The Godfather: Part II (1974)

Director:

Francis Ford Coppola

Writers:

Mario Puzo (novel)
Francis Ford Coppola (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

20 December 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s 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.

Plot Keywords:

Cuba | New York | 1920s | 1910s | Business

Awards:

Won 6 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 15 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. Nov. 26	11:30 AM	AMC
Fri. Nov. 27	12:00 AM	AMC

Cast

Al Pacino	...	Don Michael Corleone
Robert Duvall	...	Tom Hagen
Diane Keaton	...	Kay Corleone
Robert De Niro	...	Vito Corleone (as Robert DeNiro)
John Cazale	...	Fredo Corleone
Talia Shire	...	Connie Corleone
Lee Strasberg	...	Hyman Roth
Michael V. Gazzo	...	Frankie Pentangeli
G.D. Spradlin	...	Senator Pat Geary
Richard Bright	...	Al Neri
Gastone Moschin	...	Don Fanucci (as Gaston Moschin)
Tom Rosqui	...	Rocco Lampone
Bruno Kirby	...	Young Peter Clemenza (as B. Kirby Jr.)
Frank Sivero	...	Genco Abbandando
Francesca De Sapio	...	Young Mama Corleone (as Francesca de Sapio)
Morgana King	...	Mama Corleone
Marianna Hill	...	Deanna Corleone (as Mariana Hill)
Leopoldo Trieste	...	Signor Roberto
Dominic Chianese	...	Johnny Ola
Amerigo Tot	...	Michael's Bodyguard
Troy Donahue	...	Merle Johnson
John Aprea	...	Young Sal Tessio
Joe Spinell	...	Willi Cicci
James Caan	...	Sonny Corleone
Abe Vigoda	...	Sal Tessio
Tere Livrano	...	Theresa Hagen
Gianni Russo	...	Carlo Rizzi
Maria Carta	...	Vito's mother
Oreste Baldini	...	Vito Andolini - as a boy
Giuseppe Sillato	...	Don Francesco 'Ciccio'
Mario Cotone	...	Don Tommasino
James Gounaris	...	Anthony Vito Corleone
Fay Spain	...	Mrs. Marcia Roth
Harry Dean Stanton	...	FBI man #1
David Baker	...	FBI man #2
Carmine Caridi	...	Carmine Rosato
Danny Aiello	...	Tony Rosato
Carmine Foresta	...	Policeman
Nick Discenza	...	Bartender
Father Joseph Medeglia	...	Father Carmelo
William Bowers	...	Senate committee chairman
Joseph Della Sorte	...	Michael's buttonman #1 (as Joe Della Sorte)
Carmen Argenziano	...	Michael's Buttonman #2
Joe Lo Grippo	...	Michael's buttonman #3
Ezio Flagello	...	Impressario
Livio Giorgi	...	Tenor in 'Senza Mamma'
Kathleen Beller	...	Girl in 'Senza Mamma' (as Kathy Beller)
Saveria Mazzola	...	Signora Colombo
Tito Alba	...	Cuban President Batista
Johnny Naranjo	...	Cuban translator
Elda Maida	...	Pentangeli's wife
Salvatore Po	...	Vincenzo, Pentangeli's brother
Ignazio Pappalardo	...	Mosca
Andrea Maugeri	...	Strollo
Peter LaCorte	...	Signor Abbandando
Vincent Coppola	...	Street vendor
Peter Donat	...	Questadt
Tom Dahlgren	...	Fred Corngold
Paul B. Brown	...	Senator Ream
Phil Feldman	...	Senator #1
Roger Corman	...	Senator #2
Ivonne Coll	...	Yolanda (as Yvonne Coll)
Joe De Nicola	...	Attendant at brothel (as J.D. Nicols)
Edward Van Sickle	...	Ellis Island doctor
Gabriella Belloni	...	Ellis Island nurse (as Gabria Belloni)
Richard Watson	...	Custom official
Venancia Grangerard	...	Cuban nurse
Erica Yohn	...	Governess
Teresa Tirelli	...	Midwife
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Italia Coppola	...	Mama Corleone's body (uncredited)
Roman Coppola	...	Sonny Corleone, as a boy (uncredited)
Sofia Coppola	...	Child on ship (uncredited)
Julie Gregg	...	Sandra Corleone (uncredited)
Larry Guardino	...	Vito's uncle (uncredited)
Shô Kosugi	...	Passerby dressed in a large coat with a cap pulled down over his eyes (uncredited)
Gary Kurtz	...	Photographer in court (uncredited)
Laura Lyons	...	(uncredited)
Connie Mason	...	Extra (uncredited)
Richard Matheson	...	Senator #3 (uncredited)
John Megna	...	Young Hyman Roth (uncredited)
Frank Pesce	...	Extra (uncredited)
Victor Pujols	...	Cuban guerilla with grenade (uncredited)
Jay Rasumny	...	Street vendor (uncredited)
Tony Sirico	...	Extra (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Filomena Spagnuolo	...	Extra in Little Italy (uncredited)
Julian Voloshin	...	Sam Roth (uncredited)

