THE GODFATHER PART II (1974): The Making Of A Masterpiece

Introduction

The number of sequel films that are considered superior to their original counterparts can likely be counted on one hand. Very often it’s also a hotly debated topic that can never truly be answered. Is Aliens (1986) a better film than Alien (1979)? Possibly. Is Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) better than The Terminator (1984)? Many think so. Evil Dead II (1986) is a better film than The Evil Dead (1981)? A hundred times, yes! Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 masterpiece The Godfather Part II (1974) is one of those films that many consider superior to its predecessor, The Godfather, released in 1972 and discussed at length here and here.

The Godfather Part II is a cinematic triumph that is often regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. Still, few films are considered on the level of The Godfather. It’s one of the holy grails of dramatic film and what ascended Coppola into the realm of directing royalty, where he remains today. Nominated for eleven Academy Awards and winning three, it has few equals. That’s what makes The Godfather Part II all the more remarkable as it was also nominated for eleven Oscars, this time, winning six. Fifty years later it remains as relevant today as it was in 1974 when it grossed almost $100 million on a paltry $13 million budget.

Beginnings

The global success of The Godfather propelled Francis Ford Coppola into being able to pick and choose his future projects carefully. While production of The Godfather was riddled with creative differences. Firings and rehirings. Issues with organized crime and temper tantrums thrown by Paramount studio head Robert Evans, Coppola deeply connected with the material. He also bonded with author Mario Puzo. Charles Bludhorn, the “Mad Austrian of Wall Street” and Gulf & Western CEO had the backs of both men. A big deal as Bludhorn became president and CEO of Paramount in 1966, via acquisition.

Coppola and Puzo knew that through all of the politics by outside forces, the creative duo had found a home at Paramount Pictures. The studio also made them both an offer they couldn’t refuse. Coppola was given a record-setting $1 million to sign on for The Godfather Part II and Puzo was paid $150,000 to pen the sequel. Puzo began writing a follow-up script as early as December 1971. Before The Godfather had even been released theatrically.

Initially titled The Death of Michael Corleone, Coppola used the money to finance future smaller-budget projects and to further seed his production house American Zoetrope. Coppola initially balked at helming the sequel, suggesting to Evans and Paramount that fellow filmmaker Martin Scorsese direct the follow-up. They balked at the idea, insisting that Coppola must direct. The director now was the one with power and leverage, and he used it. Coppola demanded that Paramount finance The Conversation (1974) and wanted full creative control over The Godfather Part II. He also wanted Robert Evans out of his hair. Paramount quickly agreed.

Pre-Production

Coppola had full control and fewer headaches, but he still had issues in pre-production. Topping this list was reassembling his award-winning cast, who were demanding more money. Al Pacino, now one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood, was paid an astronomical $500,000 to reprise his role as Michael Corleone (as opposed to the $25,000 he was paid to appear in the first movie). Legendary cinematographer Gordon Willis also wanted a hefty pay raise and Richard ‘Clemenza’ Castellano demanded a huge increase as well as full control over his dialogue. Clemenza was subsequently written out of the sequel.

Joining the cast of The Godfather Part II would be Coppola’s father Carmine, a conductor and composer who would conduct Nino Rota’s iconic and sweeping score. The result was Academy Awards for both Rota and Carmine. Also on board for the sequel was legendary acting teacher Lee Strasberg. Pacino had studied “The Method” in New York City under Strasberg and had lobbied for Straberg to be cast as Hyman Roth. 

The big question is who would be cast as a young Vito Corleone. Coppola had liked Robert De Niro even since his audition for Sonny in the first film. While the part went to James Caan, Coppola let De Niro know that they would one day work together. The director also had seen Scorsese’s Mean Streets (1973) and knew that De Niro was right for the part. To get into character, De Niro indeed went full method, spending months in Sicily, learning Marlon Brando’s mannerisms as well as how to speak authentic Sicilian. The actor even went so far as to have fake teeth made that would mimic Brando’s jawline.

Filming

Filming on The Godfather Part II began in October 1973, lasting a bloated eight months. Wrapping in June 1974, the budget ballooned to $15 million, mostly due to expensive location shoots and pay hikes for most of the principal actors. Even James Caan, briefly shown in flashback, got a big increase. The scenes that were supposed to be in Cuba were filmed in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Charles Bludhorn had long wanted to develop the Dominican Republic as a site for Paramount to use for location shooting as Gulf & Western had been buying up much of the country. 

