The Godfather Part II is a 1974 American crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a screenplay co-written with Mario Puzo, starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Partially based on Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather, the film is both sequel and prequel to The Godfather, presenting parallel dramas: one picks up the 1958 story of Michael Corleone (Pacino), the new Don of the Corleone crime family, protecting the family business in the aftermath of an attempt on his life; the prequel covers the journey of his father, Vito Corleone (De Niro), from his Sicilian childhood to the founding of his family enterprise in New York City.

The Godfather II On the National Film Registry of the Library of. Godfather 2 [PDF Library] by Harshan. Script godfather 2 pdf THE GODFATHER Part Two Screenplay by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola SECOND DRAFT September 24, 1973 FADE IN: The Paramount Pictures.rm. THE GODFATHER _____________ Screenplay by MARIO PUZO and FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA THIRD DRAFT PARAMOUNT PICTURES 1 Gulf and Western Plaza March 29, 1971 New York, New York 10019 INT D. Created Date: 4/28/2006 5:41:49 PM.

Following the success of the first film, Paramount Pictures began developing a follow up to the film, with much of the same cast and crew returning. Coppola, who was given more control on the film, had wanted to make both a sequel and a prequel to the film to tell the story of the rise of Vito and the fall of Michael. Principal photography began in October 1973 and wrapped up in June 1974. It was the last major American motion picture to have release prints made with Technicolor's dye imbibition process until the late 1990s.

The Godfather Part II opened on December 20, 1974, to divided reviews from critics but its reputation, however, improved rapidly and it soon became the subject of critical re-evaluation. It grossed $47.5 million in North America on a $13 million budget. The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards at the 47th Academy Awards and became the first sequel to win for Best Picture. Its six Oscar wins also included Best Director for Coppola, Best Supporting Actor for De Niro and Best Adapted Screenplay for Coppola and Puzo. Pacino won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Both The Godfather Part II and its predecessor remain highly influential films, especially in the gangstergenre, and the former has been reevaluated. In 1997, the American Film Institute ranked it as the 32nd-greatest film in American film history and it retained this position 10 years later.^[4] Some have deemed it superior to the 1972 original.^[5] It was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 1993, being deemed 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant'.^[6] The final film in the trilogy, The Godfather Part III, was released in 1990.

• 3Production
• 4Reception
• 5Releases for television and video
• 6Accolades

Plot[edit]

In 1901, the family of nine-year-old Vito Andolini is killed in Corleone, Sicily, after his father insults local Mafia chieftain Don Ciccio. Vito escapes to New York City and is registered as 'Vito Corleone' on Ellis Island.

In 1958, during his son's First Communion party at Lake Tahoe, Michael Corleone has a series of meetings in his role as the Don of his crime family. Corleone caporegimeFrank Pentangeli is dismayed that Michael refuses to help defend his Brooklyn territory against the Rosato brothers, who work for Michael's business partner Hyman Roth. That night, Michael leaves Nevada after surviving an assassination attempt at his home.

In 1917, Vito Corleone lives in New York with his wife Carmela and son Sonny. He loses his job due to Don Fanucci insisting that his nephew work there; Peter Clemenza invites Vito to unwittingly take part in a burglary.

Michael suspects Roth planned the assassination, but meets him in Miami and feigns ignorance. In New York, Pentangeli attempts to maintain Michael's façade by making peace with the Rosato family but they attempt to kill him. Roth, Michael, and several of their partners travel to Havana to discuss their future Cuban business prospects under the cooperative government of Fulgencio Batista; Michael becomes reluctant after reconsidering the viability of the ongoing Cuban Revolution. On New Year's Eve, he attempts to have Roth and Roth's right-hand man, Johnny Ola, killed, but Roth survives when Michael's bodyguard is discovered and shot by police. Michael discovers that his brother, Fredo, betrayed him after Fredo inadvertently reveals that he knows Ola after claiming they had never met. Batista abruptly abdicates due to rebel advances; during the ensuing chaos, Michael, Fredo, and Roth separately escape to the United States. Back home, Michael learns that his wife Kay has miscarried.

By 1920, Vito and Carmela have had two more sons, Fredo and Michael. Vito's criminal conduct attracts the attention of Fanucci, who extorts him. His partners, Clemenza and Salvatore Tessio, wish to avoid trouble by paying in full, but Vito insists that he can convince Fanucci to accept a smaller payment by making him 'an offer he won't refuse'. During a neighborhood festa, he stalks Fanucci to his apartment and shoots him dead.

In Washington, D.C., a Senate committee on organized crime is investigating the Corleone family. Having survived the earlier attempt on his life, Pentangeli agrees to testify against Michael, who he believes had double-crossed him, and is placed under witness protection.

Now a respected figure in his community, Vito is approached for help by a widow who is being evicted. After an unsuccessful negotiation with Vito, the widow's landlord asks around, learns of Vito's reputation, and hastily agrees to let the widow stay on terms very favorable to her. In the meantime, Vito and his partners are becoming more and more successful, with the establishment of their business, 'Genco Pura Olive Oil Company'.

On returning to Nevada, Fredo privately explains himself to Michael; feeling resentful at being disregarded, he had helped Roth in expectation of something in return—unaware, he claims, of the plot on Michael's life. He also informs Michael that the Senate lawyer, Questadt, is working under Roth's payroll. Michael responds by disowning Fredo, and tells his capo that nothing is to happen to Fredo while their mother is alive. Michael is unable to reach the heavily-guarded Pentangeli, so sends for Pentangeli's brother from Sicily, resulting in Pentangeli renouncing his previous statement; the hearing dissolves in uproar.

