Leave the gun, grab your remote,The Godfather Part IIis celebrating its 50th anniversary so now is the best time you can imagine to sit down, grab a cannoli or two and rewatch the greatest sequel ever made. To mark the occasion, Paramount have released a beautifully restored trailer that showcases the magnificent story told inFrancis Ford Coppola’siconic sequel, bringing every shadow, every Sicilian sunrise, and every betrayal into sharper focus than ever before.
For those who can’t remember, or perhaps don’t even know,The Godfather Part IIis both a sequel and a prequel toThe Godfather.In the sequel storyline, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), now the head of the Corleone crime family, is struggling to consolidate all his power and expand his criminal empire in the late 1950s,having taken over from his late father, Vito (Marlon Brando). Running parallel to this is the prequel part of the story, which tells the talr of young Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) and his rise to power in New York’s Little Italy during the early 20th century. Escaping violence in Sicily as a boy, Vito builds his empire with cunning, generosity, and a moral code that Michael increasingly comes to ignore in the present day. De Niro won his first Academy Award for his performance as Vito but, although they were part of the same film, he and Pacino didn’t share the screen together for another 20 years until they madeMichael Mann’sHeat.
What’s the Legacy of ‘The Godfather’ Trilogy?
The entire trilogy, but the first two films in particular, is considered one of the greatest achievements in cinematic history. There are countless films, shows, books and other forms of media which have been inspired by the movies.The Godfatherwon Best Picture, whilePart IIbecame the first ever sequel to win the same award. The trilogy’s legacy is evident in its influence on directors and writers, fromMartin ScorsesetoDavid Chase(The Sopranos), and it also gave fans endlessly quotable lines like “sleeps with the fishes”, “keep your friends close but your enemies closer” and “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse”. Basically, any movie since 1972 that involves the Mafia has, in some way, been influenced by these unbelievable pieces of cinema.
The Godfather Part IIis available to buy now in 4K UHD, and on digital. Cannolis not included.
The Godfather Part II
The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York City is portrayed while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate.
