The Godfather Part II (1974)

The saga of the Corleone family continues as the story of young Vito Andolini growing up in early 20^th century Sicily and New York is juxtaposed with Michael Corleone in the 1950’s as he expands the family business into Las Vegas, Cuba and Hollywood.

Well, we’ve finally arrived: this is my favorite film of all time. “Whoa, you mean you like Part II more than Part I?” Absolutely. With a bigger budget, more studio support and the confidence and audacity to bring an even more ambitious film to the screen, The Godfather Part II is the definition of lightning striking twice. The parallel telling of Vito seizing the American Dream by the throat as his youngest son Michael is tearing it apart decades later makes this uniquely American story a tragedy of Greek proportions. As Michael fools himself into thinking his family will be legitimate in a matter of years, he has become so out of touch with his Italian roots that the band hired to play music for his son’s first communion does not know any traditional Italian music. Michael’s increasing isolation and paranoia is evidenced by the completely locked-down Corleone compound he has built for himself and his need to completely eliminate his enemies- it would seem that the destruction of the Five Families at the conclusion of the first film merely scratched the surface of Michael’s bloodlust that his father would have never allowed.

In addition to absolutely flawless direction, writing and cinematography, this film features the finest ensemble acting you will ever see. While it’s criminal that Pacino did not win an acting Oscar for this film, nearly the entire cast was nominated including wins for De Niro and Gazzo. De Niro perfectly recreates and reinvents the gravitas and mannerisms of fellow winner Brando for the same character, and Gazzo’s scene at the prison with Duvall before his demise is just as chilling as the Judas kiss between Michael and Fredo. Cazale brings a vulnerability combined with a simmering under the surface that makes all of his scenes incredibly powerful- his declaration of frustration over his station in the family and his subsequent banishment by Michael is one of the greatest scenes in any film.

While the climax of the film mirrors the more action-packed baptism finale of the original Godfather, this ending is the quiet knife that is far more intimate and ultimately much more destructive to Michael’s already-dwindling spirit. Despite his mother’s claims that one cannot truly lose their family, Michael commits the ultimate sin after her death which ensures that his family and his soul will be forever shattered. The final shot of an aging Michael alone in a park contemplating his choices and his mortality while the leaves fall around him is one of the most memorable and powerful in all of cinema. Those that prefer the original Godfather will claim that it’s the original and it has Brando and more memorable quotes so it has to be better, but I feel that this film has more room to breathe and tell it’s story without establishing the characters and the traditions or rules of the Mafia- essentially, the original Godfather is necessary for this film’s greatness but Part II also makes Part I better. 1990’s controversial and less-appreciated The Godfather Part III is actually an excellent character study of Michael, and him coming to grips with the consequences and inevitability of his choices despite his efforts to redeem himself. I highly recommend it to everyone despite a more negative reputation; nevertheless, The Godfather Part II remains for me the heart and backbone of the greatest trilogy of all time and the finest film I have ever seen.

I don't really have very much to add.  I think I really like part one better but part two is pretty darn good too.  Now that I've seen the Godfather (all three parts) a lot more references in many movies make so much sense to me.  Since watching it, I have noticed that references for this film are everywhere!  We see mirrors in plot in many modern ways.  If you have time, I wrote a post about how Arrested Development is basically humorous, non-violent Godfather that you might find interesting… however, I understand you just read quite a bit about the film already!!! http://katie-wolf.blogspot.com/2011/10/godfather-meets-arrested-development.html

Originally the actors in the flashback scenes wore pants with zippers. One of the musicians pointed out that the zipper had not been invented at that time, so some scenes had to be re-shot with button-fly trousers.

Michael Corleone: There are many things my father taught me here in this room. He taught me: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.