The Godfather Part IIThe Godfather, Part II is the 1974 sequel to The Godfather. 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. The movie also stars Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Michael V. Gazzo, John Cazale, Talia Shire and Lee Strasberg. Many critics consider the sequel to be equal to (if not superior to) the original film in quality. The film was written by Francis Ford Coppola from the original work by Mario Puzo, and was directed by Coppola. 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). 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. 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. PlotSpoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.The plot consists of two parallel storylines, and the film switches back and forth between them. 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. 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. 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). 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. 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. 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. 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). 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. 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). Critical acclaimThe 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). The Godfather series remains the only series to win two awards for Best Picture award, however. 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 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. 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. 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. It was also nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Al Pacino), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Michael V. Gazzo), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Lee Strasberg), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Talia Shire) and Best Costume Design. The film has also been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. SequelsIn 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. 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. 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. Its sequel, The Godfather, Part III, was released in 1990. This page about The Godfather Part II includes information from a Wikipedia article. Additional articles about The Godfather Part II News stories about The Godfather Part II External links for The Godfather Part II Videos for The Godfather Part II Wikis about The Godfather Part II Discussion Groups about The Godfather Part II Blogs about The Godfather Part II Images of The Godfather Part II |
|
Its sequel, The Godfather, Part III, was released in 1990. A 1953 remake starred Danny Thomas and Peggy Lee, and a 1980 remake starred Neil Diamond, Lucie Arnaz and Laurence Olivier. 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. The Jazz Singer has been remade twice. 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. The movie is one of those selected for preservation by the American National Film Registry as culturally significant. 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. The song was enough, however, to create a sensation among moviegoing audiences of the day and prompt an immediate revolution in the Hollywood movie industry. The film has also been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. The rest of the film's soundtrack is instrumental musical accompaniment, with most of the dialogue presented through the standard caption cards prevalent in silent movies of the era. Gazzo), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Lee Strasberg), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Talia Shire) and Best Costume Design. Despite becoming famous for introducing sound, the movie contains only a few minutes' worth of actual singing and dialogue. Jolson sings the famous standard "Mammy" twice during the film, with a couple of lines of dialogue. It was also nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Al Pacino), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Michael V. Up-and-coming cast member:. 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. The movie was the first of a series of "talkies" starring Jolson; other films in the series included The Singing Fool (1928), Say It With Songs (1929), and Mammy (1930). 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. The film opened the door to the evolution of sound film and signaled the end of the era of the silent film. 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. The movie opened on October 6, 1927 and was a sensational box-office hit, proving to Hollywood (and to the world) that "talkies" were profitable. 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. When Warner Brothers refused to meet Jessel's salary demands, Jessel turned the part down and Warner Brothers chose Jolson for the role. The Godfather series remains the only series to win two awards for Best Picture award, however. The stage production of the show had been a hit on Broadway in 1925 and a second production in 1927 with George Jessel in the lead role. 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). Released by Warner Bros., it was directed by Alan Crosland and starred Al Jolson, who performed two songs in blackface. 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). movie notable for being the first 'talking motion picture' to be widely commercially distributed. 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 Jazz Singer is a 1927 U.S. 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). Jack Robin (Al Jolson): "Wait a minute, wait a minute, you ain't heard nothin' yet! Wait a minute, I tell ya! You ain't heard nothin'! You wanna hear 'Toot, Toot, Tootsie'? All right, hold on, hold on...". 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. Cohn. 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. Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay - Alfred A. 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. Myrna Loy : Chorus girl. 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). Richard Tucker : Harry Lee. 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. Otto Lederer : Moisha Yudelson. 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. Eugenie Besserer : Sara Rabinowitz. The plot consists of two parallel storylines, and the film switches back and forth between them. Warner Oland : Cantor Rabinowitz. 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. May McAvoy : Mary Dale. 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. Al Jolson : Jakie Rabinowitz (Jack Robin). 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). The film was written by Francis Ford Coppola from the original work by Mario Puzo, and was directed by Coppola. Many critics consider the sequel to be equal to (if not superior to) the original film in quality. Gazzo, John Cazale, Talia Shire and Lee Strasberg. The movie also stars Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Michael V. 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. The Godfather, Part II is the 1974 sequel to The Godfather. |