Coppola and crew set up camp at the Kaiser Estate in Lake Tahoe. Fleur du Lac, or “Flower of the Lake” was built by industrialist Henry Kaiser in 1938. This would be the location of the Corleone compound in present-day 1958 Nevada. Despite the smooth production, there was still on-set drama. Coppola and returning cinematographer Gordon Willis, with free reign to shoot as they saw fit, began to experiment with darker lighting and different exposures. The result was a production that began to veer out of control. As Coppola would later state about Willis and his love of the dark:

“…He always worked right on the edge of where the exposure would fall apart…It’s a very dangerous way to be because if the actor was in the wrong place, there wouldn’t be any light on them…”

Directly affected by all of this was Al Pacino, who began to grow more and more frustrated with the constant production delays. “Lumet shot Serpico in eighteen days!” complained the star. Adding to all of this was the fact that negotiations with Brando to appear in the final flashback scene continued right into production. When the temperamental star walked away at the last minute, Coppola had to completely rewrite the scene, during filming. Additional delays ensued.

Problems

Legendary director Elia Kazan was the first choice to portray antagonist Hyman Roth. However, Kazan turned it down suggesting his friend Lee Strasberg. The master teacher accepted, even though he was more comfortable teaching. The result was a somewhat tentative but intense performance. Strasberg also showed up to the production in poor health. His frailty and fits of coughing were incorporated into the production. Pacino also developed a case of pneumonia during filming in Santo Domingo, resulting in the production being delayed for weeks.

Always the method actor, Pacino was deeply affected by the dark turn that Michael Corleone takes in the sequel. He also wasn’t thrilled with how his character was written and demanded 11th-hour rewrites before he stepped in front of the camera. Also, what was supposed to be an eleven-day shoot in Sicily turned into fifty days. This was primarily due to poor and overcast weather due to the proximity of the production to Mount Etna.

By the time the production wrapped, almost nine months had passed and Coppola’s sequel was over budget and off schedule. Now it was up to the director and editors Barry Malkin, Richard Marks, and Peter Zinner to turn what was essentially two separate movies, into one film that wasn’t four hours long. Early results were not promising. Before its release, critics and journalists who had seen The Godfather Part II deemed it a disjointed mess. The cross-cutting between Michael’s and young Vito’s stories was confusing and happened too frequently. Coppola later stated on the almost five-hour early cut:

“My friend George Lucas told me ‘Francis, you have two movies. Throw one away, it doesn’t work.’ But I had this hunch that if I could ever make it work, it could be fantastic”

Release and Reception

Coppola and his editors worked frantically and around the clock the make sure that their film would be in theaters before Xmas. They just barely got it done. The Godfather Part II premiered in New York City on December 12, 1974, and was released across the US on December 20, 1974. While the film wasn’t the runaway blockbuster that the first film was, it was Paramount Pictures’ top earner of the year and the seventh highest money maker in the US for 1974. To date, The Godfather Part II has grossed approximately $100 million worldwide. How it fared with critics was a different story altogether.

Early reviews of Francis Ford Coppola’s much-anticipated sequel were all over the map. Coming in at almost three and a half hours (even after heavy edits), critical reviews were mixed. With some finding it too long and confusing. While everyone agreed that the performances were superior, critics such as Vincent Camby of The New York Times felt that the film was “stitched together from leftover parts.” Roger Ebert even threw some shade on the film. Legendary critic the late Gene Siskel begged to differ, stating:

“As beautiful, as harrowing, and as exciting as the original. In fact, The Godfather, Part II may be the second best gangster movie ever made. But it’s not the same. Sequels can never be the same. It’s like being forced to go to a funeral the second time—the tears just don’t flow as easily”

Both the audience and the Academy disagreed with critics as not only did The Godfather Part II turn a sizable profit, but it also cleaned up at the 47th-annual Academy Awards. Nominated for an astounding eleven Oscars, it took home six, including Best Original Dramatic Score, Art Direction, and Robert De Niro’s first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Coppola himself personally took home Awards for Best Picture, Director, and Adapted Screenplay. In what can only be called head-scratching, Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson (for Chinatown) lost the Best Actor Oscar to Art Carney (Harry and Tonto).

Legacy

The Godfather Part II was the first sequel to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Fifty years later it’s widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, frequently making top-ten lists along with Citizen Kane, Casablanca, and of course, The Godfather. Another unique accolade of the film is that it created the only time in film history that two actors won Academy Awards for playing the same character – Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando, both playing Vito Corleone. Roger Ebert even came around, reassessing the film and giving it four stars. Pacino’s intense portrayal is considered by many to be his greatest performance and one of the greatest performances in film history. Like a fine wine, The Godfather Part II gets better with age.

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