Kay reveals to Michael that she actually had an abortion, not a miscarriage, and that she intends to remove their children from Michael's criminal life. Outraged, Michael strikes Kay, banishes her from the family, and takes custody of the children.

In 1923, Vito, along with his family, visits Sicily for the first time since emigrating. He and business partner Tommasino are admitted to Don Ciccio's compound, ostensibly to ask for Ciccio's blessing on their olive oil business. Vito exacts his childhood vengeance by killing Ciccio after revealing his former identity, but as they escape, Tommasino is shot in the leg and suffers a permanent disability.

Carmela Corleone dies. At the funeral, Michael appears to forgive Fredo.

Roth is refused asylum and denied entry to Israel. He is forced to return to the United States. Over the dissent of consigliereTom Hagen, Michael sends caporegime Rocco Lampone to intercept and shoot Roth on arrival. Rocco is shot dead by federal agents after completing his mission. At the witness protection compound, Hagen reminds Pentangeli that failed plotters against the Roman Emperor often committed suicide and assures him that his family will be cared for. Pentangeli later slits his wrists in his bathtub. Al Neri, acting on Michael's orders, assassinates Fredo out on the lake.

On December 7, 1941, the Corleone family gathers in their dining room to surprise Vito for his birthday. Michael announces that, in response to the attack on Pearl Harbor, he has left college and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, leaving Sonny furious, Tom incredulous, and Fredo the only brother supportive. Vito is heard at the door and all but Michael leave the room to greet him.

Michael sits alone by the lake at the family compound.

Cast[edit]

1958 sequences

• Al Pacino as Michael Corleone
• Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen
• Diane Keaton as Kay Adams-Corleone
• John Cazale as Fredo Corleone
• Talia Shire as Constanzia 'Connie' Corleone
• Lee Strasberg as Hyman Roth
• Michael V. Gazzo as Frank Pentangeli
• Morgana King as Carmela Corleone
• G. D. Spradlin as Senator Pat Geary
• Richard Bright as Al Neri
• Tom Rosqui as Rocco Lampone
• Mariana Hill as Deanna Corleone
• Troy Donahue as Merle Johnson
• Joe Spinell as Willi Cicci
• Dominic Chianese as Johnny Ola
• Franco Corsaro as Genco Abbandando
• Amerigo Tot as Michael's bodyguard
• Ivonne Coll as Yolanda
• Julian Voloshin as Sam Roth
• Fay Spain as Mrs. Roth
• Carmine Caridi as Carmine Rosato
• Danny Aiello as Tony Rosato
• Salvatore Po as Vincenzo Pentangeli
• Harry Dean Stanton as FBI agent

Flashback sequences

• Robert De Niro as Vito Corleone
  • Oreste Baldini as young Vito Corleone
• John Megna as young Hyman Roth
• Francesca De Sapio as young Carmela Corleone
• Gastone Moschin as Don Fanucci
• Frank Sivero as young Genco Abbandando
• Bruno Kirby as young Peter Clemenza
• John Aprea as young Salvatore Tessio
• Ezio Flagello as the impresario
• Kathleen Beller as Carla
• Maria Carta as the mother of Vito Corleone
• Giuseppe Sillato as Don Francesco Ciccio
• Roman Coppola as young Santino Corleone
• Leopoldo Trieste as Signor Roberto
• Larry Guardino as Vito's uncle

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

Coppola's idea for the sequel would be to 'juxtapose the ascension of the family under Vito Corleone with the decline of the family under his son Michael...I had always wanted to write a screenplay that told the story of a father and a son at the same age. They were both in their thirties and I would integrate the two stories...In order not to merely make Godfather I over again, I gave Godfather II this double structure by extending the story in both the past and in the present.' ^[7]

Casting[edit]

Coppola offered James Cagney a part in the film, but he refused.^[8]James Caan agreed to reprise the role of Sonny in the birthday flashback sequence, demanding he be paid the same amount he received for the entire previous film for the single scene in Part II, which he received.^{[citation needed]}

Several actors from the first film did not return for the sequel. Marlon Brando initially agreed to return for the birthday flashback sequence, but the actor, feeling mistreated by the board at Paramount, failed to show up for the single day's shooting.^{[citation needed]} Coppola then rewrote the scene that same day.^{[citation needed]}Richard S. Castellano, who portrayed Peter Clemenza in the first film, also declined to return, as he and the producers could not reach an agreement on his demands that he be allowed to write the character's dialogue in the film.^{[citation needed]} The part in the plot originally intended for the latter-day Clemenza was then filled by the character of Frank Pentangeli, played by Michael V. Gazzo.^[9]

Troy Donahue, in a small role as Connie's boyfriend, plays a character named Merle Johnson, which was his birth name.^{[citation needed]}

Two actors who appear in the film played different character roles in other Godfather films: Carmine Caridi, who plays Carmine Rosato, also went on to play crime boss Albert Volpe in The Godfather Part III; Frank Sivero, who plays a young Genco Abbandando, appears as a bystander in The Godfather scene in which Sonny beats up Carlo for abusing Connie.^{[citation needed]}

Among the actors depicting Senators in the hearing committee are film producer/director Roger Corman, writer/producer William Bowers, producer Phil Feldman, and science-fiction writer Richard Matheson.^{[citation needed]}

Filming[edit]

The Godfather Part II was shot between October 1, 1973 and June 19, 1974, and was the last major American motion picture to have release prints made with Technicolor's dye imbibition process until the late 1990s. The scenes that took place in Cuba were shot in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.^[10]Charles Bluhdorn, whose Gulf+Westernconglomerate owned Paramount, felt strongly about developing the Dominican Republic as a movie-making site.

