The Godfather, Part II

Most sequels only hope to shed a fraction of the light on them as the film that came before it. Of just about any sequel, The Godfather Part II comes closest.

Al Pacino stars as Michael Corleone, head of the Corleone family; John Cazale, as Michael’s older brother; Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen, Michael’s concierge; Diane Keaton is Michael’s wife, Kay Corleone; Robert DeNiro is the young Vito Corleone; Talia Shire Michael’s sister, Lee Strasberg is longtime family friend, Hyman Roth; and Michael Gazzo plays Frankie Pentangeli, successor to Clemenza’s territory in New York City.

The second films picks up years after the first film, in Lake Tahoe at Michael’s son’s first communion.

The extremely very risky move was to intercut the story of young Vito Corleone in with the continuing events of his son, Michael.

It’s a point of contention even between film buffs as to which film is better. The original Godfather, or the sequel. I’m of two minds, and it really all depends on the mood I’m in. At times I feel it’s superior to the original, but at the same time, I’m able to watch the original many many many more times than I am able to watch this film. But that opens up an entirely different argument I have quite often about watchable films verses quality.

Al Pacino and Diane Keaton had good performances, and with Robert DeNiro cast as the young Vito, the film instantly replaces the lack of Marlon Brando’s presence.

More than the first film, this film definitely does not glorify violence or the Mafioso lifestyle. The story paints two different pictures. Vito’s rise to power in New York and Michael’s devolution into corruption. Where Vito succeeds, Michael fails. Michael completely loses it by the end of the film, doing something that I personally find to be completely reprehensible, and shows that he’s lost the personal/business distinction.

The villains of this film are different that the first film, both being long time friends of the family. In the end they’re less “evil” than their Godfather part I counterparts, though just as ruthless. Pentangeli is a tragic figure, though it’s a shame that they were unable to get Richard Castellano to reprise his role as Clemenza. Probably the biggest failing in the entire film. The lack of Clemenza marginally undercuts one of the central themes of the film – especially when you compare Hymen Roth’s role in the film. Aside from that, Michael Gazzo’s role as Pentangeli works perfectly, even if we don’t really “know” the character before this point.

The final scene really underscores the fall of Michael. A tragic end to a tragic film.

***** out of *****

The Godfather

The Godfather. A cultural cornerstone of cinema. From the opening scene where the camera zooms out and the character Bonasera (Salvatore Corsitto) starts his “I believe in America” speech, I knew I was in for a treat. Simply put, the Godfather is an American icon to be cherished.

It is hard to beat the oft quoted phrase “best film ever been made," because it’s darn close. However, much to my dismay, there are many in my generation that don’t appear to enjoy it. They find it “boring.” Dull is an phrase I hear from quite a few people who don’t like the film. I don’t know what people expect anymore from movies. It is a very well-made film and a very well-acted film. It’s a film to appreciate its achievement in cinema.

The characters were believable and very engaging. Brando presents a believable, realistic picture of a human crime boss, a far cry from the portrayal of 1930s gangsters. Gangsters who would spout “Seeeee?” at the end of just about every sentence, and would say “Coppa” when they talked about police officers. See? The results in this film fly in the face of all the stereotypes that came decades earlier.

The cast fit their roles perfectly. Each character hits their mark perfectly. They feel like they’re an actual family. Marlon Brando stars as Don Vito Corleone, the head of the Corleone family; Al Pacino is Vito’s son, Michael Corleone; James Caan, Vito’s oldest, Santino 'Sonny' Corleone; John Cazale, is Vito’s middle child; Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen, Vito’s adopted Irish/German child; Diane Keaton is Michael’s love interest, Kay Adams; Richard Castellano as Peter Clemenza; Abe Vigoda as Sal Tessio; and Talia Shire is Vito’s daughter Connie Corleone Rizzi.

The story begins in post World War II New York City, 1946. Don Vito, head of the Corleone family, is granting the requests of invitees to his daughter, Connie’s wedding. This opening sequence brings us into the world that the Godfather takes place in. The story is about great families competing for prestige, power, and money.

One of the biggest complaints about the actual film, beyond the “it’s boring” complaint is that the film romanticizes crime and criminals. Yes, on the surface this appears true. The film makes it appear that crime ‘pays.’ When one looks deeper into the film, it starts to become clear that this is not quite the case. The Corleone family, while shown to be the “good guys” in the film, with both the FBI (taking pictures at the wedding at the start of the film) and other mobsters portrayed as the “bad guys,” it is not so clear that the Corleone family is also actually “bad.” They do inexcuasable things, things that they don’t appear to have any moral qualms about killing people, stealing, and distributing drugs (though Vito doesn’t want it distributed to children). That eventually begs the question, why should we care what happens to a bunch of criminals?

The movie ignores the petty, generic crimes that gangsters in early 30s films took part in. There are no heists, no central plot on gambling rackets, no everyday business. I think anyone who believes that the filmmakers are apologists for this deviant criminal behavior are being simple minded and intentionally obtuse about the themes in the film.

Nino Rota’s score is almost haunting in its heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. Gordon Willis’ cinematography is brilliant. It’s perfect. The film’s lighting, coloring, and framing is perfect and brilliant.

One must thank Robert Evans at Paramount, and the very fact that the Godfather was a best selling book that we were so honored to end up with this film at all.

The film is, at the very least, a must-see – at the very least because it is so highly regarded, at best because it’s a cornerstone and cultural achievement that few other films have ever been able to achieve.

***** out of *****

Alcohol and Movie Parings #2: The Godfather and Betta Moretti

This second entry was a bit harder, more inventive, and less cliche.

The Godfather is a brilliant film for which will require a much more appropriate place for me to review it. Different time, different day. Since I'm trying to make these more concise then a normal review, it'll just have to wait.

Film: *****/*****

The selection for this film are Italian brews (surprise!) which actually hails from Italy. It makes for a perfect match for the Gangsters who hail from Italy.

-Birra Moretti: It's a relatively easy to drink, slightly bitter, but not that good compared to the La Rossa that the same company makes, which brings me to...
-Birra Moretti La Rossa: To be honest I wasn't sure about this beer the first time I bought it. Soon after finishing my first one I was sold. It has a very hoppy and very malty flavor to it, and finishes quite nicely. Unfortunately, at 7.2% you might not be making it to the finale if you're drinking a 6-pack.

The Penalty – 1920

The Penalty – 1920

Staring: Lon Chaney
Director: Wallace Worsley

Review:

The film begins with Blizzard (later played by Chaney) as a child, in bed after an accident, with a new doctor trying to figure out if amputation is necessary or not. Unfortunately, he makes the decision before a more seasoned doctor arrives, who later discovers that the operation was probably unnecessary. The doctors decide to cover this up, but Blizzard hears this and no one believes him.

20 or so years later (though they’d be driving 1919 models in the early 40s), Blizzard has become a hardened criminal, a mob leader of San Francisco, who’s finally caught up with the doctor who made him lose his legs. And now that Doctor's gonna pay.

Chaney's performance in "The Penalty" was amazing, playing a hardened, detestable criminal. He did an amazing job portraying an amputee, but I’m not so sure about the rumors that he suffered spine/back damage due to the leather straps he used to keep his legs back. Unfortunately I found the resolution of the film to be a bit lame and too much of copout for such a great screen character. But great film none the less.

I also wasn't a huge fan of some of the music for the version that was shown on TCM, some of it was great, while other parts were too heavy on the 80s/early 90s style synth-"crashing" music.

Verdict:
Film: ***(1/2)/*****
Music: */*****