Diane Keaton’s favourite ‘The Godfather’ movie: “It was an amazing experience”
From her standout performances in Woody Allen’s Sleeper and Annie Hall to her dramatic turns in Looking for Mr Goodbar and Marvin’s Room to her recent appearances in the Book Club movies, Diane Keaton has had one hell of a career. It’s been so long and so impressive that it’s easy to overlook that she was in one of the most important film trilogies of all time.
Beginning with Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, Keaton played Kay Adams Corleone in all three of the classic gangster films. Kay is the second wife of Michael (Al Pacino), mother to two of his children and a key figure in demonstrating the negative aspects of gang life. The role affected Keaton in more ways than one, as it kickstarted an on-again, off-again relationship with Pacino that only properly finished after the release of The Godfather III.
According to Keaton, the third movie coincided with a very enjoyable time in her life. “For me, that was my favourite of the Godfathers,” she told The New York Times. “I was happy, and I really enjoyed who I was playing.” She also mentioned her complicated relationship with Pacino: “I was sort of his — I don’t know what you would call me — I guess I was his girlfriend,” and how that contributed to her enjoyment of the film. “It was an amazing experience just to be there and partake.”
The Godfather Part III came out in 1990, 18 years after the original and 16 after its first sequel. It follows an ageing Michael as he attempts to earn forgiveness for his years of criminal activity by transforming the Corleone crime empire into a more legitimate business. Alongside Keaton and Pacino, Talia Shire returned to reprise her role as Michael’s sister, Connie, but that was it in terms of major names from the previous films. The cast mainly consisted of newcomers like Joe Mantegna, Andy García, and Coppola’s daughter Sofia.
Diane Keaton may have been a fan of the threequel, but it failed to live up to the lofty standards set by the previous entries. Though it was nominated, it failed to win ‘Best Picture’ at the Oscars, something the other two movies had done. The movie was also hurt by allegations of nepotism surrounding the casting of Coppola’s daughter, especially as the role had previously been awarded to Winona Ryder. The press consistently criticised Sofia’s performance.
Part III became the subject of renewed critical interest in 2020 when a new cut of the film was released. Titled The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, it changed the movie’s beginning and ending and cut its runtime by a few minutes. Both Keaton and Pacino were fans of this new version of the film, but some critics noted that the changes made very little difference.
As for Diane Keaton, she’s still going strong even as she approaches 80 years old. She appeared in two films in 2024, Arthur’s Whisky and Summer Camp, both comedies and in 2021, she appeared in the music video for the song ‘Ghost’ by Justin Beiber. Never let them know your next move.