Unlike with the first film, Coppola was given near-complete control over production. In his commentary, he said this resulted in a shoot that ran very smoothly despite multiple locations and two narratives running parallel within one film.^[11]

Production nearly ended before it began when Pacino's lawyers told Coppola that he had grave misgivings with the script and was not coming. Coppola spent an entire night rewriting it before giving it to Pacino for his review. Pacino approved and the production went forward.^[11]

Coppola discusses his decision to make this the first major motion picture to use 'Part II' in its title in the director's commentary on the DVD edition of the film released in 2002. Paramount was initially opposed because they believed the audience would not be interested in an addition to a story they had already seen. But the director prevailed, and the film's success began the common practice of numbered sequels.

Only three weeks prior to the release, film critics and journalists pronounced Part II a disaster. The cross-cutting between Vito and Michael's parallel stories were judged too frequent, not allowing enough time to leave a lasting impression on the audience. Coppola and the editors returned to the cutting room to change the film's narrative structure, but could not complete the work in time, leaving the final scenes poorly timed at the opening.^[12]

Reception[edit]

Initial critical reception of The Godfather Part II was divided,^[13] with some dismissing the work and others declaring it superior to the first film.^[14][15] While its cinematography and acting were immediately acclaimed, many criticized it as overly slow-paced and convoluted.^[16]Vincent Canby viewed the film as 'stitched together from leftover parts. It talks. It moves in fits and starts but it has no mind of its own. [...] The plot defies any rational synopsis.'^[9]Stanley Kauffmann of The New Republic accused the story of featuring 'gaps and distentions [sic].'^[17] A mildly positive Roger Ebert awarded three stars out of four^[18] and wrote that the flashbacks 'give Coppola the greatest difficulty in maintaining his pace and narrative force. The story of Michael, told chronologically and without the other material, would have had really substantial impact, but Coppola prevents our complete involvement by breaking the tension.' Though praising Pacino's performance and lauding Coppola as 'a master of mood, atmosphere, and period', Ebert considered the chronological shifts of its narrative 'a structural weakness from which the film never recovers'.^[16]Gene Siskel gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, writing that it was at times 'as beautiful, as harrowing, and as exciting as the original. In fact, 'The Godfather, Part II' may be the second best gangster movie ever made. But it's not the same. Sequels can never be the same. It's like being forced to go to a funeral the second time—the tears just don't flow as easily.'^[19]

The film quickly became the subject of a critical reevaluation.^[20] Whether considered separately or with its predecessor as one work, The Godfather Part II is now widely regarded as one of the greatest films in world cinema. Many critics compare it favorably with the original – although it is rarely ranked higher on lists of 'greatest' films. Roger Ebert retrospectively awarded it a full four stars in a second review and inducted the film into his Great Movies section, praising the work as 'grippingly written, directed with confidence and artistry, photographed by Gordon Willis [...] in rich, warm tones.'^[21]Michael Sragow's conclusion in his 2002 essay, selected for the National Film Registry web site, is that '[a]lthough 'The Godfather' and 'The Godfather Part II' depict an American family's moral defeat, as a mammoth, pioneering work of art it remains a national creative triumph.'^[22]

The Godfather Part II was featured on Sight & Sound's Director's list of the ten greatest films of all time in 1992 and 2002.It ranked #7 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the '100 Greatest Movies of All Time', and #1 on TV Guide's 1998 list of the '50 Greatest Movies of All Time on TV and Video'.^[23] On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 97% approval rating based on 73 critical reviews, with an average rating of 9.62/10. The consensus reads, 'Drawing on strong performances by Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, Francis Ford Coppola's continuation of Mario Puzo's Mafia saga set new standards for sequels that have yet to be matched or broken.'^[24]

Many believe Pacino's performance in The Godfather Part II is his finest acting work, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was criticized for awarding the Academy Award for Best Actor that year to Art Carney for his role in Harry and Tonto. It is now regarded as one of the greatest performances in film history. In 2006, Premiere issued its list of 'The 100 Greatest Performances of all Time', putting Pacino's performance at #20.^[25] Later in 2009, Total Film issued 'The 150 Greatest Performances of All Time', ranking Pacino's performance fourth place.^[26]

Box office[edit]

The Godfather Part II did not surpass the original film commercially, but in North America it grossed $47.5 million on a $13 million budget.^[2] It was Paramount Pictures' highest-grossing film of 1974 and was the seventh-highest-grossing picture in North America that year.

Releases for television and video[edit]

Coppola created The Godfather Saga expressly for American television in a 1975 release that combined The Godfather and The Godfather Part II with unused footage from those two films in a chronological telling that toned down the violent, sexual, and profane material for its NBC debut on November 18, 1977. In 1981, Paramount released the Godfather Epic boxed set, which also told the story of the first two films in chronological order, again with additional scenes, but not redacted for broadcast sensibilities. Coppola returned to the film again in 1992 when he updated that release with footage from The Godfather Part III and more unreleased material. This home viewing release, under the title The Godfather Trilogy 1901–1980, had a total run time of 583 minutes (9 hours, 43 minutes), not including the set's bonus documentary by Jeff Werner on the making of the films, 'The Godfather Family: A Look Inside'.

