Al Pacino prefers the first Godfather movie over Part II

Francis Ford Coppola achieved cinema perfection with The Godfather… and two years later, he did it again with The Godfather Part II. The two films remain some of the very best movies of all time, but much like Alien and Aliens, you might have a favourite. As for Al Pacino, The Godfather star clearly prefers the first movie.

Al Pacino recently sat down with David Rubenstein at the 92nd Street Y, New York for the People Who Inspire Us series. When Rubenstein asked Pacino if he thought The Godfather Part II was superior to the first movie, the actor replied, “No, I don’t. I really think it’s more — what would you call it — artistic or something, I don’t know. I don’t mean to play it down and be overly modest because I star in it with Bob de Niro, but at the same time, it’s a different film.“

“You see, The Godfather is more entertaining. Godfather II is this study, this personal thing for Francis [Ford Coppola],” Pacino continued. “Godfather I, I saw it recently, it’s always got two or three things going on in a scene. You’re always in the story, you’re going. You don’t know what’s going to happen next, it’s storytelling, it’s really storytelling at its best. Godfather II sort of linearizes, and [it’s] kind of different, somber, moves slowly. But it’s a great movie, I have to say.“

The Godfather celebrated its fiftieth-anniversary last year. Paramount re-released the film in theaters and also released an impressive 4K Ultra HD box set of the entire trilogy. The studio also released The Offer, a ten-episode series which depicted the making of the classic film. Miles Teller starred as producer Al Ruddy, with the series being based on “Ruddy’s “never before revealed experiences” during the production. When asked if he had watched the series, Al Pacino said that he had and that “about half of it was true.” You can check out a review of the series from our own Alex Maidy right here.

The Offer wasn’t the only project revolving around the making of The Godfather out there. Barry Levinson was set to direct Francis and the Godfather, which was said to depict the “chaotic, Shakespearean behind-the-scenes drama” that took place during the production. The cast of Francis and the Godfather included Oscar Isaac as Francis Ford Coppola, Jake Gyllenhaal as Robert Evans, Elisabeth Moss as Eleanor Coppola, and Elle Fanning as Ali MacGraw. It’s not clear if the project is still happening as it’s been some time since we last heard about it.

Do you agree with Al Pacino saying The Godfather is a more entertaining movie than the second?