I believe part lll, would have been a darn good movie if it didn't have two such magnificent acts to follow. As it was , I thought it was just a long decent epilogue.
I just saw Part I for the first time in several years and was pleasantly surprised that it was as good as ever. I think a lot of the credit for the Godfather movies has to go to cinematographer Gordon Willis, whose work is so remarkable. The other remarkable thing about Part I is that every performance--even in the bit parts--is perfectly cast and acted. How many movies can you say that about? The opening wedding sequence remains the most brilliant opening sequence in film history, setting up all the characters and all the motifs of the film beautifully. The opening sequence of Part II is almost as good, but not quite.
