Which deleted scenes in the trilogy so you think should have always been in the theatrical cuts?

For me there are a few. I think young Vito's killings of the two bodyguards in Sicly should definitely have been in. It only compromises 2 minutes max.

I think Genco's death should have been in also, and those couple of seconds at Connie and Carlo's flat.

The clumsiest deleted scene, that never should have seen the light of the day, is the naming of "Hyman Rothstein".

Why's that. Poorly acted? Poorly executed? I think a reference to Hyman in the 20's was kinda cool...

I think mustachepete hit the mark with that Hyman Rothstein bit. While not really bad or poorly acted, I think 'clumsy' is the perfect way to describe that scene. It just doesn't quite have the flow of nearly every other scene, deleted or undeleted.

One deleted scene I always liked but can see why it had no place in the GFII movie...where young Vito and his friends go to see someone for weapons I think, and his little boy is there playing the violin or something. The man introduces the child as his son, Carmine. Named of course, for FFC's father and film composer, Carmine Coppola.

Apple

I think the kid was playing some kind of flute or something.

About all I know about acting is that corpses shouldn't scratch an itch until the scene is over.

I guess that I think it's the worst because it's wordy and sounds forced (not unlike this post) and with repeat viewings it makes the baseball comment by the older Roth a punchline instead of an insight into the character.

I will concede that it has a funny moment, as Vito asks Hyman who the greatest man in the history of world is, and then offers a list of dead Italians as candidates.

Yeah Clemenza's face when he says Arnold Rothstein is quite amusing.

As for flute bit, it introduce us to Tessio. It could have been trimmed slightly, eliminate the flute bit, but show us what they are doing, its a good insight into what the young Vito got up to

I think they all should have been included, and in chronological order, which is why the cable TV "Saga" version is the best overall.
If you force me to name one, I'd choose the Genco deathbed visit because it provides perspective on Michael's coolness to his father, and on Tom's ascendency to consigliere. It also explains, in its own way, why Kay never appears with Vito ("Did your American girlfriend get home alright?"). Another of my faves is Gardiner Shaw and Francesca with Michael (the Don meets the WASP--an ingenious and compressed expression of Michael's yearning for "respectability"); Frankie feeding wine to Anthony on a spoon (you'd never, ever suspect him in the Tahoe shooting after that); and Neri forcing Klingman out of the hotel (Neri's largest chunk of dialog, plus that terrific Vegas show rehearsal--I bet FFC spent half a mil on that scene and then he cut it. ). All great stuff!
The young Roth scene isn't strong on dialog, but it's important in two ways: First, it establishes the basis for the relationship between Roth and the Corleones; second, it shows Vito as the undisputed boss--note how Clemenza, who bossed Vito around and subordinated him before the Fanucci murder, is now humble in his presence and even doffs his hat.

The scene were Clemenza goes lunching while Paulie is in the car, waiting together with Rocco.

All the deleted Sicily scenes.

Turnbull - Good point about the Hyman scene, I, too noticed the change in Clemenza, even addressing him as 'Mr Corleone'

Oh and Klingman's humiliation scene, fabulous. Neri...just Awesome.

I think the marriage blessing scene was deleted because it showed a single of moment of happiness in an otherwise miserable slide downhill for the Corleone family from 1958-1960. Smile? Michael can't smile in this movie.

Marriage blessing scene? What was that?

Can somebody elaborate?

Apple

I believe Threlkis is referring to the scene between Michael, Francesca and Gardner Shaw (which, IMHO, makes a nice contrast to the Michael/Connie/Merle scene).

Signor V.

The scene where Vito kills the two soldiers who worked for Don Cicio.

I agree with everyone else about the Neri moving out Klingman scene, it should have been left in.

THANKS, Signor V!! It's true, that is the one scene where Michael genuinely smiles. It does go on & on though, and has really no connection with the overall story except for the moment Fredo bursts in to announce Frankie ... so it makes sense for that to have been edited out.

Apple

How does it not make sense? What's wrong with Freddie bursting in? In a scene that did make it, Fredo is surprised that Frank hasn't got in. So the scene would follow on immediately.

