About This Quiz
Once upon a time, a wise man said, "The book is always better than the movie." For the most part, that adage has held for more than a century, but every once in a while, we get a movie that most agree is better than the book. "The Godfather" is one of those movies.
Once upon another time, a different wise man said, "The sequel is never as good as the original." For the most part, that adage has held for more than a century, but every once in a while, we get a sequel that most agree is just as good as the original. "The Godfather Part II" is one of those sequels. The first two films defied all odds, and everybody wanted to know one thing: Will there be a third?
The third film was made in 1990, and although it attained mostly positive reviews and nabbed seven Oscar nominations, it wasn't as good as the first two films. The first two films won Best Picture at the Oscars. The third film didn't win any Oscars. Nevertheless, it closed the trilogy, and the story would be incomplete without it. Can you remember all three films? Put your skills to the test and see how well you remember "The Godfather" trilogy.
The first time we hear this line, Michael is telling Kay how his father does business. The first time we hear the Godfather say the line, he's talking to Johnny Fontaine about a movie role. The Godfather promises to make an offer to the studio executive so Johnny can get the movie role. The movie producer wakes up with a severed horse head in his bed in one of the film's most famous scenes.
Corleone is a small town near Palermo, Sicily, and is even home to a Mafia museum today. The town is known around the world only because of its Mafia connection, but the locals would rather it be known for its beauty and charm.
Michael was never going to give Fredo any power in the family, so Fredo tries to earn power via a rival gangster. He helps Hyman Roth set up Michael's assassination. When Michael figures it out, he orders his hitman to kill Fredo.
Advertisement
New York City is on full display during the first movie. The famous baptism scene takes place at The Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral in lower Manhattan. We also see Michael and Kay walking through the familiar Christmas sights of NYC. The Corleone family moves to Lake Tahoe in the sequel.
Luca Brasi is one of the Corleone family's hit-men and one of the most loyal characters in the story. He's not a member of the family but is considered a family friend. When Sollozzo has him killed, the Corleone family avenges his death.
Throughout all the violence in the film, it's not unnoticed that Vito Corleone dies the most peaceful death of any character. He suffers a heart attack while playing in a garden with his grandson, who is clueless that his grandpa has just dropped dead.
Advertisement
In one of the most striking scenes in the entire trilogy, Michael orders the assassinations of the heads of the NYC families as well as Moe Greene. Michael becomes the Godfather of the criminal underground and the godfather to his sister's son in this montage.
Sonny, Tom and the Corleone family plan out Sollozzo and McCluskey's assassination to a T, and Michael is on a plane to Sicily almost immediately after. Michael then spends two years hiding in Sicily with Don Tommasino.
Hyman Roth was a very wealthy retired gangster living in Miami when he and Michael struck up a deal. Roth wanted to create a Las Vegas in Cuba and had the cooperation of corrupt officials. Michael invested millions in cash for the plan.
Advertisement
Michael, being the youngest son, was never expected to get involved in the family business. After Sollozzo's unofficial bodyguard, Captain McCluskey, breaks Michael's jaw, Michael gets involved. After assuring Sonny "it's strictly business," Michael kills Sollozzo and McCluskey at a restaurant.
Vito doesn't speak English when he arrives on Ellis Island, so when he's asked for his name, he doesn't respond. Eventually the officer on the island sees that he's Vito Andolini from Corleone, but records his name as Vito Corleone. Vito later uses Andolini as his middle name.
Marlon Brando won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the elderly patriarch in "The Godfather." Brando skipped the ceremony and sent a leading Apache figure to decline the award for him because he disagreed with Hollywood's treatment of Native Americans. Her speech was met with boos and cheers. De Niro also won an Oscar for playing a younger version of the same character in "The Godfather Part II." Pacino takes over the role in the third installment of the trilogy.
Advertisement
The business Vito and his friend Genco create is called the Genco Pura Olive Oil Company. The company is massively successful and eventually becomes a front for Vito's criminal operations. The olive oil company grows into one of the biggest in the country.
Kay has little to no clue how powerful the Corleone family is, and by the time it all starts to click, the first film is over. When Michael returns to the U.S. after hiding, he reunites with Kay. She's mad that he works for his father, but they get married after he promises to take the family legit.
Vito befriends Clemenza and Tessio upon arriving in NYC, and they quickly make a name for themselves in the criminal underworld. When Don Fanucci finds out, he extorts them. Clemenza and Tessio want to obey Fanucci, but Vito wants to make him an offer he can't refuse. He stalks Fanucci and kills him.
Advertisement
Carmela is barely mentioned in the movies, but she famously sings a song at her daughter's wedding at the beginning of the trilogy. She is Vito's rock throughout the trilogy and probably the main reason he remains a good person.
