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The Godfather Part II
original movie poster
Directed by	Francis Ford Coppola
Written by	Mario Puzo Francis Ford Coppola
Produced by	Francis Ford Coppola Gray Frederickson Fred Roos
Starring	Al Pacino Robert Duvall Diane Keaton Robert De Niro John Cazale Talia Shire Lee Strasberg
Music by	Nino Rota Carmine Coppola
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release dates	December 12, 1974 (première) December 20, 1974
Running time	200 min.
Languages	English, Sicilian, Latin
Budget	$13,000,000 (est.)

The Godfather Part II is a 1974 motion picture directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script he co-wrote with Mario Puzo. The film is both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather, chronicling the story of the Corleone family following the events of the first film while also depicting the rise to power of the young Vito Corleone.

Unusually for a sequel, The Godfather Part II is a film of very high quality, sometimes considered as good as or better than the original. It is ranked as the third best movie of all time by the Internet Movie Database, with its predecessor, The Godfather, ranked as number one, and the American Film Institute lists it as #32 (with the original at #3).

The Godfather Part II has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

Cast

• Al Pacino as Don Michael Corleone
• Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen
• Diane Keaton as Kay Corleone
• Robert De Niro as young Vito Corleone
• John Cazale as Fredo Corleone
• Talia Shire as Connie Corleone
• Lee Strasberg as Hyman Roth
• Michael V. Gazzo as Frankie Pentangeli
• G.D. Spradlin as Senator Pat Geary
• Richard Bright as Al Neri
• Dominic Chianese as Johnny Ola
• James Caan as Sonny Corleone (cameo)
• Giuseppe Sillato as Don Ciccio

Synopsis

Template:Spoiler The Godfather Part II presents two parallel storylines. One involves Mafia chief Michael Corleone in 1958/1959 after the events of the first movie; the other is a series of flashbacks following his father, Vito Corleone from 1917 to 1925, from his youth in Sicily (1901) to the founding of the Corleone family in New York.

The film begins in 1901, in the town of Corleone in Sicily, at the funeral of young Vito's father, Antonio Andolini, who has been murdered for an insult to the local Mafia lord, Don Ciccio. During the procession, Vito's older brother is murdered because he swore revenge on the Don. Vito's mother goes to Ciccio to beg for mercy, but he refuses, knowing that nine year old Vito will seek revenge later in life. The mother takes Ciccio hostage at knifepoint, allowing her son to escape, and Ciccio's men kill her. They search the town for the boy, but he is aided in his escape by the townspeople. Vito finds his way by ship to New York, and at Ellis Island an immigration agent confuses Vito's hometown with his surname, and he is registered as "Vito Corleone".

In the late 1950s, in a scene similar to the opening of the first film, Michael Corleone, Godfather of the Corleone family, deals with various business and family problems during an elaborate party at his Lake Tahoe, Nevada compound to celebrate his son's First Communion. He meets with Nevada Senator Pat Geary, who despises the Corleones, to discuss the price of the gaming licenses for the hotel/casinos the Family is buying.

Michael also deals with his out-of-control sister, Connie, who is recently divorced but already plans to remarry a man with no obvious means of support, who Michael disapproves of. He also talks with Johnny Ola, the right hand man of Jewish gangster Hyman Roth, who is supporting Michael's move into the gambling industry. Belatedly, Michael deals with Frank "Five Angels" Pentangeli, who took over Corleone caporegime Peter Clemenza's territory after his death, and now has problems with the Rosato Brothers, who are backed by Roth. Pentangeli leaves abruptly, after telling Michael "your father did business with Hyman Roth, your father respected Hyman Roth, but your father never trusted Hyman Roth."

Later that night, an assassination attempt is made on Michael, which he survives when his wife Kay notices the bedroom window drapes are inexplicably open. Afterwards, Michael tells Tom Hagen that the hit was made with the help of someone close, and that he must leave, entrusting all his power to Hagen to protect his family.

In 1917, the adult Vito Corleone works in a New York grocery store with his friend Genco Abbandando. The neighborhood is controlled by a member of the "The Black Hand," Don Fanucci, who extorts protection payments from local businesses. One night, Vito's neighbor Clemenza asks him to hide a stash of guns for him, and later, to repay the favor, takes him to a fancy apartment where they commit their first felony together, stealing an elegant rug.

Michael meets Hyman Roth in Florida and tells him that he believes Frank Pentangeli was responsible for the assassination attempt, and that Pentangeli will pay for it. Traveling to Brooklyn, Michael lets Pentangeli know that Roth was actually behind it, and that Michael has a plan to deal with Roth, but he needs Frankie to cooperate with the Rosato Brothers in order to put Roth off guard. When Pentangeli goes to meet with the Rosatos, he is told "Michael Corleone says hello," as he is attacked from behind — but the attempted hit is accidentally interrupted by a policeman. Frankie is left for dead, and his bodyguard, Willie Cicci, is struck by a car.

