The Godfather Part II premiered in New York City on 12 December, before wider release 8 days later.
Mario Puzo began writing a sequel to his Godfather in 1971, before the first film was released, but Francis Ford Coppola had a different idea for the film, wanting to show the "ascension of the family under Vito Corleone with the decline of the family under his son Michael."
Coppola approached Martin Scorsese about directing, but Paramount studio refused. Al Pacino refused to participate unless changes were made to the script, and Coppola rewrote the script himself to meet with Pacino's approval.
Many critics pronounced the film a "disaster" before it even opened, but it was a huge box office success and was nominated for 9 Academy Awards (one shy of The Godfather), including Best Actor (Pacino), Best Supporting Actor (Michael Gazzo and Lee Strasberg), Best Supporting Actress (Talia Shire), and Best Costume Design (Theodora Van Runkle).
The Godfather Part II received 6 Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro), Best Adapted Screenplay (Coppola and Puzo), Best Art Direction, and Best Original Dramatic Score (Roman Coppola and Nino Rota).
The Godfather Part II has been named as one of the greatest films of all time and Al Pacino's acting as one of the greatest film performances of all time.