Sonny's violent death matched his hot-headed attitude. Sonny learns his brother-in-law, Carlo, has hit his sister, so he hops in a car and goes to attack him, but it's a setup. Carlo is working with the Barzini family, and Sonny gets shot about 100 times while trapped at a toll booth. Michael later avenges the death, making his sister Connie a widow.
Michael and Kay have two kids, Anthony and Mary. Anthony is playing in the garden with Vito when Vito dies of a heart attack in the first film. Michael and Kay planned to have a third child, but Kay had a miscarriage that she later revealed was an abortion.
Advertisement
Vito Andolini was born in Corleone, Sicily. He had to flee the country at a young age and wound up in New York City with the rest of the immigrants arriving in America. The immigration officer incorrectly records his last name as Corleone when he arrives.
Peter Clemenza and Salvatore Tessio befriend Vito when he comes to New York City in the early 1900s. Clemenza figured out a way to make guns untraceable. He's so proud of his method, he utters this line after a hit on an enemy.
Sicilian tradition says no Sicilian can refuse a reasonable request on their daughter's wedding day, so the Godfather has a room full of requests as the movie begins on his daughter's wedding day. Amerigo Bonasera is an Italian-American undertaker who later repays his favor to the Godfather.
Advertisement
While hiding in Sicily, Michael falls in love with a local girl named Apollonia. They get married, and it makes one of Michael's bodyguards jealous. The bodyguard is paid by the Barzini family to kill Michael, so he places a bomb in Michael's car, but it kills Apollonia instead.
The Godfather doesn't like the drug business, but his eldest son, Sonny, thinks it could be a good opportunity. Sollozzo hires a hit on the Godfather in hopes Sonny will take over the family business and work with him. The Godfather is shot five times but survives the assassination attempt.
Vito Corleone taught this lesson to Michael, and we hear Michael teach it to one of his underlings. This lesson helps Michael succeed in his rivalry against Hyman Roth and allows Vincent to consolidate his power in the third film.
Advertisement
Vito Corleone died peacefully in a garden of oranges while playing with his grandson. He was clearly at peace with the life he had lived. Michael died all alone in the courtyard where his first wife was killed. After his daughter Mary was killed, he had lost almost every woman in his life. He was full of misery and regret because of his choices, especially killing his brother.
Vincent didn't exist in the novels. In fact, the books explicitly state that Sonny's mistress, Lucy Mancini, never gave birth. But that didn't stop filmmakers from creating this character. Vincent appears in the third film only and is never mentioned earlier. Perhaps it's one of the reasons "The Godfather Part III" is considered the worst film in the trilogy.
In his last father-son conversation, Vito tells Michael that once he dies, Barzini will set up a meeting with Michael and assassinate him at that meeting. He says the person who sets up the meeting is the traitor. That person turns out to be Tessio. When Tessio realizes he has been caught, he says, "Tell Mike it was only business."
Advertisement
In the third film in the franchise, Michael realizes the higher up he goes, the more corruption he encounters. By the end of the film, he's convinced there's no such thing as a legitimate business. Even the pope is involved in shady practices.
Although "The Godfather Part III" isn't on the same level as the first two films, it's still filled with priceless lessons. Michael teaches this lesson to Vincent as they share a helicopter ride. Vincent is obsessed with exacting revenge on a rival.
Virgil Sollozzo (aka The Turk) asked the Godfather for "a million dollars cash" and all the politicians Vito carries in his pocket "like so many nickels and dimes." The Godfather refused, but his oldest son, Sonny, showed interest. This leads to an assassination attempt on the Godfather in hopes Sonny will take over the family business and cooperate.
Advertisement
Hyman Roth is a business partner of Michael's but also one of the family's biggest enemies. He's a retired mobster living in Miami. As he's doing business with Michael, he's secretly plotting his assassination because Michael killed Moe Greene.
Vito's father refuses to respect to Don Ciccio, so Ciccio has Vito's father killed. When Vito's older brother seeks revenge, Ciccio has him killed too. Vito's mother begs Ciccio to spare Vito's life, but he refuses, and Vito's mother holds a knife to Ciccio's neck. She's eventually killed, but not before Vito escapes.
When Michael discovers his older brother, Fredo, betrayed the family, he's irate and disappointed. He tells Fredo he's heartbroken and begins plotting his revenge. He decides to have Fredo killed, but not until their mother dies.
Advertisement
Sonny's illegitimate son, Vincent, is named Michael's successor in the third film. Michael's sister, Connie, is the second most powerful person in the family before Michael dies. Vincent is fiercely loyal to the Corleone family.
In a scene reminiscent of the baptism/assassination scene from the first film, Don Altobello is assassinated via poison cannoli as Michael's son, Anthony, performs his first opera. Vincent consolidates his power in this scene similar to how Michael did in the first film.