In Nevada, Tom Hagen is called to a brothel run by Michael's older brother Fredo, where Senator Geary is implicated in the death of a prostitute, and Tom offers to take care of the problem in return for "friendship" between the Senator and the Corleone family.

Meanwhile, Michael meets Roth in Havana, Cuba, in late 1958, at the time when dictator Fulgencio Batista is soliciting American investment, and communist guerrillas are trying to bring down the government. At a birthday party for Roth, Michael mentions that there is a possibility that the rebels might win, making their business dealings in Cuba problematic. The comment prompts Roth to remark, privately, that Michael hasn't delivered the two million dollars to form their partnership.

Fredo arrives in Havana carrying the money, and when Michael mentions Hyman Roth and Johnny Ola, Fredo says he has never met them. Michael confides to his brother that it was Roth who tried to kill him, and that he plans to try again. Michael assures Fredo that he has already made his move, and that "Hyman Roth will never see the New Year."

Instead of turning over the money to Roth, Michael asks him who gave the order to have Frank Pentangeli killed. Hyman Roth avoids the question, instead speaking angrily of the murder of his old friend, Moe Greene, which Michael had orchestrated (as depicted at the end of the first film).

Michael has asked Fredo, who knows Havana well, to show Senator Geary and other important officials and businessmen a good time, during which Fredo pretends to not recognize Johnny Ola. Soon after, at a sex show, Fredo comments loudly that Johnny Ola told him about the place, contradicting what he told Michael twice earlier, that he didn't know Roth or Ola. Michael now realizes that the traitor is his own brother, and dispatches his bodyguard to deal with Roth.

Johnny Ola is strangled, but Roth, in a delicate state, is taken to a hospital, where Michael's enforcer is shot trying to kill him. At Batista's New Year's Eve party, at the stroke of midnight, Michael grasps Fredo tightly by the head and kisses him: "I know it was you Fredo; you broke my heart." When guerillas attack, the guests flee, but Fredo refuses to go with Michael, despite Michael's pleas that Fredo is still his brother and that it's the only way out.

Michael returns to his Lake Tahoe compound, where Hagen tells him that Roth escaped Cuba after suffering a stroke and is recovering in Miami, that Michael's bodyguard is dead, and that Fredo is probably hiding in New York. Hagen also informs Michael that Kay had a miscarriage while he was away.

Don Fanucci of the Black Hand is now aware of the partnership between Vito, Clemenza and Sal Tessio, and wants his share. Clemenza and Tessio agree to pay, but Vito is reluctant and asks his friends to leave everything in his hands so Fanucci will accept less — and indeed, Vito manages to get Fanucci to take only one sixth of what he demanded (100 of 600 dollars). Immediately afterwards, during the neighborhood festa, Vito murders Fanucci. With Fanucci dead, Vito earns the respect of the neighborhood and begins to intercede in local disputes, operating out of the storefront of his Genco Olive Oil Company (named after his friend Genco Abbandando).

In Washington, D.C., a Senate committee, of which Senator Geary is a member, is conducting an investigation into the Corleone family. They question disaffected "soldier" Willie Cicci, but he cannot implicate Michael, because he never received any direct orders from him. When Michael appears before the committee, Senator Geary makes a big show of supporting Italian-Americans and then excuses himself from the proceedings. Michael makes a statement challenging the committee to produce a witness to corroborate the charges against him. The hearing ends with the Chairman promising a witness who will do exactly that.

Frank Pentangeli, who did not die in the attack by the Rosato Brothers, has made a deal with the FBI, and will testify against Michael. Tom Hagen and Michael discuss the problem, observing that Roth's strategy to destroy Michael is well planned. Michael's brother Fredo has been found and persuaded to return to Nevada, and in a private meeting he explains to Michael his betrayal: upset about being passed over to head the family in favor of Michael, he wants respect and his due. He helped Roth thinking there would be something in it for him, but he swears he didn't know they wanted to kill Michael. He also tells Michael that the Senate Committee's chief counsel is Roth's man. Michael then tells Fredo: "You're nothing to me now. Not a brother, not a friend, nothing", and instructs Rocco Lampone that nothing is to happen to Fredo while their mother is still alive.

