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IMDb > The Godfather: Part II (1974)
The Godfather: Part II
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The Godfather: Part II (1974) More at IMDb Pro »

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Overview

User Rating:
Writers:
Mario Puzo (novel)
Francis Ford Coppola (screenplay) ...
more
Release Date:
20 December 1974 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Thriller more
Plot:
The early life & career of Vito Corleone in 1920's New York is portrayed while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on his crime syndicate stretching from Lake Tahoe, Nevada to pre-Revolution 1958 Cuba. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Won 6 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 15 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(14 articles)
Be Great Again, Bob De Niro! (From New York Post. 10 October 2008, 10:32 PM, PDT)
Movie Reviews: Righteous Kill (From Studio Briefing. 12 September 2008, 10:41 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
The Greatest Film Ever Made more

Cast

 (Cast overview, first billed only)

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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Mario Puzo's The Godfather: Part II (USA) (complete title)
Son of Godfather (USA) (working title)
The Second Godfather (USA) (working title)
more
Runtime:
200 min
Country:
USA
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
MOVIEmeter: ?
^ 17% since last week why?

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Was voted the 7th Greatest film of all time by Entertainment Weekly, thus being the most highly ranked sequel on their list and only 6 rankings behind its predecessor. more
Goofs:
Miscellaneous: When Fredo gets to the hotel in Havana, Cuba, the Dominican Republic flag is clearly visible on the flag pole. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Title Card: The godfather was born Vito Andolini, in the town of Corleone in Sicily. In 1901 his father was murdered for an insult to the local Mafia chieftain. His older brother Paolo swore revenge and disappeared into the hills, leaving Vito, the only male heir, to stand with his mother at the funeral. He was nine years old.
[gunshots and screams]
Woman: [subtitled from Italian] They've killed the boy! They've killed young Paolo! They've killed your son Paolo!
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) (VG) more
Soundtrack:
Guantanamera more

FAQ

Why does Vito Corleone wrap his gun with a towel?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
What happened during the final Congressional testimony?
more
98 out of 117 people found the following comment useful:-
The Greatest Film Ever Made, 7 May 1999
10/10
Author: DanB-4 from Canada

The original Godfather is a brilliant work. It is in a sense a voyeuristic delight, allowing us to see the mafia from the inside - we become part of the family. It single-handedly change the world's view of organized crime, and created a cast of sympathetic characters, none of whom have a shred of common morality. It was the highest grossing movie of its time and Brando created a cultural icon whose influence resonates as strong today as it did in 1972.

As extraordinary an achievement as this is, Part II is even better. It easily receives my nod as the best picture ever made. I have seen it at least 20 times, and each time its 200 minutes fly by.

The movie uses flashbacks to brilliantly weave two tales. The main story is the reign of Michael Corleone as the world's most powerful criminal. Now reaping the benefits of legalized gambling in Las Vegas, Michael is an evident billionaire with an iron fist on a world of treachery.

Behind this, Director Francis Ford Coppola spins the tale of the rise of Michael's father, Vito, to the center of the New York mafia. It is these scenes that make the film a work of art. Without spoiling, I will simply say the Robert DeNiro as the young Vito is the best acting performance of all time, a role for which he won a richly deserved Oscar.

The screenplay is full of delicious little underworld nuggets ("Keep your friends close .....", "I don't want to kill everyone, just my enemies"), while it blows a dense, twisted plot past you at a dizzying and merciless pace. The cinematography is depressing and atmospheric. The score continues in the eerie role of its predecessor, foretelling death and evil.

All of this makes the movie great and infinitely watchable. But it's what's deeper inside this film ... what it is really about ... that is its true genius.

The Godfather Part II is not really a movie about the mafia, it is a movie about a man's life long struggle. Michael controls a vast empire that is constantly slipping out of his hands. He grows increasingly distrustful and paranoid, and even shows signs that he hates his own life. Michael almost seems to resent the fact that he is a natural born crime lord, a man who puts the family business ahead of everything.

The great Don Michael Corleone can never come to terms with one simple fact.... his father's empire was built on love and respect, Michael's empire is built on fear and violent treachery.

See this movie. It's three-and-a-half hours very well spent.

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whats with the puzzle peice still missing? strwbender
Ebert gave this 3 stars? blippetyblip
Proof that TDK fanboys are sabotaging the site blippetyblip
boat/ellis island jackrenglish
What was the reaction in 74? njg122-1
How is the Italian spoken by the American actors in the movie? Third_Man99
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