The Godfather DVD Collection was released on October 9, 2001 in a package^[27] that contained all three films—each with a commentary track by Coppola—and a bonus disc that featured a 73-minute documentary from 1991 entitled The Godfather Family: A Look Inside and other miscellany about the film: the additional scenes originally contained in The Godfather Saga; Francis Coppola's Notebook (a look inside a notebook the director kept with him at all times during the production of the film); rehearsal footage; a promotional featurette from 1971; and video segments on Gordon Willis's cinematography, Nino Rota's and Carmine Coppola's music, the director, the locations and Mario Puzo's screenplays. The DVD also held a Corleone family tree, a 'Godfather' timeline, and footage of the Academy Award acceptance speeches.^[28]

The restoration was confirmed by Francis Ford Coppola during a question-and-answer session for The Godfather Part III, when he said that he had just seen the new transfer and it was 'terrific'.

Restoration[edit]

After a careful restoration of the first two movies, The Godfather movies were released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on September 23, 2008, under the title The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration. The work was done by Robert A. Harris of Film Preserve. The Blu-ray Disc box set (four discs) includes high-definition extra features on the restoration and film. They are included on Disc 5 of the DVD box set (five discs).

Other extras are ported over from Paramount's 2001 DVD release. There are slight differences between the repurposed extras on the DVD and Blu-ray Disc sets, with the HD box having more content.^[29]

Accolades[edit]

This film was the first sequel to have won the Academy Award for Best Picture.^[30]The Godfather and The Godfather Part II remain the only original/sequel combination both to win Best Picture.^[31] Along with The Lord of the Rings, The Godfather Trilogy shares the distinction that all of its installments were nominated for Best Picture.

American Film Institute recognition[edit]

• 1998: AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies – #32^[32]
• 2003: AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains:
  • Michael Corleone – #11 Villain^[33]
• 2005: AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:
  • 'Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.' – #58^[34]
  • 'I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart. You broke my heart.' – Nominated^[35]
  • 'Michael, we're bigger than U.S. Steel.' – Nominated^[35]
• 2007: AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) – #32^[36]
• 2008: AFI's 10 Top 10 – #3 Gangster Film and Nominated Epic Film^[37]

Video game[edit]

The video game based on the film was released in April 2009 by Electronic Arts.^[38]

References[edit]

1. ^'The Godfather II'. British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
2. ^ ^abc'The Godfather Part II (1974)'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
3. ^ ^ab'The Godfather: Part II (1974) - Financial Information'. The Numbers. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
4. ^'Citizen Kane Stands the Test of Time'. American Film Institute.
5. ^Stax (July 28, 2003). 'Featured Filmmaker: Francis Ford Coppola'. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
6. ^'The National Film Registry List – Library of Congress'. loc.gov. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
7. ^Phillips, Gene (2004). 'Godfather: The Intimate Francis Ford Coppola'. ISBN9780813123042.
8. ^Cagney, James (1976). 'Cagney by Cagney'. Doubleday. ISBN9780671808891.
9. ^ ^abCanby, Vincent (December 13, 1974). ''Godfather, Part II' Is Hard To Define: The Cast'. The New York Times. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
10. ^'Movie Set Hotel: The Godfather II', HotelChatter, 12–05–2006.
11. ^ ^abThe Godfather Part II DVD commentary featuring Francis Ford Coppola, [2005]
12. ^The Godfather Family: A look Inside
13. ^Eagan, Daniel (2009). America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 712. ISBN1441116478.
14. ^Biskind, Peter (1991). The Godfather Companion. Wildside Press. ISBN0809590360.
15. ^'The Godfather, Part II'. Turner Classic Movies, Inc. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
16. ^ ^ab'The 'Godfather Part II' Sequel Syndrome'. Newsweek. December 25, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2017. But when the movie arrived in theaters at the end of 1974, it was met with a critical reception that, compared with today's exuberant embrace, felt more like a slap in the face. [...] Most professional tastemakers, even those exasperated by what they felt was the movie's sometimes plodding-pace, recognized the creative crowning achievements of the film's direction, cinematography and acting.
17. ^Berliner, Todd (2010). Hollywood Incoherent: Narration in Seventies Cinema. University of Texas Press. pp. 75–76. ISBN0292722796.
18. ^Ebert, Roger. 'The Godfather, Part II'. RogerEbert.com. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
19. ^Siskel, Gene (December 20, 1974). 'The Godfather, Part II': Father knew best'. Chicago Tribune. Section 3, p. 1.
20. ^Garner, Joe (2013). Now Showing: Unforgettable Moments from the Movies. Andrews McMeel Publishing. ISBN1449450091.
21. ^Ebert, Roger (October 2, 2008). 'The Godfather, Part II Movie Review (1974)'. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
22. ^Sragow, Michael (2002). 'The Godfather and The Godfather Part II'(PDF). 'The A List: The National Society of Film Critics' 100 Essential Films,' 2002.
23. ^'TV Guide's 50 Greatest Movies On TV/Video'. thependragon.co.uk. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
24. ^'The Godfather, Part II'. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
25. ^'The 100 Greatest Performances' filmsite.org
26. ^'The 150 Greatest Performances Of All Time' TotalFilm. com
27. ^'DVD review: 'The Godfather Collection'. DVD Spin Doctor. July 2007.
28. ^The Godfather DVD Collection [2001]
29. ^'Godfather: Coppola Restoration', September 23 on DVD Spin Doctor
30. ^ ^ab'47th Academy Awards Winners: Best Picture'. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
31. ^McNamara, Mary (December 2, 2010). 'Critic's Notebook: Can 'Harry Potter' ever capture Oscar magic?'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
32. ^'AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies'(PDF). American Film Institute. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
33. ^'AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains'(PDF). American Film Institute. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
34. ^'AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes'(PDF). American Film Institute. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
35. ^ ^ab'AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes Nominees'(PDF). American Film Institute. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
36. ^'AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)'(PDF). American Film Institute. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
37. ^'AFI's 10 Top 10: Top 10 Gangster'. American Film Institute. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
38. ^'EA Announces New Street Date for The Godfather II'. EA.com. February 11, 2009. Retrieved February 12, 2009.

