 | |
List Price: $14.98 | | Label: Paramount
Salesrank: 11807
Released: May 24, 2005 |
| Our Price: $7.61 |
| Used Price: $5.96 |
|
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
|
Editorial Review:
This brilliant companion piece to the original film continues the saga of two generations of successive power within the Corleone family. Coppola tells two stories in Part II: the roots and rise of a young Don Vito, played with uncanny ability by Robert De Niro, and the ascension of Michael (Pacino) as the new Don.
Description of The Godfather, Part II (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition):
Francis Ford Coppola took some of the deep background from the life of Mafia chief Vito Corleone--the patriarch of Mario Puzo's bestselling novel The Godfather--and built around it a stunning sequel to his Oscar-winning, 1972 hit film. Robert De Niro plays Vito as a young Sicilian immigrant in turn-of-the-century New York City's Little Italy. Coppola weaves in and out of the story of Vito's transformation into a powerful crime figure, contrasting that evolution against efforts by son Michael Corleone to spread the family's business into pre-Castro Cuba. As memorable as the first film is, The Godfather II is an amazingly intricate, symmetrical tragedy that touches upon several chapters of 20th-century history and makes a strong case that our destinies are written long before we're born. This was De Niro's first introduction to a lot of filmgoers, and he makes an enormous impression. But even with him and a number of truly brilliant actors (including maestro Lee Strasberg), this is ultimately Pacino's film and a masterful performance. --Tom Keogh
The Godfather, Part II (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition) Reviews:
A Great Sequel And A Great Movie In Its Own Right 
2009-07-26 - Although many consider this sequel to be better than the original, I am not so sure about that. It is certainly a great movie, but so was 'The Godfather'.
This is a continuation of the story with Don Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) now in power. There are flashbacks to his deceased father Don Vito Corleone (played by Robert Deniro in the sequel). Both actors are superb.
The story itself is great. There is a lot of action and intrigue in the Corleone crime family. It will certainly keep viewers entertained throughout.
I would definitely recommend watching 'The Godfather' before seeing this one. Although I think it would do fairly well as a standalone, it will be even better for those who benefit from knowing the background of the first one.
Joins its Older Brother at the top of Film History
2009-04-21 - Two years after Francis Ford Coppola made an indelible mark on Hollywood with "The Godfather", he returned with writer Mario Puzo to add to the saga of the Corleones. Part II is an ambitious film - it cuts back and forth between two timelines. One tells the story of the original Godfather - Vito. This part relies heavily upon Puzo's original novel. The second part tells about Michael, Kay, Fredo and Tom Hagen starting about seven years after the end of the first film.
Essentially the entire cast returned for part II, with the exception of Marlon Brando. The cast for this film is augmented by Robert Deniro, who won the Academy Award for best supporting actor, and Michael V. Gazzo and Lee Strasberg, who were also nominated for the same award. Bruno Kirby, John Cazale, Robert Duvall and G.D. Spradlin could all have received the same nomination. Talia Shire returns as Connie Corleone, and she was nominated for best supporting actress.
We see in early scenes the young Vito Andolini circa approximately 1900, born in the town of Corleone, Siciliy. His father is murdered after insulting a local mafia chief and his brother Paolo is murdered during his father's funeral procession after vowing revenge. Vito is spirited to a ship headed for Ellis Island and an immigration official assigns Vito the surname of his Italian home-town rather than his father.
We see the rest of the family at their Lake Tahoe home about seven years after the end of the first movie, celebrating the first communion of son Anthony. Like the other films, this one opens with a large celebration that gathers the cast to allow the audience to become familiar with them prior to settling down to business with the Don.
Michael is planning a large deal in both Vegas and Havana, and he is eager to not let old New York contacts, represented by Gazzo as Frank Pentangili, interfere with his plans with Hyman Roth, played by Lee Strasberg.
When an assassination attempt floods Michael and Kay's bedroom with bullets, Michael realizes he had to be betrayed by someone very close to the family. He turns the family business temporarily over to Duvall's Tom Hagen while he takes a trip to try to save the big family deals and discover the identify of the betrayer.
The scene where Michael unexpectedly discovers the traitor is one of the most famous pieces of wordless acting in film history.
We see scenes of the early Vito, played as a young adult by young Robert Deniro, mixed with the scenes of Michael fifty years later. We see that Vito comes to the business by a sense of necessity, but uses his power as the Don with great human compassion, while Michael, who we know ten years earlier had no intention of joining the family business, becomes a more cruel Mafia Kingpin than his father.
