The Godfather Part II

Its sequel, The Godfather, Part III, was released in 1990. Their work was a success, preserving this well-loved film for future generations, and a 30th anniversary re-issue in 1994 reinforced the film's popularity. The success of The Godfather Part II began the Hollywood tradition of numbered sequels, as with Rocky III, Halloween 2, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and many others. Katz were brought in to physically restore the film. Paramount Pictures 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. Harris and James C. 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" as the title. Film restorers Robert A.

The film has also been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. In the 1990s, the original film elements had fallen into disrepair from heavy printing and were feared in danger of total deterioration. Gazzo), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Lee Strasberg), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Talia Shire) and Best Costume Design. When Warners bought the film rights for the then-unprecedented sum of $5 million, it was agreed that the rights to the film would revert to CBS seven years after its release. It was also nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Al Pacino), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Michael V. The film's copyright is owned by CBS, as the head of that company put up the money for the original Broadway production in exchange for the rights to the cast album (through Columbia Records). In addition to Best Picture, The Godfather Part II won Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Robert De Niro), Academy Award for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Director (Francis Ford Coppola), Best Music, Original Dramatic Score (Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola) and Best Writing, Screenplay Adapted From Other Material. At the very least, she could actually sing, in contrast to Harrison, whose songs were mostly recitative.

In fact, some have commented that even while Coppola won Best Director for The Godfather, there is an equally good case for him to win the same award for The Conversation if he were nominated for that film. Film of some of Hepburn's original vocal performances for the film was released in the 1990s, and many fans of the actress believe that it was unnecessary for her voice to be dubbed. The Conversation was released to theaters in 1974 and was also nominated for Best Picture, resulting in Coppola being the only director in Hollywood history to have two films released in the same year nominated for Best Picture and competing for the same prize at the Academy Awards. Andrews' subsequent Academy Award nomination for Mary Poppins, which she won - and lack of a nomination for Hepburn - was seen by many as vindication for Julie Andrews, though both actresses denied that there was ever any animosity between them. In between The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, Coppola directed The Conversation, a story of a paranoid wiretapping and surveillance expert (played by Gene Hackman) who finds himself caught up in a possible murder plot. The controversy over the casting damaged Hepburn's career, painting her in a negative light (although Elizabeth Taylor reportedly fought long and hard for the role as well). The Godfather series remains the only series to win two awards for Best Picture award, however. Julie Andrews in fact became a screen star in her own right that same year in Mary Poppins.

The Godfather, Part II is one of only two sequels ever to win the Academy Award for Best Picture (the other being The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King). Opera singer Marni Nixon was cast to dub Hepburn's songs. Francis Coppola has suggested (perhaps retroactively) that the ambiguity of this plot reflects the double-dealings and betrayals of the underworld, in which no one can really trust anyone (despite the emphasis on "family" and "business" that is repeatedly stated throughout the series). Hepburn was cast, despite lobbying from Lerner, because Warner Brothers didn't want to cast a stage actress. The person responsible for this "mob hit" is never truly revealed, and some have said it is a weakness in the plot; however, audience members have generally chosen to overlook this plot point in favor of the overall story. The lead role in the film was originally intended for Julie Andrews, who played Eliza in the stage version. Some discussions and minor complaints from fans and film buffs focus upon one apparent plot hole in the story, involving an assassination attempt upon the Corleone family lieutenant in New York City, Frank Pentangeli (played by Michael Gazzo). It won Cukor an Academy Award for Directing, and ranked #91 on the American Film Institute's 100 Years, 100 Movies.

By the time the film's climax is reached, in a montage of death and murder that mirrors the climax of the first film, Michael has committed unforgivable sins and destroyed the heart of the family—and his own soul. The film was directed by George Cukor, and starred Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison and Stanley Holloway. Unlike his father, Michael finds himself in a changed world, where the Corleone family finds itself falling apart, even as Michael reaches to make the Corleone business more powerful than ever before. The stage musical was later made into a musical film, released in 1964 by Warner Bros. The "modern day" portion of the film takes place several years after Vito Corleone's death, and his son Michael Corleone's ascension to the role of the new Don. Harrison and Holloway reprised their roles in the film version, while Andrews was replaced by Audrey Hepburn and Robert Coote by Wilfrid Hyde-White. In a meticulous recreation of the Italian section of New York City at the beginning of the 20th Century, the audience experiences the early life of Vito Corleone, and his experiences with the Mafia: the murder of his father (first), brother (second) and mother (third) by a Sicilian crimelord; his flight to America, where he finds the mob in control of the Italian neighborhood of his new home; his beginnings as a petty thief, and his eventual rise to power as the new "Don." As in The Godfather, Vito Corleone portrays the mythical Mafia Don as a man of respect, someone who appears to be out to help his fellow men (despite the acts of murder and violence he commits). A contemporary version of the Pygmalion motif can be found in Willy Russell's play Educating Rita (1980).