External links[edit]

• The Godfather Part II on IMDb
• The Godfather Part II at the American Film Institute Catalog
• The Godfather Part II at Box Office Mojo
• The Godfather Part II at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Godfather Part II at Metacritic

The Godfather Part III is a 1990 American crime film written by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola, and directed by Coppola. A sequel to The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974), it completes the story of Michael Corleone, a Mafiakingpin who attempts to legitimize his criminal empire. The film also includes fictionalized accounts of two real-life events: the 1978 death of Pope John Paul I and the Papal banking scandal of 1981–82, both linked to Michael Corleone's business affairs. The film stars Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, and Andy García.

Coppola and Puzo preferred the title The Death of Michael Corleone, but Paramount Pictures found that unacceptable. Coppola considers the series as two films, with Part III as an epilogue. The Godfather Part III received generally positive reviews, albeit less than the critical acclaim that the first two films received. It grossed $136,766,062 and was nominated for seven Academy Awards including the Academy Award for Best Picture.

• 4Reception

Plot[edit]

In 1979, Michael Corleone, approaching 60, is wracked with guilt over his ruthless rise to power, especially for having ordered Fredo's assassination. He donates part of his tremendous wealth to charitable causes. Michael and Kay are divorced; their children, Anthony and Mary, live with Kay. At the reception following a papal order induction ceremony in St. Patrick's Old Cathedral in Michael's honor, Anthony tells his father that he is leaving law school to become an opera singer. Kay supports his decision, but Michael wants Anthony to complete his law degree first. Michael and Kay have an uneasy reunion when Kay reveals that she and Anthony know the truth about Fredo's death. Vincent Mancini, the illegitimate son of Sonny Corleone, arrives at the reception. He is embroiled in a feud with Joey Zasa. Connie Corleone arranges for Vincent to meet Zasa, who calls Vincent a bastard, and Vincent bites Zasa's ear. Although Michael is troubled by Vincent's fiery temper, he is impressed by his loyalty, so agrees to include Vincent in the family business.

Michael knows that the head of the Vatican Bank, Archbishop Gilday, has accumulated a massive deficit and offers $600 million in exchange for shares in Internazionale Immobiliare,^[3] an international real estate company, which would make him its largest single shareholder with six seats on the company's 13-member board. He makes a tender offer to buy the Vatican's 25% share in the company, which will give him a controlling interest. Immobiliare's board quickly approves the offer, pending ratification by the pope.

Don Altobello, a New York Mafia boss and Connie's godfather, tells Michael that his partners on The Commission want to be in on the Immobiliare deal. Wanting the deal to be untainted by Mafia involvement, Michael pays them from the sale of his Las Vegas holdings. Zasa receives nothing and, declaring Michael his enemy, storms out. Altobello follows Zasa, saying he will reason with him. Moments later, a helicopter hovers outside the conference room and opens fire. Most of the bosses are killed, but Michael, Vincent, and Michael's bodyguard, Al Neri, escape. Neri tells Michael that the surviving mob bosses made deals with Zasa but Michael realizes that it is Altobello who is the traitor. Michael suffers a diabetic stroke and is hospitalized. As Michael recuperates, Vincent and Mary begin a romantic relationship, while Neri and Connie give Vincent permission to retaliate against Zasa. During a street festival hosted by Zasa's Italian American civil rights group, Vincent kills Zasa. Michael berates Vincent for his actions and insists that Vincent end his relationship with Mary, explaining Vincent's involvement in the family's criminal enterprises endangers her life.

The family goes to Sicily for Anthony's operatic debut in Palermo at the Teatro Massimo and stays with Don Tommasino. Michael tells Vincent to pretend to defect from the Corleone family in order to spy on Altobello. Altobello introduces Vincent to Don Licio Lucchesi, a powerful Italian political figure and Immobiliare's chairman. Michael discovers that the Immobiliare deal is an elaborate swindle, arranged by Lucchesi, Gilday, and Vatican accountant Frederick Keinszig. Michael visits Cardinal Lamberto, favored to become the next pope, to discuss the deal. Lamberto persuades Michael to make his first confession in 30 years. Michael tearfully confesses that he ordered Fredo's murder, and Lamberto says that Michael deserves to suffer but can be redeemed.

