They said it couldn’t be done but director Coppola and Mario Puzo made a sequel that it just as entertaining and compelling and in some ways even better than the original. Many consider The Godfather Part II to be a better film than its predecessor, and in many ways I agree. The narrative is stronger, and with the characters and milieu already established, Coppola is able to cut even deeper to the heart of his themes and story.The casting of De Niro as the young Don Corleone is inspired, and its amazing how uncanny he fills the shoes of a young Brando. Despite running over three hours, The Godfather Part II feels like the shortest in the series, and the one I find the most visually striking and well-mounted.
The first story continues the story of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), who has taken over the family business from father Vito (Marlon Brando in the original). The second story goes backwards in time and shows the audience Vito (Robert Deniro) rise to power.
The different stories could have been awkwardly put together, but director Francis Ford Coppola handles the transitions between the two quite well; there’s nothing jarring about going back and forth to rejoin the events of the other tale. Both are equally interesting, as well. I especially enjoyed Deniro’s performance as the young Vito, as he starts to become colder and more calculating, overthrowing the local leader. Although Deniro’s performance isn’t quite as memorable as Brando’s, he does make the character his own and becomes bigger and bolder as the film goes forward. Pacino’s performance is simply brilliant and regal, he exudes the coldness through his eyes; a subtle, but confident effort that - like his role in the first picture - was nominated for an Oscar (unfortunately, he won for neither).
The script by director Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo is, as with the first picture, wonderfully written and detailed. The dialogue is fascinating and the story is well-structured. Interestingly enough, one of the elements where I do feel that the second feature is somewhat more enjoyable than the first is the area of pacing. Although the second feature is longer than the first and the longest of the three at nearly three and a half hours, it seems to move faster than the other two. The editing by Barry Malkin, Richard Marks and Peter Zinner keep the film moving and the story flowing smoothly. Two additional crew members whose work was wonderful on the original picture, cinematographer Gordon Willis (whose work captures the atmosphere even better here) and production designer Dean Tavoularis, also return to shine in their roles again here.
Gordon Willis’ photography on Part II may be even better than his work on the first installment. Full of lush, brassy browns and beautiful sepia tones, there is little in the way of truly vibrant colors, even in the more modern-day scenes.
The music by Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola is moving, especially the piece when Mama Corleone dies and Fredo hugs his brother Michael.
The Godfather Part 2’’ is a stellar second film in the series, an ambitious and successful picture that works as a fine companion piece to the original.