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 | 1950s | lake tahoe nevada | business | 

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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 paper currency that Vito hands to Signor Roberto is historically accurate. The bills used are series 1914 large size $10 Federal Reserve Notes. Large size notes measure 7-3/8 by 3-1/8 inches compared to the small note, printed from 1928 to the present, measuring 6-1/8 by 2-5/8 inches.

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Goofs

The carpet that Clemenza starts to roll up before he is interrupted by the knock at the door, is much smaller than the one he and Vito are shown carrying into the building in the next scene.

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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

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #22.187 (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Napule Ve Salute"
Francesco Pennino
Performed by Livio Giorgi (uncredited)

User Reviews

One of the Best Sequels Ever

You can count on one hand the movie sequels that measure up to the original; GODFATHER II makes the cut. This movie is just as fine as GODFATHER I. Here the director goes back and forth between the early days of the young Vito Corleone, played by Robert De Niro, and the family after the action in GODFATHER I in the 1950's just before Castro came to power. Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) has moved the family and most of his business to Nevada. Once again the acting is flawless. Diane Keaton as Michael's wife who quickly becomes disillusioned with her life with him and the lies he continues to tell her, assuring her that he is going legitimate soon; Robert Duvall as Michael's adopted brother and adviser; and Lee Strasberg as Hyman Roth all give outstanding performances; but the film really is Al Pacino's. We see him become a ruthless, cold-blooded killer who alienates himself from his family in ways his father would never have done. He has come so far from the idealistic young man in "GODFATHER I, who joined the Marines in World War I to serve his country and die for it if necessary, to a lonely, paranoid tragic man. There are many poignant scenes concerning his wife and children-- the drawing his son leaves for him in his bedroom, the gift that Tom buys the child because Michael is too busy, his wife Kay's being kept a virtual prisoner at his orders in the family compound, etc.

Once again many acts of violence are interwoven with religion: Michael's son's first communion, the religious parade in New York, Fredo's repeating the Rosary in order to catch a fish, for example.

The cinematography is stunning; the footage from Sicily and New York around the turn of the century and the snow scenes from the American West are beautiful and rich in detail. Mr. Coppola has directed yet another masterpiece.