"The Godfather Part II" Francis Ford Coppola, who overlaps with Michael Corleone who gained enormous power

The first half is ``dynamic,'' filled with flashy incidents, and the second half is ``quiet,'' which is stoic.

And one more thing: Coppola pushed through with an unconventional structure that is unconventional in commercial films. ``PART II,'' which is 3 hours and 20 minutes long, is divided into the first half and the second half, with an intermission (break) in the middle, as is typical of large feature films of yesteryear, but most of the dynamic highlights are concentrated in the first half. is. The situation escalates in a snowball manner, starting with the attack on Michael's house following the opening party scene, the betrayal of his brother Fredo, the confrontation with Hyman Roth, who is like the final boss, and the turbulent Cuban revolution. The first half of the film, which is full of excitement, could stand as a standalone blockbuster on its own.

However, the second half, which is about the same amount of excitement as the first half, takes a turn for the worse and shifts into a quiet world. The focus of the second half is on the outcome of the public hearing in which Frank becomes the accuser and attempts to uncover the true state of the Corleone family, as well as his fractured relationships with his wife Kay and younger brother Fredo. The trademark violence and intrigue are muted, and the series' classic climax of carnage is not followed (though it returns in Part III ).

“The Godfather Part II” Copyright (C) 1974 by Paramount Pictures and The Coppola Company. All Rights Reserved. Restoration Copyright (C) 2007 by Paramount Pictures Corporation. All Rights Reserved. TM, (R) & Copyright (C) 2014 by Paramount Pictures . All Rights Reserved.

The second half of PART II, ​​especially the modern part, is no longer a mafia movie, but a psychological drama that explores the darkness of humanity. Michael, who was once full of ideals and passion, takes the lives of three people, not to resolve the situation, but simply to show off his family's authority and his own power. This slight coldness determines the desolate and desolate feeling of the work.

Coppola reminisces about the production of his previous film, `` The Godfather ,'' saying that there was a lot of interference from the studio, and that ``there were a lot of things I didn't like.'' The fact remains that ``The Godfather'' is a masterpiece, but Coppola's previous work may have been a commercial film that he was hired to make. In Part II, by pursuing an experimental nature that abandons the commercialism of a commercial film, he created a new masterpiece that is both similar and different from his previous work.

Regarding Part II, which he undertook at the studio's insistence, Coppola says sarcastically, ``It just happened to work out.'' However, it is precisely because he experienced the utmost freedom and power as an artist in this film that he was able to push forward with the creation of his next film , Inferno and Apocalypse (1979), which is full of chaos. Coppola eventually experienced both great success and great failure with his megalomaniacal filmmaking, leading to a film career with many ups and downs. Coppola's portrayal of the theme of ``unlimited power corrupting people'' through his ``The Godfather'' trilogy is a great irony in film history.

Reference materials:

“The Godfather Part II” Blu-ray, director commentary

“The The Godfather” by Harlan Lebo (Sony Magazine)

Text: Akira Murayama

Born in 1971. Writes articles for magazines, newspapers, movie sites, etc. Representative of “ShortCuts,” a review site for distribution-based works.

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Copyright (C) 1974 by Paramount Pictures and The Coppola Company. All Rights Reserved. Restoration Copyright (C) 2007 by Paramount Pictures Corporation. All Rights Reserved. TM, (R) & Copyright (C) 2014 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved .