The Godfather Part II is a follow-up to 1972’s The Godfather that serves as both a sequel and a prequel as it deals with two parallel storylines. This film picks up where the first one left off, with Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) expanding his family's influence and power in Nevada. Seeking to separate from the tumultuous state of affairs in New York, the Corleone family has moved to a compound in Lake Tahoe where Michael can oversee their gambling interests. One of his supporters in this new venture is a powerful man named Hyman Roth (Lee Strasberg), who's running an operation down in Cuba and looking for Michael to return the favor by investing in his ventures down south. This relationship becomes difficult when Michael is visited by Frank Pentangeli (Michael Gazzo), who the Corleone's left in charge of their New York affairs. Frank seeks Michael's permission to kill the rival Rosato Brothers in in New York, but Michael refuses due to the brother's connections with Roth (and his desire to maintain a good relationship with Roth). The decision angers Frank and leads to an assassination attempt on Michael's life. Intent on finding out who put the lives of his family at risk, Michael sets a trap by visiting Hyman Roth in Cuba and divulging the identity of the man who ordered the hit. At the same time, he informs Frank that Roth was responsible for the attempt on his life, and bides his time while the cards fall into place.
In between this continuing storyline set during the 1950s, we the audience are shown flashbacks of a younger Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) before the full establishment of the organized crime syndicate. Following a harrowing escape from Italy, the young Vito grows up as a poor orphaned immigrant in the bowels of New York City. He eventually finds a wife, begins a family, and settles down for a modest living as clerk at a local shop. However, he remains keenly aware of a heavy-handed enforcer named Don Fanucci (Gastone Moschin), who throws his weight around the neighborhood and demands payment from the local businessmen. When Vito loses his job due to orders given by Fanucci, Vito befriends a local thief (Bruno Kirby) and resorts to petty crime in order to feed his family. Fanucci learns of their little business venture and soon comes calling, but Vito is far more clever than anyone imagined.
In between this continuing storyline set during the 1950s, we the audience are shown flashbacks of a younger Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) before the full establishment of the organized crime syndicate. Following a harrowing escape from Italy, the young Vito grows up as a poor orphaned immigrant in the bowels of New York City. He eventually finds a wife, begins a family, and settles down for a modest living as clerk at a local shop. However, he remains keenly aware of a heavy-handed enforcer named Don Fanucci (Gastone Moschin), who throws his weight around the neighborhood and demands payment from the local businessmen. When Vito loses his job due to orders given by Fanucci, Vito befriends a local thief (Bruno Kirby) and resorts to petty crime in order to feed his family. Fanucci learns of their little business venture and soon comes calling, but Vito is far more clever than anyone imagined.
Following the success of the first film, Francis Ford Coppola was given more control over production. One of his decisions was to use ‘Part II’ in the title, which the executives at Paramount were originally reluctant to at first as they felt audiences wouldn’t be interested in seeing an addition to a story they had already seen. Only three weeks prior to the release, critics and journalists pronounced Part II as a disaster. The cross-cutting between Vito and Michael's parallel stories were judged too frequent, not allowing enough time to leave a lasting impression on the audience. Coppola and his editors returned to the cutting room to change the film's narrative structure, but could not complete the work in time.
After having premiered in New York City over a week earlier, The Godfather Part II was released nationwide on December 20th, 1974. The critical response at the time was mixed with praise for the acting and cinematography, but criticisms for its slow-pacing and convoluted storyline. Though the film still had its fair share of champions, especially those who thought it was superior to the first film. On April 8th, 1975, The Godfather Part II won 6 Academy Awards for Best Picture (making it the first sequel to have ever received this honor), Best Director (Francis Ford Coppola), Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro), Best Adapted Screenplay (Coppola & Mario Puzo), Best Art Direction, and Best Original Dramatic Score. Over the years, critics have reevaluated the film as not only one of the best sequels ever made, but as one of the greatest movies of all time.
After having premiered in New York City over a week earlier, The Godfather Part II was released nationwide on December 20th, 1974. The critical response at the time was mixed with praise for the acting and cinematography, but criticisms for its slow-pacing and convoluted storyline. Though the film still had its fair share of champions, especially those who thought it was superior to the first film. On April 8th, 1975, The Godfather Part II won 6 Academy Awards for Best Picture (making it the first sequel to have ever received this honor), Best Director (Francis Ford Coppola), Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro), Best Adapted Screenplay (Coppola & Mario Puzo), Best Art Direction, and Best Original Dramatic Score. Over the years, critics have reevaluated the film as not only one of the best sequels ever made, but as one of the greatest movies of all time.
And thankfully, Warren Beatty was handed the right envelope for Best Picture.