Oscar has an uneasy relationship with the film sequel. Though there have been nominations for other entries into a franchise only two films that follow on from a feature have won the Best Picture award. The first of these is Return of the King, the third film in the Lord of the Rings saga, which arguably isn't a sequel because of the fact it comes later in the franchise. In fact the only proper sequel to win the prize is The Godfather Part II, a sequel that some feel is better than the original. In this post I will test that theory by looking at both films which launched many careers while at the same time becoming some people's favourite films of all time.
The first Godfather film introduces us to the Corleone family by way of a family wedding where sister Connie is getting married to Carlo Rizzi. The celebration is also traditionally where Connie's father Vito, known as the godfather, can answer any requests that are asked of him. Vito's youngest son Michael returns from the war to see his family first time and introduces Kay to the clan. Here we meet hot-headed older brother Sonny, dim-witted middle brother Fredo and adopted son and family advisor Tom Hagen. The Godfather is arguably about Michael's evolution from mild-mannered ex-soldier to eventual head of the crime family. Indeed, after Vito is shot and almost attacked in hospital, Michael feels he needs to avenge his father in some way so hits back at the family that attempted to assassinate him. When the hit goes down, Michael is shipped to Sicily while Fredo is despatched to Las Vegas. While in Sicily, Michael falls in love and marries a local girl, eventually finding a shred of happiness before the family catches up with him and his wife is killed by way of a car bomb. Returning to America, a harder Michael becomes Vito's right hand man and is eventually made the family's Don following Sonny's murder. Michael marries Kay and the two have a son together but the marriage is doomed right from the get-go due to Michael's change in attitude. Indeed the first film sees several hits arranged by Michael while he himself attends the Christening of Connie's youngest child.
The second Godfather film also opens with a religious ceremony as Michael's son Anthony has his first communion while the celebrations see a much-changed Connie who has now abandoned her children in favour of a party-girl lifestyle. At the same time Michael is unsure who to trust as he plays both Jewish businessman Hyman Roth and family friend Frank Pentangeli. Both make assassination attempts on Michael's life and he later discovers that Fredo had an involvement in one of them. Michael is later arrested as part of ongoing look into the world of organised crime. Though at first Michael gives a statement damming the trial, he later worries after Pentangeli reappears to give evidence. Luckily, Michael and Tom find a way to bring Pentangeli's brother over to America meaning that Frank changes his statement. As the film reaches its final third Michael gradually finds himself alone as Kay leaves him and Fredo is killed on his orders. The film's end sees Michael sitting alone, having won the battle against Roth and Pentangeli, but lost those that he used to care about. Running parallel to Michael's story in The Godfather Part II is that of Vito's eventual rise to power from poor Sicilian immigrant to respected mob boss. Initially talked into partaking in petty crimes, Vito finds power after he kills off a respected crime lord. During his ascension, Vito is given the power to avenge his father's death and ultimately finds himself as the most feared and respected member of his community.
The parallel stories in The Godfather Part II are both equally engaging and really make the sequel a more impressive film from a storytelling point of view. Indeed, I found it rather brave that the majority of the scenes involving Vito's story are entirely spoken in Italian and I wonder if today's audience would cope with an American film that contained as many subtitled film. Personally I found the first Godfather film to have a better pace to it and a more simple story namely Michael's journey from someone who wasn't his father to someone who took his father's place. This gradual change in the character underlined how good a storyteller director Francis Ford Coppola is and I totally understood the motives of all of the characters. I personally can't say I was as engaged in Michael's story in the second film as it descended into more of a generic crime film. However, I found the set pieces more impressive and the film's final third was laced with plenty of tragedy namely Fredo's death which was beautifully played as was the scene in which Kay revealed that she'd had an abortion.
Both of the films benefit from having an incredibly strong ensemble cast and, as I previously mentioned, a lot of the cast became household names after starring in the films. The films won acting awards for Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro playing the older and younger incarnations of Vito Corleone. I was surprised that Al Pacino didn't also receive a Best Actor nomination for the first film and his place as supporting actor made him rightfully upset. Pacino, James Caan and Robert Duvall formed a great trio in the first film as the calm Michael, hot-heated Sonny and intelligent Tom. The second film benefited from the scenes featuring De Niro but also boasted scene stealing performances from Diane Keaton and John Cazale who both shone as Kay and Fredo. Apart from the performances, The Godfather is best known for Nina Rota's score which was disqualified from the Oscar category as it featured music previously recorded. Oddly the same score went onto win the Oscar for the sequel despite being eerily similar. The first two Godfather films are also heralded as brilliant today due to the intricate art direction and costume design the latter of which gave each character its separate identity.
Overall it's hard to say if The Godfather Part 2 bests The Godfather in terms of quality. The sequel definitely has the great prequel element however the modern day story is a bit more lacklustre. The first film is better paced but doesn't have as intriguing a plot as the evolution of Vito Corleone. Overall I would say both films were more than deserving of the Best Picture award but, if pushed, I would say that the original just outweighs the sequel but feel free to correct me.
A little bit of a change of pace in the next post as we turn our attention to a quirky romantic comedy.
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