Shameful #2 - The Godfather Part II

What can I say about The Godfather that hasn't already been said? The first film is an absolute masterpiece, and at first I thought, why bother watching the second part? The ending of the first is so poignant, what could come next that would beat that? Part II isnt quite as great as the first, but it gets as close as I think it possibly can.

The Godfather, Part II (Coppola, 1974)

Part II picks up a few years after the first, as Michael struggles to hold his family together while trying to turn legitimate. His story is put parallel to the life of Vito Corleone, starting with the death of his father all the way to his success in America. The strongest points of the film are Michael's struggles with his family. Throughout the film he isolates himself from everyone in order to make deals that he belives will help the family in the long run, but end up destroying all of his relationships. The first film dealt with destiny; Michael does his best to stay out of the family business, but once his father is shot, everything comes crashing down, and the question is, was it the right thing to get involved? In the end, he becomes the one thing he said he wouldn't, and we are left to wonder if, even under different circumstances, could he have really escaped?

Part II deals with the balance between power and relationships; Vito gains power to help his family and friends, whereas Michael destroys his family for power. We watch him push away his sister and his wife as Vito brings together his neighborhood and forms bonds, and we remember the Michael from Connie's wedding who loved his family and would do anything for them. While the events of the first film can be considered out of Michael's control, he is fully responsible for his family, and in the end, he fails. He neglects his wife and son, then expects her to follow him through hell and highwater and threatens her when she resists, he looks down on his sister for remarrying after he killed her first husband, he pushes Tom out of the picture, and finally, he murders his own brother. At the end, we feel horrible for Michael, but the pity and sorrow is for the Michael of the first film, who is long dead, and replaced with the Michael now who deserved the solitude he has.

I still think the first one is better; the transitions between Michael and Vito sometimes disrupt the flow of the film, but that's a minor point in an otherwise fantastic movie.