The Godfather Part II is a
1974 American epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola
from a screenplay co-written with Mario Puzo, starring Al Pacino and Robert De
Niro. Partially based on Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather, the film is both
sequel and prequel to The Godfather, presenting parallel dramas: one picks up
the 1958 story of Michael Corleone (Pacino), the new Don of the Corleone crime
family, protecting the family business in the aftermath of an attempt on his
life; the prequel covers the journey of his father, Vito Corleone (De Niro),
from his Sicilian childhood to the founding of his family enterprise in New
York City.
The film received widespread
acclaim from critics, with some deeming it superior to the 1972 original, an
Oscar winner for Best Picture. Nominated for eleven Academy Awards and the
first sequel to win for Best Picture, its six Oscars included Best Director for
Coppola, Best Supporting Actor for De Niro and Best Adapted Screenplay for
Coppola and Puzo. Pacino won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor and was nominated
for the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Both this film and its
predecessor remain highly influential films in the gangster genre. In 1997, the
American Film Institute ranked it as the 32nd-greatest film in American film
history and it kept its rank 10 years later. It was selected for preservation
in the U.S. National Film Registry in 1993.
Another sequel, The
Godfather Part III, was released in 1990.
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Produced by Francis Ford Coppola
Screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo
Based on The Godfather by Mario Puzo
Starring Al
Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, Talia Shire, Morgana King,
John Cazale, Marianna Hill, Lee Strasberg
Music by Nino Rota
Cinematography Gordon Willis
Edited by Peter Zinner, Barry Malkin, Richard
Marks
Release dates December 12, 1974 (New York City)
December 20, 1974 (United States)
Running time 200 minutes
Country United States
Language English, Sicilian
Budget $13 million
Box office $47.5–57.3 million (North America)
Plot
In 1901, Corleone, Sicily,
nine-year-old Vito Andolini’s family is killed after his father insults local
Mafia chieftain Don Ciccio. He escapes to New York and is registered as
"Vito Corleone" on Ellis Island.
On the occasion of the 1958
first communion party for his son, Michael Corleone has a series of meetings in
his role as the Don of his crime family. With Nevada Senator Pat Geary, he
discusses the terms of a fourth state gaming license for the Corleones, but the
two only trade insults and demand payoffs. Johnny Ola arrives to express
support for Michael on behalf of Florida gangster Hyman Roth. At the same time
as the Don tries to manage his depressed sister Connie and older brother Fredo,
Corleone caporegime Frank Pentangeli is upset that his boss will not help him
defend New York against the Rosato brothers, who work for the Jewish Roth. That
night, Michael survives an assassination attempt at his home and puts
consigliere Tom Hagen in charge, reassuring him of their fraternal bond.
In 1917, Vito Corleone
(Robert De Niro) lives in a tenement with his wife Carmela and son Sonny and
works in a New York grocery store owned by the father of a close friend. A
member of the Black Hand, Don Fanucci, who extorts protection payments from
local businesses, forces the store owner to fire Vito and give his job to
Fanucci's nephew. As a favor to his neighbor, Peter Clemenza, Vito hides a
stash of guns; in return, he is invited to the burglary of a rich apartment.
His share of the loot is a plush rug, which he lays in his own living room.
In Miami, Michael tells Roth
that Pentangeli was behind the assassination attempt; Michael then travels to
New York where he tells Pentangeli that Roth ordered it and asks him to
cooperate with his plan for revenge. Pentangeli meets the Rosatos, and their
men ambush him, saying they act on Michael's orders. However, a passing
policeman interrupts them, and they flee, leaving Pentangeli for dead.
Senator Geary finds himself
in Fredo's brothel with a dead prostitute and no memory of how he got there; he
accepts Tom's offer of "friendship" to cover up the incident.