Vincent tells Michael that Altobello has hired Mosca, a veteran hitman, to assassinate Michael. Mosca and his son, disguised as priests, kill Don Tommasino as he returns to his villa. While Michael and Kay tour Sicily, Michael asks for Kay's forgiveness, and they admit they still love each other. Michael receives word of Tommasino's death, and at the funeral vows never to sin again. Following the pope's death, Cardinal Lamberto is elected to succeed him and the Immobiliare deal is ratified. The plotters against the ratification attempt to cover their tracks. Michael sees that his nephew is a changed man and names him the new Don of the Corleone family, telling him to adopt the Corleone name. Vincent ends his romance with Mary.

The family sees Anthony's performance in Cavalleria rusticana in Palermo while Vincent exacts his revenge:

• Keinszig is abducted by Vincent's men, who smother and then hang him from a bridge, making his death look like a suicide.
• Don Altobello, at the opera, is given poisoned cannoli by Connie, who watches him die from her opera box.
• Calò, Tommasino's former bodyguard, meets with Don Lucchesi at his office, claiming to bear a message from Michael. As he whispers the message, Calò stabs Lucchesi in the neck with his own spectacles.

After approving the Immobiliare deal, Lamberto, now the pope, is served poisoned tea by Archbishop Gilday and dies in his sleep. Al Neri travels to the Vatican, where he shoots Archbishop Gilday.

At the opera house during Anthony's performance, three of Vincent's men search for Mosca but he overcomes them. Mosca is unable to aim at Michael in the theatre but outside the opera house wounds Michael and kills Mary. Vincent shoots and kills Mosca. Michael cradles Mary's lifeless body and screams in agony; the scene fades out into a montage of various scenes of Michael's life across all three films.

Years later, an elderly Michael is alone in the courtyard of Don Tommasino's villa. Suddenly, he slumps over in his chair and falls to the ground.

Cast[edit]

• Al Pacino as Michael Corleone
• Andy García as Vincent Corleone
• Diane Keaton as Kay Adams-Corleone
• Talia Shire as Connie Corleone
• Sofia Coppola as Mary Corleone
• Eli Wallach as Don Altobello
• George Hamilton as B. J. Harrison
• Joe Mantegna as Joey Zasa
• Richard Bright as Al Neri
• Bridget Fonda as Grace Hamilton
• Raf Vallone as Cardinal Lamberto
• Franc D'Ambrosio as Anthony Corleone
• Donal Donnelly as Archbishop Gilday
• Helmut Berger as Frederick Keinszig
• Don Novello as Dominic Abbandando
• John Savage as Father Andrew Hagen
• Mario Donatone as Mosca
• Vittorio Duse as Don Tommasino
• Enzo Robutti as Don Licio Lucchesi
• Al Martino as Johnny Fontane
• Franco Citti as Calò
• Brett Halsey as Douglas Michelson

Pre-production[edit]

Coppola felt that the first two films had told the complete Corleone saga. In his audio commentary for Part II, he stated that only a dire financial situation caused by the failure of One from the Heart (1982) compelled him to take up Paramount's long-standing offer to make a third installment.^[4]

Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, and Talia Shire reprised their roles from the first two films. According to Coppola's audio commentary on the film in The Godfather DVD Collection, Robert Duvall refused to take part unless he was paid a salary comparable to Pacino's. On an episode of Inside the Actors Studio,^[when?] Duvall said he understood that Pacino was the star but felt insulted by the difference in their salaries, saying: 'if they paid Pacino twice what they paid me, that's fine, but not three or four times, which is what they did.' When Duvall dropped out, Coppola rewrote the screenplay to portray Tom Hagen as having died before the story begins and created the character B. J. Harrison, played by George Hamilton, to replace the Hagen character in the story. Coppola stated that, to him, the movie feels incomplete 'without [Robert] Duvall's participation'. According to Coppola, had Duvall agreed to take part in the film, the Hagen character would have been heavily involved in running the Corleone charities. Duvall confirmed in a 2010 interview that he never regretted the decision of turning down his role.^[5]

The first draft of a script had been written by Dean Riesner in 1979, based on a story by Mario Puzo. This script centered around Michael Corleone's son, Anthony, a naval officer working for the CIA, and the Corleone family's involvement with a plot to assassinate a Central American dictator.^[6] Almost none of the elements of this early script carried over to the final film, but one scene from the film – in which two men break into Vincent's house – exists in the Riesner draft and is nearly unchanged.^[7]

Coppola says that he felt The Godfather saga was essentially Michael's story, one about how 'a good man becomes evil', that Michael had not really 'paid for his sins' committed in the second film, and he wanted this final chapter to demonstrate that. In keeping with this theme, Coppola completely re-wrote the script.^{[citation needed]}

Julia Roberts was originally cast as Mary but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.^[8]Madonna wanted to play the role, but Coppola felt she was too old for the part.^[9]Rebecca Schaeffer was set to audition^[10] but was murdered. Winona Ryder dropped out of the film at the last minute.^[8] Ultimately Sofia Coppola, the director's daughter, was given the role of Michael Corleone's daughter. Her much-criticized performance resulted in her father's being accused of nepotism, a charge Coppola denies in the commentary track, asserting that, in his opinion, critics, 'beginning with an article in Vanity Fair,' were 'using [my] daughter to attack me,' something he finds ironic in light of the film's denouement when the Mary character pays the ultimate price for her father's sins.

