Published on Mar 26, 2001
The other day, a short man with a thick neck came to my door,
making me an offer I couldn’t refuse. “Sign here, mac,” he
said.
God, I hate it when the UPS delivery guy shows up during
Rosie O’Donnell.
This time, though, he came bearing a special package, containing
The Godfather Trilogy: 30th Anniversary, a disc compiling
some of the most memorable music from the triad of films into one
52-minute package. It does, though, leave me with an interesting
dilemma: What would happen to me if I dared to give such a disc a
bad review? Would I wake up with the head of the lead singer of
Motley Crue next to me in bed? Would someone cut the brakes on my
Saturn? Or, worst of all – would I be subject to a bombardment of
flame mail?
Fortunately, I needn’t have worried. This collection featuring
renditions performed by The City Of Prague Philharmonic (Paul
Bateman, conductor) is performed well and solidly constructed.
While it’s very much aimed for those who are familiar with the
movies, even someone who has never seen even the original
Godfather (like me) can appreciate the high quality of the
compositions of Nino Rota, Carmine Coppola and Pietro Mascagni.
One question, though – why isn’t more music from
The Godfather – Part II featured? Of all three films, this
one draws the short straw, with only four selections culled from
its soundtrack. The music proves to be just as interesting as its
brothers, and I would have had no problem with the producers of
this disc expanding it to include more selections from this
film.
If you’ve never seen the films, chances are you might not be
able to place the specific music with its corresponding action. But
the fact is the music is so much a part of the culture these days
that it transcends the films the tracks come from, and can be
enjoyed by everyone. You don’t have to have seen
The Godfather to appreciate “Love Theme From The Godfather,”
arguably the most recognizable piece of music from the trilogy.
Interestingly enough, while
The Godfather – Part III endured some of the roughest
reviews from film critics, its music proves to be the strongest of
the group, followed a close second by the original
Godfather. The two selections “Marcia Religiosa” and “Marcia
Festa” following so close together symbolizes two sets of emotions
at almost opposite poles, yet the transition between the two
selections is nearly flawless.
All of this said, if you’ve loved
The Godfather trilogy of films, then
The Godfather Trilogy: 30th Anniversary is the kind of disc
you’ll want to keep at the ready. The diehard fan might find some
holes with the track selection, and they might not be ready to slap
the cement shoes on the original soundtracks and send them to sleep
with the fishes. But all in all, these 17 songs do hit at the heart
of the three films, capturing the magic of all three scores.