The Godfather: Part II (1974)

The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York is portrayed while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on his crime syndicate stretching from Lake Tahoe, Nevada to pre-revolution 1958 Cuba.

Director:

Francis Ford Coppola

Writers:

Francis Ford Coppola (screenplay), Mario Puzo (screenplay),

Stars:

Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton

Top 250 #3 | Won 6 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Al Pacino	...	Michael
Robert Duvall	...	Tom Hagen
Diane Keaton	...	Kay
Robert De Niro	...	Vito Corleone (as Robert DeNiro)
John Cazale	...	Fredo Corleone
Talia Shire	...	Connie Corleone
Lee Strasberg	...	Hyman Roth
Michael V. Gazzo	...	Frankie Pentangeli
G.D. Spradlin	...	Senator Pat Geary
Richard Bright	...	Al Neri
Gastone Moschin	...	Fanucci (as Gaston Moschin)
Tom Rosqui	...	Rocco Lampone
Bruno Kirby	...	Young Clemenza (as B. Kirby Jr.)
Frank Sivero	...	Genco
Francesca De Sapio	...	Young Mama Corleone (as Francesca de Sapio)

Storyline

The continuing saga of the Corleone crime family tells the story of a young Vito Corleone growing up in Sicily and in 1910s New York; and follows Michael Corleone in the 1950s as he attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba.

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Plot Keywords:

new york | cuba | 1910s | 1920s | lake tahoe nevada | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian Spanish Latin Sicilian

Release Date:

20 December 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mario Puzo's The Godfather: Part II

Filming Locations:

6th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$57,300,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, The Coppola Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

200 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The ship shown transporting the young Vito Corleone to New York was the Moshulu. That ship is now a restaurant docked at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia.

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Goofs

As Michael and his men head to Florida, there is an external shot of the front of the train they are traveling on. It is clearly a Union Pacific Railroad train with the bright yellow orange diesel engine with the UP emblem, blue wings with a red and blue shield. Their coverage is entirely west of the Mississippi River.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: The godfather was born Vito Andolini, in the town of Corleone in Sicily. In 1901 his father was murdered for an insult to the local Mafia chieftain. His older brother Paolo swore revenge and disappeared into the hills, leaving Vito, the only male heir, to stand with his mother at the funeral. He was nine years old.
[gunshots and screams]
Woman: [subtitled from Italian] They've killed the boy! They've killed young Paolo! They've killed your son Paolo!

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Crazy Credits

As with the first film no opening credits are shown. Although it is now commonplace for films not to have opening credits, it was considered innovative in 1974.

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Connections

Spoofed in Suits: Errors and Omissions (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Pop Goes the Weasel"
(uncredited)
Traditional English nursery rhyme (first published 1855)

User Reviews

Great ensemble acting, great story, greatest sequel ever made.

The Godfather Part 2 is the finest sequel ever made and is arguably a finer film than the original Godfather. The film is divided into two main parts - the story of a young Vito Corleone (flawlessly acted by Robert De Niro and a worthy Oscar winner) and the rise to power of Michael as the head of the family. Francis Coppola recollaborated with many of the crew members of the first film and again achieves a quite superb period piece thanks to the cinematography of Gordon Willis and set design of Dean Tavoularis. The acting performances are outstanding, hence three supporting oscar nominations for acting guru Lee Strasberg (Hyman Roth), Michael Gazzo (Frank Pentangeli) and Robert De Niro (young Vito Corleone). Duvall, Keaton, Cazale and Shire all provided first rate performances but it is the performance of Al Pacino which steals the show, expertly portraying Michael as a cool, calculating, suspicious Don Corleone. The film expands upon the original movie and brings us into the family's activities in Nevada, Florida and Havana. Arguably the finest movie of the 70s, a cinematic masterpiece with the greatest ensemble acting you will probably see.