At the hearing in which Pentangeli is to testify, Michael arrives accompanied by Pentangeli's brother, whose presence causes Frank to recant his previous statements about Michael. When Pentangeli is pressed, he claims that he just told the FBI what they wanted to hear. With no witness to testify against Michael the committee adjourns, with Hagen, acting as Michael's lawyer, loudly demanding an apology.

At a hotel room afterwards, Kay tries to leave Michael, taking their children with her. Michael tries to mollify her, but loses his temper and hits her violently when she reveals to him that her recent "miscarriage" was actually an abortion.

While visiting Sicily, Vito is introduced to the elderly Don Ciccio as the man who imports their olive oil to America, and who wants his blessing. When Ciccio asks Vito who his father was, Vito says, "My father's name is Antonio Andolini, and this is for you!", cutting the old man's stomach open with a knife, avenging the death of his father, mother, and brother.

When Carmella Corleone, Vito's widow and the mother of his children, dies, the whole Corleone family is reunited. Michael is still shunning Fredo, who is miserable, but relents when Connie implores him too. Michael and Fredo embrace, but at the same time Michael signals to his capo that Fredo's protection from harm, in effect while their mother lived, has now run out.

Michael, Tom Hagen, and Rocco Lampone discuss their final dealings with Hyman Roth, who was been unsuccessfully seeking asylum from various countries, and was even refused entry to Israel as a returning Jew. Michael rejects Hagen's advice that the Corleone family is strong enough, and that it's not necessary to kill the Rosatos and Roth for revenge. Later, Hagen pays a visit to Frank Pentangeli on a military base and suggests that he take his own life, in the manner of the ancient Romans who, in return, were promised that their families would be taken care of after their suicide.

With the connivance of Connie, Kay visits her children, but can't bear to leave them and stays too long. When Michael arrives, he coldly closes the door in her face.

The Godfather Part II reaches its climax in a montage of assassinations and death, reminiscent of the end of The Godfather. As he arrives at an airport to be taken into custody, Hyman Roth is killed by Rocco Lampone disguised as a journalist, and Lampone is shot as a result. On the military base, Frank Pentangeli is found dead, having followed Hagen's instructions of suicide. Finally, Fredo is murdered by Al Neri while they are fishing on Lake Tahoe - while Fredo is saying a Hail Mary to help catch a fish.

It's now 1941, and the Corleone family is preparing a surprise birthday party for Vito. Sonny introduces Carlo Rizzi, Connie's future husband and betrayer of Sonny, to his family. They all talk about the recent attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, and Michael shocks everybody by announcing that he's just enlisted in the Marines. Sonny ridicules Michael's choice, and Tom Hagen mentions how his father has great expectations for Michael. Fredo is the only one who supports his brother's decision. Sal Tessio comes in with the cake for the party, and when Vito arrives, all but Michael leave to greet him.

The final scene in the film is Michael sitting by himself at Lake Tahoe, in silent contemplation.

Template:Endspoiler

Reaction

Critically, The Godfather Part II can be considered the most successful sequel in movie history. Many critics praise it as equal, or even superior, to the original film. The Internet Movie Database consistently ranks this movie in the top five of its "Top 250 movies of all time", as voted by its users. The film also regularly ranks independently on many "greatest movies" lists. The Godfather Part II is ranked as the #1 greatest movie of all time in TV Guide Magazines "50 Best Movies of all time", and it is ranked at #7 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the "100 Greatest Movies of All Time". The film is also featured on movie critic Leonard Maltin's list of the "100 Must-See Films of the 20th Century" and is also ranked at #32 on the American Film Institute's "100 Years... 100 Movies". The Godfather Part II was featured on Sight and Sound's list of the ten greatest films of all time in 1992 and 2002.

Awards

The Godfather Part II is the first of only two sequels ever to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. The Godfather series remains the only film series to win two Academy Awards for Best Picture.

In between The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, Coppola directed The Conversation, which was released to theaters in 1974 and was also nominated for Best Picture. This resulted in Coppola being the second director in Hollywood history to have two films released in the same year nominated for Best Picture, competing with himself for the same prize at the Academy Awards. (The first was Sir Alfred Hitchcock in 1941 with Foreign Correspondent and Rebecca, which won. This achievement was matched by Steven Soderbergh in 2000, when the films Erin Brockovich and Traffic were nominated for Best Picture.)

Sequels

In the director's commentary on the DVD edition of the film (released in 2002), Coppola states that this film was the first major motion picture to use "Part II" in its title. Paramount was initially opposed to his decision to name the movie The Godfather Part II. According to Coppola, the studio's objection stemmed from the belief that audiences would be reluctant to see a film with such a title, as the audience would supposedly believe that, having already seen The Godfather, there was little reason to see an addition to the original story. The success of The Godfather Part II began the Hollywood tradition of numbered sequels. In fact, despite Coppola's claim, the first numbered sequel was Quatermass 2, released in 1957 although that film was released in the US as Enemy from Space.