The first two Godfather films are not only "The Standard" for films about organized crime: they are among the best films ever made. Period.
The Godfather Part II 
2009-04-15 - Since I have not seen The Godfather Part I it took a while to connect with it. But when I did proved to be a good movie about the mafia.
Excellent, but lacks the brilliance of its predecessor 
2009-04-10 - Many people consider "The Godfather Part II" to be the best film in "The Godfather" series, but for me, although I consider it to be an excellent film, it just didn't quite match the brilliance of its predecessor. "The Godfather Part II" is effectively two films combined into one. The main plot continues the story of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) from where the first film left off, while a secondary plot tells the story of Michael's father, Vito Corleone (Robert DeNiro) and how he became the Godfather in the first place. Although these stories never intersect, they are connected by the themes of family and revenge.
The story of Vito is the stronger portion of the movie. This story has a similar arc to the first "Godfather" movie, in that both show how a man can transition from an honest life to one of crime, and it did not surprise me to learn that this sub-plot was also based on material from Mario Puzo's novel. The plot about Michael, however, is all new material written especially for the movie and it lacks the direction and focus of the Vito plot. Michael's character arc was more or less completed in the first film. He has already transitioned from being an upstanding citizen to being a cold, hardened criminal, and all that is left for him to do is to become colder and harder. This second transition just didn't hold my interest the way the original arc did.
I have heard "The Godfather Part II" described as being a "companion piece" to "The Godfather", alongside claims that both films should be watched together in order to fully understand the saga of the Corleone family. Having just watched both films, I am glad that I have seen them both, but I feel that in future, I will only rewatch the first film. For me, the first film alone conveyed a stronger message than these two "Godfather" films combined.
"If history has taught us anything . . . it's that you can kill anybody."
2009-04-08 - Most sequels don't do justice when compared to the originals (such as Jaws 2, Speed 2, Poltergeist 2, and of course, every Disney sequel ever created). Only a few are either equal or better than the original (Terminator 2, The Dark Knight, Aliens). The Godfather Part II is considered to be either equal or better than the original classic Godfather. I guess it depends on everyone's opinion.
But anyway, this is yet another phenomenal masterpiece by master filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola. It has a much grander scale, mainly because it focuses on two stories. The contrast between young Vito Corleone rising as a powerful Don and the ascension of his son Michael many years later is so painfully obvious. Here, we have young Vito spreading his love with his own family while still making progress in his own private (and seemingly dangerous) business. And then we have Michael, whose cold heart and harsh judgments start to destroy those close around him. Vito would not be proud of how his business is being run during the 50's.
While the first Godfather is set in New York City, Las Vegas, Hollywood, and Sicily, the locations in second Godfather is much more broad: Corleone in Sicily, New York City, Lake Tahoe, Florida, Pre-revolutionary Cuba, etc. They all look so beautiful and they all match with the appearance and feeling of the film.
The strongest points of this film are the performances by the actors. No doubt whatsoever that Robert de Niro was born to play young Vito Corleone. He's got the calm appearance, firm intelligence, and the Sicilian language down perfectly. He deserved the Oscar win. Al Pacino continues to amaze as Michael Corleone. His silent and not-so-silent rage is so believable, I would be so afraid to be standing face-to-face with this guy. Diane Keaton is a great actress, and she shows her outstanding acting abilities during the fight with Kay and Michael. It's an immensely intense scene, and kudos to actress Talia Shire for the suggestion that would break Michael's heart forever. Robert Duvall does what he does best as Tom Hagen; his professional look is truly outstanding. Michael Gazzo as Frankie Pentangeli is overall very worthwhile, although I do miss Richard Castellano as Peter Clemenza. Lee Strasberg knows how to be a good antagonist, and he shows it off as Hyman Roth. He really knows what makes people hate villains; it's a performance no one would ever forget. The standout in the film is the late John Cazale as Fredo, Michael's brother. Considered the weakest son in the Corleone family, his desire for respect and love is so heartbreaking. I could almost feel for the guy when he confronts Michael during the snowfall. Unfortunately, Cazale died of cancer when filming The Deer Hunter. I could only imagine what sort of success he would've achieved in film if he survived.
In my opinion, The Godfather Part II is equal to the original Godfather. Both are now a part of my favorite films list. I haven't seen The Godfather Part III just yet, and many people agree that it is the weakest in the trilogy. I see for myself if it's underrated, so-so, or just plain crappy.
Grade: A+