Directed by
Francis Ford Coppola

Writing credits
Mario Puzo		(novel "The Godfather")
Francis Ford Coppola		(screenplay) and
Mario Puzo		(screenplay)

Produced by
Francis Ford Coppola	....	producer
Gray Frederickson	....	co-producer
Fred Roos	....	co-producer
Mona Skager	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Nino Rota

Cinematography by
Gordon Willis

Film Editing by
Barry Malkin
Richard Marks
Peter Zinner

Casting by
Jane Feinberg
Mike Fenton		(as Michael Fenton)
Vic Ramos

Production Design by
Dean Tavoularis

Art Direction by
Angelo P. Graham		(as Angelo Graham)

Set Decoration by
George R. Nelson

Costume Design by
Theadora Van Runkle

Makeup Department
Naomi Cavin	....	hair stylist
Charles H. Schram	....	makeup artist (as Charles Schram)
Dick Smith	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Mario Cotone	....	unit manager: Sicily
Valerio De Paolis	....	production supervisor: Sicily (as Valerio DePaolis)
Michael S. Glick	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Newt Arnold	....	assistant director (as Newton Arnold)
Burt Bluestein	....	second assistant director
Tony Brandt	....	assistant director: Sicily
Alan Hopkins	....	second assistant director
Michael Kusley	....	second assistant director (as Mike Kusley)
Henry J. Lange Jr.	....	second assistant director
Charles Myers	....	second assistant director (as Chuck Myers)

Art Department
Joe Chevalier	....	assistant set decorator: Sicily
Douglas E. Madison	....	property master (as Doug Madison)
V.R. Bud Shelton	....	property master (as V. Bud Shelton)

Sound Department
Howard Beals	....	sound effects editor
Mark Berger	....	sound montage associate
Nathan Boxer	....	production sound recordist
James Fritch	....	sound effects editor (as Jim Fritch)
Pat Jackson	....	sound montage associate
James J. Klinger	....	sound effects editor (as Jim Klinger)
Walter Murch	....	sound montage
Walter Murch	....	sound re-recordist
Charles M. Wilborn	....	production sound recordist (as Chuck Wilborn)
James Perdue	....	playback sound (uncredited)
Ben Sobin	....	playback sound (uncredited)
Mel Zelniker	....	adr recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
A.D. Flowers	....	special effects
Joe Lombardi	....	special effects

Stunts
Steven Burnett	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
William Gereghty	....	assistant camera (as Bill Gereghty)
Ralph Gerling	....	camera operator
George Holmes	....	gaffer
Bob Rose	....	key grip
Robert D. McBride	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
Bruce McBroom	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Casting Department
Emy DeSica	....	casting: Sicily
Maurizio Lucci	....	casting: Sicily
Maurice Schell	....	adr voice casting (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sandra Burke	....	wardrobe
Nancy McArdle	....	wardrobe
George Newman	....	wardrobe
Marie Osborne	....	wardrobe
Marilyn Putnam	....	wardrobe
Eric Seelig	....	wardrobe
Thomas Welsh	....	wardrobe (as Tommy Welsh)

Editorial Department
George Berndt	....	assistant editor
Lisa Fruchtman	....	assistant editor
Bobbe Kurtz	....	assistant editor
Michael Kirchberger	....	apprentice editor (uncredited)

Music Department
George Brand	....	music editor
Carmine Coppola	....	composer: additional music
Carmine Coppola	....	conductor

Transportation Department
Chris Haynes	....	driver (uncredited)
Hugh Kelly	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
B.J. Bjorkman	....	script supervisor (as B.J. Bachman)
Serena Canevari	....	script supervisor: Sicily
Randy Carter	....	location assistant
Ronald Colby	....	location supervisor: New York (as Ron Colby)
Jack English	....	location coordinator
Deborah Fine	....	researcher
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
John Franco	....	script supervisor
Sonya Friedman	....	subtitler
Edward Guthmann	....	advisor: senate hearings (as Ed Guthman)
Mona Houghton	....	location assistant
Melissa Mathison	....	location assistant
Tammy Newell	....	coordinator: Miami
Bruno Perria	....	production assistant: Sicily
Eileen Peterson	....	unit publicist
Romano Pianti	....	translator: Sicilian
Nanette Siegert	....	production secretary
Carl Skelton	....	location auditor
Peter Zinner	....	foreign post-production
Stephen A. Glanzrock	....	production assistant: New York (uncredited)
Jesse Wayne	....	location assistant (uncredited)

