Throughout her storied career, the fiercely independent Diane Keaton defied the rules for women in Hollywood.
The news of the death of Diane Keaton at the age of 79 hit us like a truck. The Oscar-winning actress had felt like such an eternal presence on film, TV and stage that it didn’t seem all that unlikely that she would live forever.
For almost 60 years, Keaton was an enduring star whose spunky and self-effacing appeal only grew more potent as she aged. Her filmography, which contains some of the greatest American films ever made, revealed a talent of immense range and pathos from an individual who was so much more than the thrown-together quirk of “Annie Hall.” Of course, if all she had ever done was the acclaimed Woody Allen comedy then she’d still be one of the most iconic figures of 20th century cinema. That she did everything else is a reminder she was truly one of the greats.
After getting her start in theater — she was an understudy in the original Broadway production of “Hair” and received a Tony nomination for the Woody Allen comedy “Play It Again, Sam” — it didn’t take long for Keaton to land her first major movie role. And what a major movie. Francis Ford Coppola cast Keaton in “The Godfather” as Kay Adams, the WASP-y girlfriend of Michael Corleone and his only true connection to the world outside of his criminal family, because he appreciated her eccentricities. It was a brilliant decision.
Keaton is the beating heart of “The Godfather”, the optimistic and thoroughly independent alternative to the old Corleone ways. She’s a reminder of the real world amid this cloistered existence that seems flung out of time. And as Michael sinks deeper into the irrevocable moral rot of organized crime, it’s Kay whose reactions drive the loss home. That legendary ending simply does not work without that look of defeat and realization on Kay’s face as the door to Michael’s office closes.