Trivia

• The Godfather Part II was shot between October 1, 1973 and June 19, 1974.
• Robert De Niro's performance as Don Corleone (a role originated by Best Actor winner Marlon Brando) won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Brando and De Niro remain the only two actors to each win Oscars for playing the same character.
• De Niro had auditioned for the part of Sonny Corleone in The Godfather. He was instead cast as Paulie Gatto, the soldier who betrays the family. Al Pacino was working on the 1973 release Bang the Drum Slowly, but feeling that Pacino was a good fit for the part of Michael, Francis Ford Coppola pulled strings and got Pacino released. De Niro then replaced Pacino in Bang the Drum Slowly, giving up the part of Paulie in doing so. Remembering De Niro's talent, Coppola brought De Niro back to play young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II.
• Of all the films on the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies list, this was the only sequel. This is ranked #32 (with the original ranking #3).
• In one early draft of the script, Tom Hagen had an affair with Sonny's widow, causing some friction amongst the Corleone family. This sub-plot was soon cut from the script.
• James Caan agreed to reprise the role of Sonny in the birthday flashback sequence on the condition that for the single scene he be paid the same amount he received for the entire last film. He got his wish. Marlon Brando was also asked to return for the brief but important birthday flashback sequence, but the actor felt mistreated by the board at Paramount, and refused to appear for a single day's shooting.
• Also declining to appear in the film was Richard Castellano, who portrayed Pete Clemenza in the first film. The character that ultimately became Frankie Pentangeli was originally intended to be Clemenza. However, Castellano and the producers could not reach agreement on Castellano's demands that he be allowed to write the character's dialogue in the film.
• Bruno Kirby (billed in the credits as B. Kirby, Jr.) plays a younger version of Clemenza. In the television series The Super, Kirby played Castellano's son.
• The Godfather Part II was the last major American motion picture to be filmed in Technicolor.
• Dominic Chianese, Uncle Corrado "Junior" Soprano in The Sopranos, plays the role of "Johnny Ola" in his film debut.
• United States Senator Pat Geary of Nevada, G.D. Spradlin. At the time of Godfather II, 1959, the real US Senators were Alan H. Bible, (D-NV) and Howard W. Cannon, (D-NV).
• The scene in which Vito negotiates with Don Fanucci inspired George Lucas's deleted (later restored) scene in Star Wars: A New Hope, in which Han Solo negotiates with Jabba for more time to pay the money he owes.
• This was the first film that featured both Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. However, they wouldn't appear on screen together until Michael Mann's Heat in 1995.
• Among the Senators interrogating Willie Cicci, Michael Corleone, and Frankie Pentangeli are film producer/director Roger Corman, producer Phil Feldman, and science-fiction writer Richard Matheson.
• The film won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay even though only half of the film was adapted from the novel. Michael's story was an original creation, while Vito's story was taken from the novel.
• An actor who appears in The Godfather I, when Carlo is hit by Sonny, play in the II Genco Abbandando (Frank Sivero).
• The character Hyman Roth, portrayed by Lee Strasberg, in the film The Godfather Part II (1974) is based on Meyer Lansky. In fact, shortly after the premiere in 1974, Lansky phoned Strasberg and congratulated him on a good performance, but added "You could've made me more sympathetic".
• The theme heard during the scene when Vito Corleone kills Fanucci was sampled by NaS for his song "Black Republican" (feat. Jay-Z).
• Peter Donat's character, Questadt the Senate lawyer, was said by Coppola to have been inspired by Richard Nixon.

References

1. "IMDB Top 250". Retrieved April 26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
2. [[cite web | title=AFI 100 Years 100 Movies | url=http://www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/movies.aspx | accessdate=April 26 | accessyear=2007 }}
3. The other sequel to win an Academy Aware for Best Picture is The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The Silence of the Lambs, the 1991 winner for the Academy Award for Best Picture, is not considered to be an official sequel to Manhunter).
4. Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies

External links

• The Godfather Part II at IMDb
• Template:Filmsite
• The Godfather Trilogy

Template:Pacino movies Template:De Niro movies

• 1974 films
• American films
• Best Picture Academy Award winners
• Films whose director won the Best Director Academy Award
• Drama films
• English-language films
• Films based on fiction books
• Films directed by Francis Ford Coppola
• Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winning performance
• Films over three hours long
• Italian-language films
• Latin-language films
• Mafia films
• Paramount films
• Sequel films
• Spanish-language films
• The Godfather
• United States National Film Registry
• New York City in fiction