This version of Vito is played by different actors at different ages, but the adult Vito is played by Robert DeNiro, who won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for a role in which, interestingly, he speaks almost no English-language dialogue. The ending of the musical was subtly changed from that of the play, in order to please audiences by a suggestion of budding romance between Eliza and Higgins. One storyline is the continuing story involving Michael Corleone in the 1950s; the other is a flashback sequence following his father, Vito, from his youth in Sicily up through the founding of the Corleone crime family in New York and the births of Michael and his siblings. Higgins' ungrateful treatment of her after this success leads Eliza to walk out on him, leaving the seemingly clueless Higgins mystified by her ungratefulness. The plot consists of two parallel storylines, and the film switches back and forth between them. The bet depends on Eliza passing as a gentlewoman at the 'embassy ball', which she does successfully despite the presence of a Hungarian phonetics expert at the ball who is completely taken in. Coppola then insisted upon complete creative control of the film and a minumum of studio interference, plus a sizable salary; Paramount Pictures agreed to these conditions, and Coppola committed himself to directing the sequel. Higgins, who dislikes the pretentiousness of these upper class people, partly conceals a grin behind his hand, as if to convey the message to the audience, "I wish I had said that!".

He initially suggested to Paramount that Martin Scorsese (who was still an up-and-coming director at the time, as well as a friend of Coppola) direct the sequel, but the studio refused. Higgins takes her on her first public appearance at Ascot Racecourse where she makes a good impression with her polite manners only to shock everyone by a sudden and vulgar lapse into cockney. Coppola stated that he was not in favor of directing a sequel to The Godfather, because he had waged a number of battles with the studio (and at one point was even danger of being fired from his position). At first Eliza makes no progress but just as she thinks the idea is hopeless she tries one more time, suddenly "gets it", and begins to talk with an impeccable upper class English accent. The film was written by Francis Ford Coppola from the original work by Mario Puzo, and was directed by Coppola. Higgins is impressed by the man's genuineness and natural gift for language, contrasting with his total lack of moral values ("Can't afford 'em!"). Many critics consider the sequel to be equal to (if not superior to) the original film in quality. Eliza's father, a dustman, arrives weeks later to reclaim his daughter, or at least some compensation for her loss and is paid off.

Gazzo, John Cazale, Talia Shire and Lee Strasberg. A wager is made with Colonel Pickering that Higgins cannot achieve this and he takes her on as a challenge of his skills free of charge. The movie also stars Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Michael V. Eliza finds her way to the professor's house and offers to pay the professor to give her elocution lessons so that she can get a better job. The movie follows the original Godfather film by alternating the story of a young Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro), with his son Michael's (Al Pacino) rise to control the Mob in Las Vegas. Henry Higgins, an arrogant, irascible professor of phonetics, finds an impoverished young woman, Eliza Doolittle, selling flowers, and boasts to a new acquaintance, Colonel Pickering, that he can train her to speak so "properly" that he could pass her off as a duchess. The Godfather, Part II is the 1974 sequel to The Godfather. The original Playbill and original cast album included art by Al Hirschfeld, which depicted Eliza Doolittle as a marionette being manipulated by Henry Higgins, whose own strings are being pulled by a heavenly puppeteer who looks like George Bernard Shaw.

Moss Hart directed the musical, Cecil Beaton designed the costumes, and Hanya Holm choreographed. It opened in London on 30th April 1958 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and ran for 2281 performances. It ran for 2717 performances, a Broadway record at the time. The stage musical first opened on March 15, 1956 at the Mark Hellinger Theatre in New York City.

in 1964. It was also made into a film by Warner Bros. My Fair Lady is a 1956 musical theater production with lyrics and book by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederic Loewe, adapted from George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. Robert Coote as Colonel Pickering.

Doolittle. Stanley Holloway as Alfred P. Julie Andrews as Eliza Doolittle. Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins.

"I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face". "Without You". "A Hymn to Him". "Get Me to the Church On Time".

"Show Me". "You Did It". "On the Street Where You Live". "Ascot Gavotte".

"I Could Have Danced All Night". "The Rain in Spain". "Just You Wait". "The Servants' Chorus".

"I'm an Ordinary Man". "With a Little Bit of Luck". "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?". "Why Can't the English?".