HoldenIsHere wrote: ↑May 22nd, 2024, 9:23 pm
I
've heard and read a lot of good things about THE GODFATHER PART II. Based of your comments I think will check it out without revisiting THE GODFATHER.
I'm a fan of Al Pacino and John Cavale, and the chance to observe Lee Strasberg "in action" definitely outweighs my dislike of the first GODFATHER movie. (I'll just read the plot summary of the first movie.)The great American interpreters and teachers of Stanislavski's techniques (Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner) rarely performed for the camera so seeing any of them "doing" interests me a lot.
you will be totally fine seeing GODFATHER II without reviewing PART I, and really- THE reason to see the film is that it is
a BUFFET OF GREAT ACTING, and various acting styles.
even if the subject matter doesn't compel you, that won't matter: THE ACTING (and the photography which is STUNNING) will.
and while I think that
JOHN CAZALE had the most challenging part AND gave the BEST performance in the film,
LEE STRASBERG very quietly BLEW ME AWAY, and believe me, I went in with my eyebrow raised and all ready to JUDGE (OK, MR TEACHER, show me what you got) but no- (AT THE RISK OF SOUNDING PRETENTIOUS)
LEE STRASBERG does not act in GODFATHER II, he IS.
he showed me, and mama, I was awed.
It is just one HELL of a quiet performance- really, it seems EFFORTLESS and in the best way. Also- while he is playing a JEWISH GANGSTER he is able to sidestep a lot of STEREOTYPES we can all imagine, he eschews flamboyance completely- in fact, when you first see where his character lives in the movie, it will disarm you. it really is masterful work, I think you can gather that from this picture, where he is serving "we are not amused" with the MOST WITHERING of CASUAL GLANCES
(maybe you have been on the receiving end of a look like this from a relative?)
besides that
PACINO is incredible and
TALIA SHIRE is great- devastating really in one last scene at the end- even though she has a smaller role than she does in the first film.
and MICHAEL V. GAZZO gives a WILD, LARGER THAN LIFE performance, he is the only actor I know who SOUNDS DUBBED but who isn't and it's great (hard to explain)
the only performance that i felt was a misfire was from DIANE KEATON, who has a BIG SCENE with PACINO that (for me) goes off the rails and I would have asked for another take..,
thing is, from watching and rewatching it, I KINDA GET THE SENSE PACINO HITS KEATON FOR REAL FOR REAL IN THE SCENE. I know the two dated at the time and hated one another for years after. don't know what the whole story was.