The Godfather, Part II (Coppola Company Production; Paramount) is one of only two sequels to ever win the Academy Award for Best Picture—the other being The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). Both franchises exclusively share the honor of having all three of their films earn nominations for Best Picture. However, only the third and final film in The Lord of the Rings trilogy took home the Academy’s highest prize; while in the case of The Godfather franchise, both the original film and its immediate sequel took home top honors. Therefore, while The Godfather, Part II is not the lone sequel to win BP, The Godfather is the only film to have a sequel that also won BP—seemingly, a nearly impossible feat in the world of cinema. I dare say that, had The Godfather, Part III not been barred from BP glory by Dances with Wolves in 1990, it might have been easy to make the argument that The Godfather is the greatest film trilogy of all time. As it is, I think there’s room to consider some other franchises, The Lord of the Rings and Stars Wars (the original trilogy) being the most likely candidates.

Al Pacino is “the Godfather” in The Godfather, Part II.

Oscar competition, of course, varies from year to year; but the fact is that with 11 nominations and 6 wins, The Godfather, Part II surpassed its predecessor’s 10 nominations and 3 wins, which bolsters the argument of some (maybe not necessarily this blogger, though) that the sequel is actually superior to the original. Whereas The Godfather won for BP, Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor (Marlon Brando), The Godfather, Part II took home Oscars in the following categories: Art Direction, Writing (Screenplay Adapted from Other Material), Music (Original Dramatic Score), Actor in a Supporting Role for Robert De Niro as young Vito Corleone, Directing for Francis Ford Coppola, and Best Picture. It did not capture Oscars for Costume Design and for four other acting nominations: Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, Actor in a Supporting Role for Lee Strasberg as Hyman Roth, Actor in a Supporting Role for Michael V. Gazzo as Frankie Pentangeli, and Actress in a Supporting Role for Talia Shire as Connie Corleone. Robert De Niro’s win put him and Marlon Brando in a category yet to be duplicated (if ever): both actors won Oscars for playing the same character (Vito Corleone) in separate films.

Robert De Niro as Vito Corleone.

With all its praise over the years, the funny thing is that The Godfather, Part II almost never happened. Coppola himself had reservations about directing the sequel since his experience with the original film was rather rocky, to put it mildly. At first, he suggested that Martin Scorsese direct The Godfather, Part II; but Paramount wouldn’t go for that. Coppola rather reluctantly came on board the project (after certain demands of his were met) and was given pretty much free reign over it. But that didn’t stop Al Pacino from threatening to withdraw from the film when he didn’t like the script. Coppola spent an entire night rewriting the script, then sent it to Pacino, who agreed to continue with the production. Richard S. Castellano, the highest paid actor in The Godfather, demanded a huge salary increase and the freedom to write his own lines before he would be willing to reprise his role as Clemenza. Rumor has it that Castellano also refused to regain the 50 extra pounds to match Clemenza’s previous weight. Coppola responded by replacing the character of Clemenza with Frankie Pentangeli. James Caan, who played Sonny Corleone in The Godfather, agreed to return for the brief reunion scene at the end of the film—only if he was paid the same amount as he had received for his entire performance in the first film. Unbelievably, he got his wish. Marlon Brando was also supposed to make an appearance in the reunion scene, but he was so put off by what he perceived as mistreatment by Paramount during filming of The Godfather that he didn’t show up on the day the reunion scene was shot. Coppola had to rewrite the scene without Brando’s character. So much drama. Here’s a fun fact, though: Both James Caan and Robert Duvall (who plays Tom Hagen) have both been film “dad” to Will Ferrell characters (Caan in Elf and Duvall in Kicking and Screaming). I find that quite amusing.

On a not-so-amusing note, 1974 was unprecedented for more than just a BP-winning film’s sequel winning BP. Richard Nixon became the first and only U.S. President to resign from office in the wake of the Watergate Scandal. Gerald R. Ford, a man who had not been elected to either the vice presidency or the presidency, took over leadership of the country. It was a rough time for the United States. America’s military involvement in the lengthy Vietnam War was over, but the homeland environment was one of suspicion, corruption, and regret—similar to the overall feel of The Godfather, Part II.

For more thoughts on The Godfather, Part II and its significance, please check out the full post this weekend!