As Turnbull stated earlier, it would've been just peachy keen if ALL the scenes were left in the final cut of the individual movies. However, as in ALL films there are certain choices that have to be made for running time.

That scene with Jessica & her fiancee strikes me as one that was simply not necessary to include in the movie.

In the case of GF and GFII, we were lucky enough to get the tv saga (which from what I've read here FFC only did because of the huge amount of $$$ offered); otherwise those deleted scenes we treasure (some mistakenly, some not) may not have ever been seen at all.

Apple

I understand all that. But this topic was just to discuss if some of us would have placed some of the deleted scenes in the final cut. I would a copy of the film with all the scenes cut into the film, but not the chrono style

Yes, but sometimes as you can see, a thread can take on a direction of its own despite the efforts of the opening post.

Apple

Fair dues

I'm definitely for Strollo and Mosca's killing being in the main cut. Especially the Oar battering, that was stunningly filmed

I liked the marriage blessing scene. It expands a little on a Godfather's role in family/society.

I watched them the other day and noticed that one of the most mistakenly deleted scenes was right after or before the most pointless scene. I'll have a watch again...

The sceneI think should have been left in were when the Corleone's go to visit Genco at the hospital. We see the confrontational relationship b/w Vito & Michael (which better explains Michael's transformation IMO) as well as it being the only time we see Genco.

Definitely the scene where Michael tracks down Fabrizzio and has him whacked when he leaves his pizza place in Buffalo NY

That scene in the hospital also includes Vito's speech from the novel "what miracles (you) perform for strangers" or something along those lines, I liked that speech.

That scene has never seen the light of day, oh how I dream of seeing it

That scene is on the bonus disc -- is it not?

I think he meant the secret scene with Michael in the white suit with shotgun... the scene where Fabrizzio gets blown to bits is on the extras disc in the DVD.

I have the dvd set and I haven't seen that one

While I would like to see them all included in the movie, there are two scenes which I think were very important and should NOT have been edited out.

The first one is the Genco death scene. That scene should have been left in for the exact reasons that Turnbull posted above. I couldn't agree more.

The second scene, which I think was extremely important to the plot, was the one where Michael arrives at the Corleone Mall after finding out that his father has been shot, and when he walks into the house, we are shown Thresa Hagen sitting alongside Clemenza, outside the Don's office. When Michael enters the Don's office, we see Sonny and Tessio sitting there talking. Now I don't remember the exact dialogue, so I am going to paraphrase a bit here.

Sonny tells Michael to leave, that he may not like what he is going to hear from him and Tessio. So Michael tells him " He's my father too." Sonny says something like " Pop would kill me if he found out that I let you in on this stuff." But Michael refuses to leave. Sonny then says something like " Ok college boy, you're so smart, who set up the old man, was it Clemenza or Paulie?" and Michael sits there for a moment and then says " Nah, not Clemenza, It had to be Paulie." and Sonny tells him, "Yes you're right, our man in the phone company confirmed that by tracing the calls from a phone booth across the street from pop's office." So that scene tells us that Sonny immedeatly suspected Clemenza, and that is why he had Clemenza sit out of that meeting between him and Tessio. They were deciding and trying to find out if Clemenza was involved.

Now again, I may not have the exact dialogue down pat, but that is basically what took place in that scene. It clearifies the later scene which shows Sonny telling Clemenza to take care of Paulie, because he set up the old man. Without that deleted scene we are left to wonder how Sonny came to that conclusion.

Honorable mention goes to the scene where Sonny finds out that his father has been shot, so he goes into the Don's study to get a phone book out of the safe. We are shown Sonny glancing over at the Don's empty chair, and then he sits in a chair on the side of the Don's desk instead of in the Don's chair. To me that symbolized that at that moment, when he looks at the Don's empty chair, Sonny was too not sure if he could now "fill his father's shoes, or if he even wanted to. At that moment he had some doubt."

Some very important scenes.


Don Cardi

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think this is from a deleted scene.

Michael and Vito talking in the Garden.....and Michael says these words:

"You gave your word, I never gave mine"

That was a great scene, and I think it was a deleted one