many as the greatest movie ever made, and Godfather Part II isn’t far behind. Some argue that Citizen Cane, directed by, produced by, and starring Orson Welles, was the best film ever.
“And it’s an extraordinary movie, I think, also, and of course an extraordinary privilege for me to be associated with that trilogy,” Garcia added. “And working with Francis [Ford Coppola] and with Al who’s again another an actor that inspired me tremendously or inspired a whole generation of actors. So, I have nothing but beautiful memories and beautiful things to say about that movie.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.