The Godfather

:This article is about the film. For the novel, see The Godfather (novel). For other uses, see Godfather.

Sequels

The Godfather Part II

A sequel, The Godfather Part II, was released in 1974. It consists of two parallel storylines, with the focus switching between these. The first storyline follows Michael Corleone in the 1950s; the other is a flashback sequence following his father, Vito, from his youth in Sicily up through the founding of the Corleone crime family in New York and the births of Michael and his siblings. This version of Vito is played by different actors at different ages, but the adult Vito is played by Robert De Niro, who won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for a role in which, interestingly, he speaks almost no English-language dialogue. Many critics consider the sequel to be superior to the original film in quality.

Related Topics:
The Godfather Part II - 1974 - Robert De Niro - Best Supporting Actor

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The Godfather Saga

Coppola re-edited the two movies together, in chronological order (adding some previously unseen footage but also toning down the violence), into one long saga for TV broadcast, entitled The Godfather Saga. While easier to understand, many consider this version to be less interesting than the original from a structural or artistic standpoint.

Related Topics:
Violence - The Godfather Saga

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Both The Godfather and The Godfather Part II have been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. This is not the case for the third installment.

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The Godfather Part III

In 1990, Coppola released a belated third film, The Godfather Part III. This film was successful financially, but critical and fan response was mixed. However, the movie still received seven Academy Award nominations, among them Best Picture and Best Cinematography. The film is also notable for the key role played by Coppola's daughter, the future Academy Award-winning film-maker Sofia Coppola, who was forced to play Mary Corleone on short notice after Winona Ryder became ill.

Related Topics:
The Godfather Part III - Best Picture - Best Cinematography - Sofia Coppola - Winona Ryder

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The movie was set in 1979, and focused on an ageing Michael Corleone. Parts of the film were very loosely based on real historical events concerning the very short Papacy of John Paul I in 1978 and the collapse of the Banco Ambrosiano in 1982.

Related Topics:
John Paul I - Banco Ambrosiano

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