Thanks
James Caan	....	thanks: The producers would like to thank, for his special participation in this film

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures
• The Coppola Company (as A Coppola Company Production)

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1974) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cinéma International Corporation (CIC) (1974) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1974) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1977) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (1992) (Netherlands) (VHS) (rental)
• Pioneer (1993) (Germany) (video) (laserdisc)
• Paramount Home Video (1997) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Paramount Home Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (1999) (Netherlands) (VHS) (retail)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD) (rental)
• Paramount Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2002) (Germany) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2004) (Japan) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD) (retail)
• Paramount Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2006) (Japan) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Award Winning Collection)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (VHS)
• CIC Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• CIC-Taft Home Video (Australia) (VHS)
• Paramount Filmes do Brasil (Brazil) (DVD)
• Prem'er Video Fil'm (Russia) (VHS)

Other Companies

• American Zoetrope  production facilities furnished through

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)

Runtime:

200 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian | Spanish | Latin

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Portugal:M/16 | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Iceland:16 | Canada:14A | Brazil:14 | Philippines:R-18 | New Zealand:PG | UK:15 (re-rating) (2008) | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Chile:18 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-16 (re-rating) | Finland:K-18 (original rating) | France:-12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Israel:PG | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video rating) (1987) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Poland:15

Filming Locations:

6th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

In an early version of the script, an ongoing story line was Tom Hagen having an affair with Sonny Corleone's widow. This was later discarded, but the line where Michael Corleone tells Hagen that he can take his "wife, children and mistress to Las Vegas" was kept.

Goofs:

Continuity: In Havana, when Fredo and Michael are talking around a table in the bar, a lit cigarette appears suddenly in the Fredo's previously empty right hand.

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!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Nanny: The In-Law Who Came Forever (#6.11)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Guantanamera

An Insult To Call It A Sequel

To me and probably to many other people The Godfather Part II is more of a continuation than sequel to The Godfather. Just look at the IMDb rating and you'll see I'm not the only one who feels this way. To me it as good as the first.

The acting may have been better than the acting in the original. Robert De Niro gave a perfect subtle performance as Vito Corleone. His portrayal was powerful and breathtaking. When I think De Niro I definitely do not think subtle and smooth but that is exactly what he was in here. It is definitely one of his top three performances in his career. The depth in his portrayal was able to justify the Vito Corleone that Marlon Brando portrayed in the first. Al Pacino gave a very strong performance playing Michael Corleone. In here we get to see more of the tough decisions that have to be made and the consequences of certain actions. Al Pacino perfectly displayed the amount of thought and struggle that goes into and comes out of every action you make; the way it affects relationships, family, power and influence. Diane Keaton was not really given a lot of room to act in the first but in here she is very good. She did not play the stereotypical wife who always stands behind her husband but rather the woman with a mind of her own who is willing to go after what she feels she deserves. Robert Duvall again to me was the glue to the movie. Just having him in there kind of makes you feel safe. John Cazale also had more of an impact in here than in the first playing the half-witted brother always needing to be bailed out. A lot of these characters sound so familiar and stereotypical but in The Godfather Part II every character is played out with such extraordinary depth. Everyone from Talia Shire who gave a fine performance to Lee Strasberg all the way down to the kid who played young Vito Corleone were perfect. Part II seems to me to be more of a character study than the original.

The directing once again is perfect. Francis Ford Coppola know or at least knew how to make a movie. The first to Godfather movie are done so precisely and perfectly that nothing really sticks out because they are so perfect throughout. Coppola just lets his actors play everything out as he should with type of cast he has here. Not to many movies can maintain such a consistent flow over 3 hours let alone even an hour and 45 minutes.

The writing may not have been quite as good as the first in terms of quoting but the storyline was perfect. Seeing the decisions made by new mob boss Michael Corleone was common sense but flashing back on Vito Corleone's life was genius. The storyline to me could not have been better and Coppola and Puzo do a great job with it all the way.

Like the first the cinematography was amazing but it had a slightly different tone to it. The first had more of a majestic, mythical look to it. In Part II you feel the modern times creeping in and the Corleones having to adjust to it. Part II has more of a corrupt and evil twist to it but I guess the end signifies that. The music obviously the same as the first was perfect and just fit so greatly with the rest of the movie.

The first to movies of The Godfather series are really like the same movie. They are not the same though, they are actually very different but the greatness of them both and the continuation of the storyline from the first to the second really create a strong band between each other. To me it is only a sequel in that it was the second movie of a great series. No let downs, no disappointments just a continuation of of the greatness from the first one.