The drama centers on the representatives of the new generation of the gangster clan – Don Corleone and his son, for whom there are no moral barriers to achieving their goals. They turn the mafia, built by patriarchal, still Sicilian laws, into a very pragmatic, tough corporation, smoothly integrating into big business in America.
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You know, in my opinion, in order to write a decent review of a movie on the scale of “The Godfather: Part II” you need at least for a day or two to “lie down on the mattress” and draw all your internal reserves of writing. But what to do, if on the background of the pounding difficult modern life has no time to carry out any fundamental research, and a literary talent God deprived? And there is nothing, except bare enthusiasm mixed up with cinematic fervor. But the film really caught on, and you really want to pay tribute to it! So amateur reviews are born, such as mine. So do not judge strictly, dear friends, for what will be written below.
At once, I think we should shoot off in the direction of the honorable, well-deserved more than ever, but also too clichéd (speaking of clichés: the title of this review is my little caprice) and formulaic titles: “Cinema Classics”, “Masterpiece of World Cinema” and “Reference Crime Drama”. All of these are used by several generations of viewers and critics for a reason, so it is rather pointless to activate these levers of influence on the reader now. We (most of us) already know that this is a great movie, so we can do without the intrusive accents.
I happened to read Mario Puzo’s wonderful novel and I know firsthand the fact of using excerpts from the book, not included in the previous film, about Vito Corleone (Andolini at birth) becoming in the inhospitable New York of the first quarter of the twentieth century. They added the original script to the adapted one and got something of the “two-in-one” category. In doing so, flashbacks from the life of Vito Corleone are woven extremely seamlessly into the narrative around Michael Corleone in the late fifties of the twentieth century. Father and son, the formation and preservation of the Corleone empire. Probably could have been given two screenwriting Oscars at once.
Everyone knows that before the delightful “The Clash” and the obscure “Right to Kill” there was “The Godfather 2.” Two inhabitants of acting Olympus in one film (even if in the first one they are separated by several dozen plot years, and about the appearance in the same frame is not to say) – it is worth a lot. You can sing their praises endlessly, but for true film buffs this song is no longer a novelty, and a broken record has, you know, a tendency to get bored. I’ll confine myself to a couple of points.
Al Pacino acts as a constant value, which is undoubtedly the key to the success of the dilogy. The role of the godfather in the second generation, he performed with filigree precision and the right intonation. Particularly clear all the genius Pacino realized in the pre-final scene of the family dinner, when we see a young Michael is smiling and strikingly different from Michael “twenty years later.
Already played his best role, Brando was replaced by a young De Niro, who has yet to show his great talent. For the role of the same character both actors received an Oscar. Symbolic. Fair enough.
So, what could the viewer remember (perhaps having a shorter running time than the main part) about the young Vito Corleone, the future Godfather of the Italian Mafia in New York? I think it’s true drama, a wonderful performance by the spectacular De Niro, especially the soulful music by Nino Rota, and the moments which refer to the first part of the saga and make you exclaim something like “ah, this is the same Clemenza”. There are several iconic episodes in this part of the film. Here are just a couple of phrases from Vito Corleone describing them:
I make him an offer he don’t refuse.
Do me this favor. I won’t forget it. Ask your friends in the neighborhood about me. They’ll tell you I know how to return a favor.
The title sequence, which is about Vito’s son Michael Corleone, or rather the situation at the time of the opening scenes, can be described by the dialogue:
Kay: It made me think of what you once told me: ‘In five years the Corleone family will be completely legitimate.’ That was seven years ago.
Michael Corleone: I know. I’m trying, darling.
Yes, these are not good times for the Corleone family. We are presented with a rather gloomy picture of the interiors (despite plenty of sunny locations, like Miami or Cuba), suggesting the unoriginal idea that being a member of the Italian Mafia is not a job one can resign from at will, and that being head of the family imposes great obligations on its bearer.
Michael’s relationship with Kay suffers a serious ordeal that could lead to the slamming of the door in the face of the mother of his children.
Michael’s relationship with his brother Fredo and sister Connie is also far from ideal. Especially with Fredo, the one who became the perpetrator of such a catchphrase:
Michael Corleone: I know it was you Fredo. You broke my heart. You broke my heart!
The root cause of the family drama is obvious:
Michael Corleone: I know it was you Fredo. You broke my heart. You broke my heart!
The root cause of the family drama is obvious:
Michael: I’ve always taken care of you, Fredo.
Fredo Corleone: Taken care of me? I’m your older brother, Mike, and you’re taking care of me? Did you ever think about that?
In the outside world, there’s Frankie “Five Angels” Pentangeli, who still remembers the good old days:
Those were the great old days, you know… And we were like the Roman Empire… The Corleone family was like the Roman Empire…
And then there’s Hyman Roth (whose prototype was Mobster Meyer Lansky), author of the golden words “This is the business we chose”, who Michael says “Hyman Roth has been dying from the same heart attack for the last twenty years”, and Frankie gives him this characterization: “Your father did business with Hyman Roth, he respected Hyman Roth… but he never trusted Hyman Roth!”
And so Michael has to build his relationship with these people, wading through the thick of criminal intrigue, often endangering his life and the lives of his loved ones. It doesn’t take long for him to fight back:
Michael Corleone: I don’t feel I have to wipe everybody out, Tom. Just my enemies.
Tom Hagen: It would be like trying to kill the President; there’s no way we can get to him.
Michael Corleone: Tom, you know you surprise me. If anything in this life is certain – if history has taught us anything – it’s that you can kill anybody.
Well, the viewer gets a few more iconic scenes as a result of all these events, the crowning moment being the unforgettable blackout of the image of such a powerful and at the same time so lonely Michael Corleone. An icon of world cinema. The Eternal Godfather.
Info Blu-ray
Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265 (52.1 Mb/s)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Audio
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
English: Dolby Digital Mono
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: Dolby Digital Mono
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Japanese: Dolby Digital Mono
Note: Spanish Latinoamerica
Subtitles
English, English SDH, French, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish (Latin American), Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish.