As an infant, Sofia Coppola had played Michael Corleone's infant nephew in The Godfather, during the climacticbaptism/murder montage at the end of that film (Sofia Coppola also appeared in The Godfather Part II, as a small immigrant child in the scene where the nine-year-old Vito Corleone arrives by steamer at Ellis Island). The character of Michael's sister Connie is played by Francis Ford Coppola's sister, Talia Shire (making her both Mary's aunt in the movie and Sofia's aunt in real life). Other Coppola relatives with cameos in the film included the director's mother, father (who wrote and conducted much of the music in the film), uncle, and granddaughter Gia.^[11] In addition, Coppola cast Catherine Scorsese, mother of Martin Scorsese, in a small part.

Reception[edit]

Critical response[edit]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 68% approval rating, based on 59 reviews, with a weighted average of 6.42/10. The site's critical consensus reads: 'The final installment of The Godfather saga recalls its predecessors' power when it's strictly business, but underwhelming performances and confused tonality brings less closure to the Corleone story'.^[12] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 60, based on 19 reviews, which indicates 'mixed or average reviews'.^[13] Common criticisms have focused on Sofia Coppola's acting, the plot's convoluted nature, and its inadequacy as a 'stand-alone' story.^[14][15]

In his review, Roger Ebert stated that it is 'not even possible to understand this film without knowing the first two.' Nonetheless, Ebert wrote an enthusiastic review, awarding the film three-and-a-half stars, a better rating than he originally gave The Godfather Part II^[16] In his 2008 re-rating, he gave The Godfather Part II 4 stars^[17] and included it in his list of Great Movies from which he excluded The Godfather Part III.. He also defended the casting of Sofia Coppola, who he felt was not miscast, stating, 'There is no way to predict what kind of performance Francis Ford Coppola might have obtained from Winona Ryder, the experienced and talented young actress, who was originally set to play this role. But I think Sofia Coppola brings a quality of her own to Mary Corleone. A certain up-front vulnerability and simplicity that I think are appropriate and right for the role.'

Ebert's colleague, Gene Siskel, also highly praised the film and placed it tenth in his list of the ten best films of 1990. Siskel admitted that the ending was the film's weakest part, citing Al Pacino's makeup as very poor. He also said, “[Another] problem is the casting of Sofia Coppola, who is out of her acting league here. She’s supposed to be Andy Garcia’s love interest but no sparks fly. He’s more like her babysitter.” In response to Ebert’s defense of Coppola, Siskel said: “I know what you’re saying about her being sort of natural and not the polished bombshell, and that would’ve been wrong. There is one, a photographer in the picture, who takes care of that role, but at the same time, I don’t think it’s explained why [Vincent] really comes onto her, unless this guy is the most venal, craven guy, but look who [sic] he’s playing around with. He’s playing around with the Godfather’s daughter.”^[18]

Leonard Maltin, giving the film three out of four stars, stated that the film is 'masterfully told', but that casting Sofia Coppola was an 'almost-fatal flaw.'^[19]

Accolades[edit]

Although reception to the film was mixed, the film was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Andy García), Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Dean Tavoularis, Gary Fettis), Best Music, Song (for Carmine Coppola and John Bettis for 'Promise Me You'll Remember').^[20][21] It is the only film in the series not to have Al Pacino nominated for an Academy Award (he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for The Godfather and for Best Actor for The Godfather Part II). It is the only film in the trilogy not to win for Best Picture or any other Academy Award for that matter, as well as the only film in the trilogy not selected for preservation by the U.S. National Film Registry. Along with The Lord of the Rings, The Godfather Trilogy shares the distinction that all of its installments were nominated for Best Picture.

The film was also nominated for seven Golden Globes Awards, but did not win.^[22]Sofia Coppola won two Golden Raspberry Awards for both Worst Supporting Actress and Worst New Star.

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

• 2005: AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:
  • Michael Corleone: 'Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.' – Nominated^[23]

Historical background[edit]

Parts of the film are very loosely based on real historical events concerning the ending of the papacy of Pope Paul VI, the very short tenure of John Paul I in 1978, and the collapse of the Banco Ambrosiano in 1982. Like the character Cardinal Lamberto, who becomes John Paul I, the historical John Paul I, Albino Luciani, reigned for only a very short time before being found dead in his bed.

Journalist David Yallop argues that Luciani was planning a reform of Vatican finances and that he died by poisoning; these claims are reflected in the film.^[24] Yallop also names as a suspect Archbishop Paul Marcinkus, who was the head of the Vatican bank, like the character Archbishop Gilday in the film. However, while Marcinkus was noted for his muscular physique and Chicago origins, Gilday is a mild Irishman. The character has also drawn comparisons to Cardinal Giuseppe Caprio, as he was in charge of the Vatican finances during the approximate period in which the movie was based.^[25]

The character of Frederick Keinszig, the Swiss banker who is murdered and left hanging under a bridge, mirrors the fate (and physical appearance) of Roberto Calvi, the Italian head of the Banco Ambrosiano who was found hanging under Blackfriars Bridge in London in 1982 (it was unclear whether it was suicide or murder; courts in Italy have recently ruled the latter). The name 'Keinszig' is taken from Manuela Kleinszig, the girlfriend of Flavio Carbone who was indicted as one of Roberto Calvi's murderers in 2005.^[26]

Soundtrack[edit]

The film's soundtrack received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Score. The film's love theme, 'Promise Me You'll Remember' (subtitled 'Love Theme from The Godfather Part III') sung by Harry Connick, Jr., received Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Song.

Al Martino, who portrayed Johnny Fontane in The Godfather and The Godfather Part III, sings 'To Each His Own'.

