With some make up done to make him look younger, and some hair dye, could De Niro still convincingly play a middle aged Vito (IE a Vito somewhere between 1925 and 1945)?

I think instead of a "Godfather IV" focusing on the decline and fall of the Family from the '80s to the '90s under Vincent, they should do a film which focuses on the rest of Vito's rise to being a kingpin between 1925 and 1945--The organizing of the Five Families and Commission by Vito, the recruitment of Luca, Sonny's entrance into the Family, the first war...Maybe stopping at when Vito buys the house in Long Beach in 1939. Sort of like how GF I ends as Michael is selling the house in Long Beach in 1955.

Or do what GF II did--show Vito's rise to greatness and power from 1925-1939, contrasting it with the final decline and end of the Corleone Family under Vincent in the '80s-'90s.

Like have it pick up maybe a few years after GF III--Maybe 1983--and have it end in 1993 in an ending similar to the fate Escobar met: Shot to death with a crumbled empire. Or base Vincent's end on John Gotti's or something, basically Vincent leading the Family to degradation to a return to street-like rule and drugs...Basically, being what his father would've been in peace time.

Meanwhile, you'd see Vito rising to the heights of power honorably.

No. DeNiro is 70 -- anywhere from 20-40 years older than Vito in the time period in question.

Makeup and hair dye can work some miracles, but not 40 years worth of them.

They can make De Niro as old as they want with the latest CGI technology.

Well, with "The Irishman" CGI can make you look "younger" too.

Wow. Six years ago. Very prophetic.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, all this CGI de-aging works to an extent (De Niro, Pesci and Pacino could all pass for a 53 year old in The Irishman at different stages), but until they work out how to make their physical movements less geriatric I'm still unconvinced.

When I first saw The Irishman trailer, I was struck by how frail Al Pacino's body language was, particularly in the courtroom scene.

And I maintain that the scene where De Niro beats up a grocery store clerk was uncomfortable to watch for all the wrong reasons.

There is a trade-off in the sense that this was the last hurrah for Scorsese, De Niro, Pacino, Pesci and Keitel to all work together, and the gravitas they brought made it work, but I'd argue against this becoming a regular thing in the long run.

There is a lot of goodwill and respect towards the director and main players in The Irishman that would count against other features replicating this initiative going forward.

I believe that The Irishman was verging toward, dare I say it, mediocrity, before the final third brought some serious emotional heft - and De Niro and Pesci were acting their age for those parts.

Yes to all above but.........

I neva say Neva

I'm sure he could play an older Vito

Reflecting on the Young Vito Character. I found him very likeable. Ok, aside from maybe a couple things, like fact that he went back to Sicily to knife Don Ciccio.

The famous pear scene, when he smiled as Mama Corleone commented on the pear. Sitting on the stoop with Sonny & Michael. He actually seemed fatherly. He had more of a heart than Michael no?


TIS

WOW, I just mentioned today the scene of Vito bringing the Pear home , to my wife after watching Produce Pete this morning.