Friday, November 29, 2013

The Godfather: Part II (1974)

Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Writers:  Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo
Cast:      Al Pacino, John Cazale, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Lee Strasberg

The film's sequel part starts off in 1958 following Micheal Corleone as godfather who has his business settled in Nevada and as he consolidates his business he loses his family. The prequel part follows Robert De Niro playing the role of an young Vito Corleone charting his rise to the don and godfather.

The film was essentially made because Coppola didn't make much money from the first one and he didn't even want to direct it as he approached Martin Scorsese for it. Coppola was given a larger budget for it and they used the unused part from the book for the prequel part. Scorsese recommended Robert De Niro for the young Vito Corleone role and he portrayed it the way an young Marlon Brando would do. He won the academy award for the best supporting role.

I rate Godfather part 2, as a better film than the first one. The film is not at all cinematic and that is the beauty of it. You are not presented with any twists and we as an audience know what is coming all the way. The fact that Fredo Corleone was the traitor is revealed to the audience immediately whereas Michael is in the dark about it till the scene in Havana. It is just a character study on Michael Corleone  who wants to emulate his father as the protector of his family but ends up destroying it for his low tolerance  for disloyalty and paranoia.

Rating: 5/5 

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