Fourth film[edit]

Following the reaction to the third installment, Coppola stated that the idea of a fourth film was discussed but Mario Puzo died before they were able to write the film. A potential script, told in a similar narrative to Part II, would have included De Niro reprising his role as a younger Vito Corleone in the 1930s; Leonardo DiCaprio was slated to portray a young Santino Corleone gaining the Corleone family's political power;^[27] García reprising his role as Vincent Corleone during the 1980s running the family business through a ten-year destructive war, haunted by the death of his cousin Mary, and eventually losing the family's respect and power.^[28] García has since claimed the film's script was nearly produced.^[28]

Puzo's portion of the potential sequel, dealing with the Corleone family in the early 1930s, was eventually expanded into a novel by Edward Falco and published in 2012 as The Family Corleone.^[29][30] Paramount sued the Puzo estate to prevent publication of the novel, prompting a counter-suit on the part of the estate claiming breach of contract. The studio and the estate subsequently settled the suits, allowing publication of the book, but with the studio retaining rights to possible future films.^[31]

References[edit]

1. ^'THE GODFATHER PART III'. British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved February 19, 2018. Approved Running time: 161m 33s
2. ^ ^ab'The Godfather Part III (1990)'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
3. ^J. D. Connor (April 8, 2015). The Studios after the Studios: Neoclassical Hollywood (1970-2010). Stanford University Press. pp. 89–. ISBN978-0-8047-9474-9.
4. ^'DVD commentary featuring Francis Ford Coppola'. The Godfather Part II DVD. 2005.
5. ^Galloway, Stephen; Belloni, Matthew (December 20, 2010). 'Nearing 80, Robert Duvall hits awards-season trail'. Reuters. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
6. ^'The Godfather Part III (1979 script)'(PDF). AwesomeFilm.com. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
7. ^'The Godfather Part III (1979 script), pp 53-57'(PDF). AwesomeFilm.com. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
8. ^ ^ab'Death in the family'. The Guardian. April 15, 2000. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
9. ^Nick Browne, ed. (2000). Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Trilogy. Cambridge University Press. p. 48. ISBN9780521559508.
10. ^Ojumu, Akin (February 16, 2003). 'Brad Silbering: The family that grieves together...'The Observer. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
11. ^'Coppola Family Cameos'. Destination Hollywood. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
12. ^'The Godfather, Part III (1990)'. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
13. ^'The Godfather: Part III Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
14. ^New York Times Retrieved March 2009; The Godfather Part III (1990)
15. ^Kakutani, Michiko (November 12, 2004). 'You Think You're Out, but They Try to Pull You Back In'. The New York Times. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
16. ^Ebert, Roger (December 25, 1990). 'The Godfather, Part III Movie Review (1990)'. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
17. ^Roger Ebert: Review of The Godfather, Part II (1974), October 2, 2008.
18. ^'YouTube'. YouTube. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
19. ^Leonard Maltin's 2009 Movie Guide. Penguin Group. p. 530. ISBN978-0-452-28978-9.
20. ^'The 63rd Academy Awards (1991) Nominees and Winners'. oscars.org. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
21. ^'Academy Awards, Retrieved March 2009'. Search.oscars.org. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
22. ^The Godfather Part III, 7 Nomination(s) | 0 Win(s) | 1991Archived July 12, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
23. ^'AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes Nominees'(PDF). Retrieved July 30, 2016.
24. ^Vankin, Jonathan; Whalen, John (2004). The 80 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time: History's Biggest Mysteries, Coverups, and Cabals. Citadel Press. pp. 172–174. ISBN0-8065-2531-2.
25. ^Vankin, Jonathan; Whalen, John (2004). The 80 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time: History's Biggest Mysteries, Coverups, and Cabals. Citadel Press. pp. 178–179. ISBN0-8065-2531-2.
26. ^Civil Liability for Pure Economic Loss: Proceedings of the Annual International Colloquium of the United Kingdom National, Committee of Comparative Law Held in Norwich, September, 1994, By Efstathios K. Banakas, United Kingdom National Committee of Comparative Law; Contributor Efstathios K. Banakas; Published by Kluwer Law International, 1996; ISBN90-411-0908-0, ISBN978-90-411-0908-8
27. ^'DiCaprio and Garcia set to star in The Godfather part IV | Film'. The Guardian. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
28. ^ ^abMorris, Andy (March 16, 2011). 'The Godfather Part IV'. GQ. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
29. ^Wilson, Craig (May 6, 2012). 'Prequel lays out life before 'The Godfather''. USA Today. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
30. ^Schulder, Michael (September 4, 2012). 'CNN Profiles: Ed Falco's prequel to 'The Godfather''. CNN Radio. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
31. ^Patten, Dominic (December 21, 2012). 'Paramount & Puzo Estate Settle 'Godfather' Suit'. Deadline. Retrieved November 8, 2016.

Sources[edit]

• Coppola, Francis Ford. 'Director's Commentary track'. The Godfather Part III DVD. Included in The Godfather DVD Collection.
• Cornwell, Rupert (1984). God's Banker: The Life and Death of Roberto Calvi. Victor Gollancz Ltd.
• Yallop, David (1987). In God's Name: An Investigation into the Murder of Pope John Paul I. Corgi.

External links[edit]

The Godfather Script Pdf

• The Godfather Part III on IMDb
• The Godfather Part III at the American Film Institute Catalog
• The Godfather Part III at Box Office Mojo
• The Godfather Part III at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Godfather Part III at Metacritic

The Godfather Ii Script Pdf