The Godfather Part II is the continuation of the Corleone family’s epic saga as portrayed by director Francis Ford Coppola. It is in this sequel, which is also a prequel, to the acclaimed (and well-loved) The Godfather that we follow the story of Vito Corleone as he grows up in Sicily and New York in the 1910s. We then see Michael Corleone in the 1950s as he attempts to expand his business of crime to Hollywood, Cuba, and Las Vegas.
Francis Ford Coppola not only directed The Godfather Part II but he also wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, who wrote the original novels. The film is critically acclaimed in many ways over the years and has been selected by the National Film Registry to be preserved within the United States. According to the Internet Movie Database, the film is the third best movie of all time (while others beg to differ and claim it could very well be number one thus beating out the original Godfather film). The film may not necessarily be the best movie of all time, but it may very well be the very best sequel of all time – depending on who you ask.
The Godfather Part II was nominated for eleven Academy Awards and won six of them. It won the Best Supporting Actor Award and was, until 2003, the only sequel ever to win the coveted Best Picture Award. The film that broke that streak was Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
It is quite possible that The Godfather Part II would not become the film it is today. After directing the original, Francis Ford Coppola had such a horrible time that he had asked the studio to find a different director. Coppola had recommended Martin Scorsese while Coppola remained on as producer, but the film executives ultimately denied this. Thus Coppola ended up directing the film making it what we know it as today. A different director, as talented as he may be, would not have done the same job as Coppola.
There is a tone of trivia associated with the film that movie buffs love to learn and discuss. Many movie buffs are interested to know that The Godfather Part II was actually the last film in the United States to be printed in the Technicolor “imbibitions” printing process. Additionally, in order to make the film appear more historically accurate, many of the scenes already shot had to be redone because of a wardrobe inaccuracy – the zipper was not invented at the time the early part of the film occurred in, so filmmakers had to reshoot with button-fly pants.
If any movie lover has not seen The Godfather Part II it is high time that he rent or buys the DVD today. Any true movie lover cannot go through life without seeing this highly acclaimed film, which changed filmmaking history when it was made.