Film: The Godfather Part II
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Country: USA
Released: December 1974
Runtime: 202 minutes
Genre: Gangster Movie
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Influenced: Spike Lee, Paul Thomas Anderson, Michael Mann, Guillermo del Toro, Ava DuVernay
After the monumental success of the first Godfather film, director Francis Ford Coppola and screenwriter Mario Puzo partnered once again to bring the continuation of their mafia saga to life. There is and forever will be a debate about which is the superior film, and I've changed my mind a few times over the years, but on this latest rewatch of both movies The Godfather Part II just edges it for me. For me, the sequel is more expansive than the original in terms of themes, locations and narrative scope, and for Marlon Brando we have a worthy replacement in Robert De Niro. Initially reluctant to make a sequel, Coppola was persuaded by the idea of creating a dual narrative that juxtaposed the rise of Vito Corleone with his son Michael's struggle to maintain power. In effect, we get two films in one with The Godfather Part II, an origin story and a sequel.
In the late 19th century, we see a young Vito Andolini from Corleone, Sicily, whose father and brother are killed by a local mafia boss, Don Ciccio. After his mother is also killed, Vito escapes to New York and is given the surname Corleone by an immigration official. As an adult, Vito starts out as a good immigrant working in the shop of his friend but then loses his job when local gangster Don Fanucci (known as Mano Negra) demands his nephew is given the job instead. This act creates the space in which Vito will grow to become a criminal, in collaboration with his new friend Clemenza. In the way that Vito outlines his plan to his friends about how he will handle Don Fanucci, we see an echo from the first film of the way Michael calmly and confidently lays out his plan to deal with Sollozzo and McCluskey.
The sequel introduces new locations, such as Cuba and Lake Tahoe, in addition to the familiar New York setting, and delves deeper into themes of power, family, loyalty and the corrupting influence of violence and ambition. Michael's haunted look throughout the film reflects the heavy burden that comes with being a mafia boss, and the phrase "heavy is the head that wears the crown" aptly describes the weight of responsibility and the toll it takes on him. Michael has moved the family's operations to Nevada and is attempting to expand into Havana. His rule is marked by increasing paranoia and violence, with threats on multiple fronts (rival bosses, legal action, complex business deals, etc) and Michael also has to grapple with betrayal by his brother Fredo (John Cazale).
"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer"
Michael lives out his father's dictum to thrilling effect in the film, playing off his two main rivals Frank Pentangeli and Hyman Roth against each other with true cunning. Roth, played by Lee Strasberg, is largely based on the notorious gangster Meyer Lansky, who was a key real-life figure in the Jewish mob and closely associated with the Italian-American mafia. The gift of the golden telephone by the Cuban President to Roth in the film was based on an actual historical event. However, the fall of Batista and the rise of Fidel Castro, which occurred shortly after the scene with the golden telephone, demonstrated how fleeting and precarious this power could be. The subsequent change in regime led to the expulsion of the mob from Cuba, a significant blow to their operations. In this sense, the golden telephone can also be seen as a symbol of hubris and the transitory nature of power.
One of the innovations of The Godfather Part II was its daring choice to kill off a beloved character (Fredo), showing that no one in Michael's world was safe, even his own family. This decision added a dark dimension to the film and the character of Michael. His moral decay and ultimate isolation, culminating in The Godfather Part III, is rightly considered one of cinema's most compelling character arcs, leaving a lasting legacy on how complex antiheroes are portrayed in film and TV. The Godfather Part II was the first sequel to win the Oscar for Best Picture, a testament to its narrative and cinematic quality. It also garnered awards for Best Director (Coppola), Best Supporting Actor (De Niro) and Best Adapted Screenplay.
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