The Task: Watch and write about every movie on my shelf, in order (Blu-rays are sorted after DVDs), by June 10, 2015. Remaining movies: 251 Days to go: 254
Movie #126: The Godfather Part II
It’s long been posited (and upheld) in film circles that The Godfather Part II is at least as good as, if not better than, The Godfather. It’s easy to see why. Though twenty-five minutes longer than the original, The Godfather Part II moves faster and is paced better than the first. And in telling two parallel stories — that of Vito’s (Robert De Niro) past in Italy and rise to power in New York, and of Michael’s (Al Pacino) expansion of and further entrenchment within his crime syndicate even as he hopes to legitimize the family — it has a more balanced structure than The Godfather, which was extremely front-heavy and somewhat sloppy and haphazard for the final third. The Godfather Part II is compelling on all fronts, making it deserving of the first ever Best Picture Oscar win for a sequel, though it’s hard to tell what kind of acclaim it would’ve gotten had The Godfather never existed and this film stood on its own. Would it have felt incomplete? Perhaps. There’s a lot of world-building happening in the first that the second relies on, but for the most part it stands apart as its own film fairly well.
Robert De Niro, it must be said, is by far the most fascinating character of the film. His performance is riveting and flawless. Somehow he manages to embody Vito Corleone almost better than Marlon Brando did. He comes off as calmer, stronger, more centered and even more devoted to his family than Brando did in the original film. And with the addition of Bruno Kirby as young Clemenza and John Aprea as Young Tessio (played by Richard Castellano and Abe Vigoda in the later years), the early life of Vito Corleone is a two-hour film in itself that I would happily watch. It is the strongest and most consistently gripping part of this movie.
Michael’s struggles in 1958, however, are compelling in their own right. Instead of the outside rivalries facing them in The Godfather, the family is roaring with internal conflict in the sequel. Kay (Diane Keaton) has become frustrated and weary with Michael’s continued illegal activities, despite his promise years earlier to legitimize the family business. Connie (Talia Shire) still hasn’t forgiven her brother for Carlo’s (Gianni Russo) murder, and has been depressed and moody and defiant ever since. And Fredo’s (John Cazale) feelings of being slighted and disrespected by everyone have only festered over the years he’s spent in Nevada. Only Tom (Robert Duvall) remains loyal to Michael, though he even voices strong disagreement with him at times. The familial dynamics and politics are much more intriguing than the roundabout dealings and betrayals concerning Hyman Roth (Lee Strasberg), Johnny Ola (Dominic Chianese) and Frankie Pentangeli (Michael Gazzo), or anything that happens with the Senate committee or the FBI, possibly because sibling rivalries and power struggles are far more universal and relatable than the government pursuit of the mafia. Michael’s confrontation and conflict with Fredo is powerful, heartbreaking and iconic. And his split with Kay (particularly her revelation about her abortion) is even more so.
The one quibble I have is that the interweaving tales of Vito and Michael aren’t evenly spaced. Some segments are too long, while others are too short, giving the impression that the movie has spent too much or too little time with a particular half of the tale before moving back to the other. It’s once again an editing/structure issue of Coppola’s, but in this case it’s a far less cumbersome one, making The Godfather Part II, in my opinion a superior film than its predecessor.
Viable Option 