5 ‘The Godfather Part II’ Facts You Can’t Refuse
40 years ago, on Dec. 20, 1974, The Godfather Part II — the first film sequel to win a Best Picture Oscar — was released. Coming just two years after Francis Ford Coppola‘s epic The Godfather, the film weaves back and forth in time to tell two stories: one about Michael Corleone (Al Pacino)’s life in the late ’50s as the head of the Corleone crime family, and a flashback documenting the rise of titular Godfather Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro), as he settles in to life in New York City and seeks revenge for his father’s murder.
The highly anticipated film swept the Oscars, delivering wins to Coppola for Best Director and Best Screenplay, and earning De Niro his first Oscar, for Best Supporting Actor. But creating such an epic film is never easy — especially when expectations are high, tempers are thin, and Marlon Brando wants half a million dollars to shoot one scene.
Read on to learn five things you never knew about the film that’s often called the greatest sequel of all time.
1The film was originally called Don Michael
It actually had a lot of proposed titles before they settled on the final one. Coppola suggested that studio executives referred to the potential sequel as Michael Corleone Returns, and The Godfather author Mario Puzo‘s original script for the sequel was called The Death of Michael Corleone.
The studio fought with Coppola over his desire to title the film The Godfather Part II because producers worried that “if we call the movie The Godfather Part II everyone’s going to think it’s the second half of the movie they already saw instead of a separate movie,” the director revealed in 2019. Obviously, Coppola prevailed, creating a naming convention for sequels that continues to this day.
2It was almost directed by Martin Scorsese
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Today, the Godfather films are viewed as Coppola’s signature works — the two movies, as well as 1979’s Apocalypse Now, are why he’s viewed as a giant of American cinema. However, when it came time to develop the sequel to The Godfather, Coppola didn’t plan to direct it himself.
This wasn’t because he didn’t love the material; Coppola co-wrote the screenplay for the second film. Rather, it was because Coppola constantly locked horns with producers during the production of the first film, and was nearly fired — he claimed that his Oscar Best Original Screenplay win for Patton was the only reason he was not leg go by the studio, which hated his casting choices, location choices, and decision to make the film a period piece. After he came out the other side, he wasn’t interested in going through the experience again.
As he told Deadline in 2019, “I said, ‘I’ll work with Mario [Puzo], and we’ll make a script for a second Godfather movie, but I don’t want to direct it. I’ll help produce it and I will choose a young director that I think would be great and you could have what you want.'” Coppola suggested Martin Scorsese, who was still one year away from releasing Mean Streets; the studio refused. Coppola was eventually convinced to direct after the studio promised a large payday, and that he would no longer have to work with super-producer Robert Evans.
3It was an acting great’s first major film role
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If you’re a fan of 20th century film, you’ve heard of Lee Strasberg — the famous acting guru whose Actors Studio taught Method acting to everyone from James Dean and Marilyn Monroe to Dustin Hoffman and Godfather Part II stars Pacino and De Niro. However, though Strasberg had a long and decorated career as a Broadway actor, director and producer, he had barely dipped his toe into Hollywood; he had a non-credited role in the 1937 movie Parnell, and a small role in the 1953 war film China Venture.
Strasberg’s role as Hyman Roth, a Jewish mob boss based on real-life gangster Meyer Lansky, was his first major film role; he landed it after Elia Kazan turned the part down, and recommended Strasberg instead.
4 Brando’s planned flashback scene was cut
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Though The Godfather was a record-breaking hit, no one knew that in advance — a situation that led to cast members taking relatively small salaries. Once the sequel rolled around, they made new salary demands based on the film’s projected success — for example, Pacino was paid $25,000 to appear in the first film, and $500,000 to appear in the second. James Caan, who made $35,000 for his role as Sonny Corleone in the first film, was paid that much for his brief cameo in the second film.
Someone whose increased salary demands weren’t met? Marlon Brando, the original Vito Corleone. Talks to have Brando appear in a brief flashback fell apart after the actor demanded $500,000 plus 10 percent of the gross for a few minutes of screen time. The studio and Brando couldn’t come to an agreement on the scene — some say this was due to Brando’s pay demands, while others say it was due to the studio’s anger over Brando’s infamous refusal to accept his Best Actor Oscar for The Godfather, instead sending activist Sacheen Littlefeather to accept it in his place. Coppola said in a 1974 interview that the cameo discussions fell apart because “[Brando] just doesn’t like to work.” No matter the reason, Brando is not seen in The Godfather Part II.
5One major director was convinced the film wouldn’t work
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The film’s two interweaving timelines are now considered a great artistic achievement. But before its release, many within the film industry were concerned that the flashbacks were too complicated to work. Among those naysayers? Coppola’s close friend, George Lucas. In a 1974 interview, Coppola said that after reading the script, “George Lucas told me, ‘Francis, you have two movies. Throw one away. It doesn’t work.'” Luckily for us all, Coppola didn’t listen.
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