At the same time, they were ruthless criminals, so from the beginning, there was a moral ambiguity surrounding the characters. They were family men who attended church and were at least somewhat principled. The Godfather: Part II continues his moral arc as he essentially loses his soul and succumbs to complete moral corruption.Īs in the first Godfather film, the gangsters were sympathetic.
The first movie sees Michael go from the most innocent member of the family to the man who could do what had to be done to protect the interests of the Corleone crime family. The film goes back and forth between the story of Vito and the story of Michael Corleone, still played by Al Pacino. This is the same character as portrayed by Marlon Brando in the first film. It begins in the early 20th century, shining light onto the early life of Vito Andolini in Corleone, Sicily, who is renamed to Vito Corleone at Ellis Island. The Godfather: Part II tells a few stories. Of course, that means that the sequel is also considered one of the greatest films of all time. The response from critics and audiences was similar: it may have seemed impossible to follow up one of the greatest films of all time in only two years, but the crew of The Godfather: Part II pulled it off in spectacular fashion. The Godfather: Part II received 11 nominations, beating its predecessor by one, and it won six of those awards, compared to three for The Godfather. I should warn you that both of these articles contain spoilers regarding each film.Īs I mentioned in my previous article, the first Godfather film received 11 Oscar nominations initially, but this was reduced to 10 because of a controversy regarding Nino Rota’s score. My previous article took a look at the first film in the series, so I recommend that you read that article HERE, before you read this one. It has become shorthand in popular culture for a perfect sequel, and is considered by many to be even better than its predecessor. Released only two years after its 1972 predecessor, The Godfather: Part II, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, stands the test of time as one of the greatest sequels ever made. The Godfather: Part II shows the arrival of a young Vito Andolini at Ellis Island in 1901, where he received the name Vito Corleone.