The Godfather Part II

A group of people dressed in formal attire and uniforms are gathered closely together, with some raising their hands as if in greeting or acknowledgment. The scene appears to be part of an official or ceremonial event.

This brilliant companion piece to the original The Godfather continues the saga of two generations of successive power within the Corleone family.

In Part II, director Francis Ford Coppola intertwines the stories of father and son, creating both a prequel and a sequel to the original film. The film traces that the roots and rise of a young Vito Corleone, played with uncanny ability by Robert De Niro, as he grows up in Sicily and establishes his influence in 1910s New York. It also chronicles the ascension of his son Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) as the new Don and his attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood, and Cuba in the 1950s.

Reassembling many of the talents who helped make the original, Coppola produced a movie of staggering magnitude and vision, and one of the most revered sequels ever made. Robert De Niro won an Oscar® for his portrayal of the young Vito Corleone and the film won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture of 1974.

Our Cornell Cinema screening is presented in memory of the late great Diane Keaton, who here plays Michael Corleone's wife Kay and sadly passed away in October at the age of 79. The Godfather also screens on Friday, February 20, at 9pm and Saturday, February 21, at 8pm.

Part of our "Worth a Watch" and "Restorations & Rediscoveries" series. Courtesy of Paramount Pictures and Swank Motion Pictures.