After witnessing a rebel
suicide bombing in Havana, Cuba, Michael becomes convinced of the rebels'
resolve to overthrow the dictator Fulgencio Batista. Fredo brings Michael money
for a deal with Roth, but instead of giving it to Roth, Michael asks Roth who
put out the hit on Pentangeli. Roth is reminded of his late friend Moe
Greene—dead in a spate of Corleone killings—saying, "This is the business
we've chosen. I didn't ask who gave the order because it had nothing to do with
business!" As they go to President Batista's New Year's Eve party, Michael
tells Fredo that he knows that Roth plans to kill him as he leaves the party,
and later, Fredo inadvertently reveals that he knew Johnny Ola, despite his
previous denial. Michael's bodyguard strangles Ola but is killed by police
before he can finish off the ailing Roth. Michael embraces his brother,
revealing that he knows that he was behind the plot on his life, but the party
breaks up as word spreads that the rebels are taking over. Fredo flees in the
chaos. Back home, Tom informs Michael that Roth is recovering in Miami and that
Kay's pregnancy has miscarried.
Three years later, two more
sons—Fredo and Michael—have been born to Vito. He and his partners (Clemenza
and Sal Tessio) face extortion by Don Fanucci, who demands that they let him
"wet his beak" from their recent burglary or he will have the police
ruin the Corleone family. Vito persuades his partners to pay Fanucci less than
he asks and promises he will "make him an offer he won't refuse" as a
favor to them. During a neighborhood festa, Vito meets with Fanucci and earns
his respect. He then follows Fanucci, surprises him in his apartment foyer,
shoots and kills him, takes back his partners' money, and escapes.
In Washington, D.C., a
Senate committee investigating the Corleone family cannot find evidence to
implicate Michael until a surprise witness is called, Pentangeli - who survived
the attempt on his life and is under witness protection.
Vito has become a respected
figure in his New York community. He confronts a landlord who doesn't know him,
offering extra money to let a widow keep her apartment. The landlord says he
has already leased it and becomes angry when Vito demands that he allow her to
keep her dog. Later the landlord learns that he may have offended the wrong
person. Terrified, he returns to assure Vito that the widow can stay, along
with her dog, at a reduced rent.
Michael and Tom observe that
Roth's strategy to destroy Michael is well-planned. Fredo is returned to
Nevada, where he privately explains himself to Michael. He was upset about
being passed over to head the family, and helped Roth, thinking that there
would be something in it for him, unaware, he swears, of their plans on
Michael's life. He informs his brother that the Senate Committee's chief
counsel is on Roth's payroll. Michael disowns Fredo and cautions Al Neri,
"I don't want anything to happen to him while my mother's alive".
Pentangeli, ensconced in FBI
witness protection and ready to avenge the attempt on his life, is prepared to
confirm accusations against Michael until his Sicilian brother attends the
hearing at the Don's side; Pentangeli denies his sworn statements, and the
hearing dissolves in an uproar. Afterwards, Michael violently prevents Kay from
leaving with their children; she retaliates with the revelation that her
miscarriage was actually an abortion.
Vito, together with his
young family, visits Sicily for the first time since childhood. He is
introduced to the elderly Don Ciccio by Don Tommasino as the man who imports
their olive oil to America and who wants his blessing. When Ciccio asks Vito
who his father was, Vito says, "My father's name was Antonio Andolini, and
this is for you!" He then plunges a large knife into the old man's stomach
and carves it open. As they flee, Tommasino is shot and injured.
Carmela Corleone dies. At
the funeral, a reformed Connie implores Michael to forgive Fredo. Michael
relents and embraces Fredo but stares intently at Al Neri. Roth is refused
asylum and even entry to Israel. Over Tom's dissent, Michael plans his revenge.
Tom visits Pentangeli and offers to spare his family, reminding him that failed
plotters against the Roman Emperor took their own lives.
Connie helps Kay visit her
children, but Michael closes the door on any forgiveness.
As he arrives in Miami to be
taken into custody, Hyman Roth is shot in the stomach and killed by Rocco
Lampone, who is immediately shot dead by FBI agents. Frank Pentangeli is
discovered dead in his bathtub with slit wrists. Al shoots Fredo while they are
fishing on Lake Tahoe.
On December 7, 1941, the
Corleone family gathers to surprise Vito for his fiftieth birthday. Sonny
introduces Carlo Rizzi to Connie. Tessio comes in with the cake, and they
discuss the attack on Pearl Harbor. Michael announces he has left college and
enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, leaving Sonny furious, Tom
incredulous, and Fredo the only brother supportive. Vito is heard at the door,
and all but Michael leave the room to greet him.
Michael sits alone by the
lake at the family compound.
