I have a confession: I The Godfather Part II(#32) better than The Godfather. There, I said it. The Godfather Part II picks up pretty much where the first Godfather movie left off. Michael Corleone(Al Pacino) is the new godfather and shows the aftermath of his rise into power along with the shifting attitudes about “the family” in the government and in society. In addition, The Godfather Part II chronicles the story of how Don Vito became the godfather in the first place. Robert De Niro plays a young Vito Corleone and he is spectacular.
I love the Godfather movies. I have not yet seen the third installment nor do I plan to as I don’t want to spoil the first two. This was the last major motion picture filmed entirely in technicolor and it adds a lot to the feel of the movie. The more muted colors provide a great palate for the scenes in the early 1900s and it gives the movie an older, more worn in feel for the scenes in the 1950s. Although it’s really interesting to see Michael spiral downwards, the highlights of this movie for me are the scenes in the 1900s with Robert De Niro. My favorite scene in practically any movie has to be the scene where Vito uses a towel to silence his gun. The way that sequence is presented makes it one of my favorite scenes in any movie.
Al Pacino also does a fantastic job playing the now dark intense Michael. It’s a huge change from the Michael we see in the wedding scene at the beginning of The Godfather. It actually kind of makes me sad to see how much he has changed by the end of this movie; he had so much potential as a good character in The Godfather. That being said, Al Pacino is fantastic at showing shadows of his former self in this movie while still playing his new dark self. Amazing.
I know this movie is long, but its one of my favorite movies of all time. I love the parallel story lines simultaneously showcasing Vito’s rise with the beginning of Michael’s downfall. This movie should be higher up, no question. The movie is a little violent, but it is definitely worth the watch.
