Plot Elements of Godfather Part Two (scene, crime, family, history)
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I have watched The Godfather Part Two more times than I can say, looking for any clues I might have missed which explain or clarify some particular plot points.
They have remained elusive to me, things at which I can guess, but not know. Perhaps others here have picked up on things I have missed.
The Specifics:
1) At what point is Michael certain that it was Hyman Roth behind the assassination attempt rather than Frankie Pentangeli?
Immediately after the shooting Michael says to Tom that "If what I think has happened has happened, I'm leaving here tonight."
He then visits with Roth in Miami and Pentangeli in New York and tells both that he knows that it was the other one behind the attempted murder. Does he already know at this point? If so, how?
In Cuba Michael tells Fredo that he knows that it was Roth and that Roth will be trying again that night. Does Michael know at this point or is he still fishing for information?
It is finally resolved unquestionably when Fredo shoots off his mouth about his relationship with Roth's associate Johnny Ola, but at that point was Michael learning only that Fredo had been the traitor in the family, or is also learning for the first time that it was Roth rather than Pentangeli? It is at that point that Michael turns and gives the "Go ahead" nod to his hitman, as though permission had been withheld until that point. That hints that Michael still wasn't sure about Roth until then.
2) What was the nature of the pressure brought upon Pentangeli to keep his mouth shut at the Senate Mafia hearings? The Corleones bring Pentangeli's brother from Sicily and it is entirely a visual signal to Frankie, no words are spoken.
Was the message..."Here is your brother who has never broken the code of Omerta and if you do so, it will be to your shame in front of him?"
Was it..."We have your brother and he will be harmed if you talk?"
The only explanation we receive is the one Michael uses when he is ducking his wife's question about it..."It was between the brothers."
3) In what manner did Fredo assist, unwittingly or otherwise, in the attempted assassination? This is never clarified. He said that he didn't know that it was a hit, well, what did he think it was? What sort of "help with the negotiations" could fredo have been rendering which helped set up the attempted assassination?
These things have been bugging me for years.....any ideas out there?
what caused Frankie " five angels " to do a U turn in court could be any number of things
1 . he saw the look of disgust in his brothers eyes , he was about to betray the mafia code and seeing his brother brought it home for him
2. his reasons were more practical , he feared that his own immediate family would be harmed
I suspect that no . 1 is the answer , his brother was a mafia chief back in sicily , Michael would not have been able to get him over to America under threat of violence against him , he most likely heard frank was going to rat and volunteered to come over
as for how Michael figured out that roth rather than pentangelli was the one conspiring against him , Michael was shrude as they come , pentangelli was a slightly silly and absurd charechter , he wasn't any kind of master tactican or game player , he was also loyal to the corleones in the past , he was a follower
roth on the other hand was a seriously clever man , a schemer , a string puller , a man who without committing any violence himself , paraded over a national network of crime which was on a par with the corleones , so Michael from the start probabley ruled out frank pantengelli , he then noticed how willing roth was to see the back of pantengelli , add in the fact that while Michael told roth he was going to kill pantengelli , he ( Michael ) had no intention of doing so and did not order a hit , pantengelli ends up the victim of an assassination attempt , thus confirming to Michael that roth was not only guilty of trying to kill him ( Michael ) but when that attempt failed , had then tried to create division between Michael and Frankie " five angels " , you must remember that what caused Frankie five angels to work with the feds , was what he saw ( incorrectly ) as michaels attempted hit on him
I agree that the interpretation which you are providing is the one which makes the most sense, however we have to conclude all that ourselves, the movie doesn't make it unambiguous.
Any thoughts on my last question about Fredo and the attempted assassination? The assassins are discovered dead "right outside my window" says Fredo's slutty wife. How did that work? They fired into Michael's bedroom, then ran to Fredo's cottage seeking shelter and were killed by......Fredo? Who killed the assassins?
I agree that the interpretation which you are providing is the one which makes the most sense, however we have to conclude all that ourselves, the movie doesn't make it unambiguous.
Any thoughts on my last question about Fredo and the attempted assassination? The assassins are discovered dead "right outside my window" says Fredo's slutty wife. How did that work? They fired into Michael's bedroom, then ran to Fredo's cottage seeking shelter and were killed by......Fredo? Who killed the assassins?
I suspect roths men ( or the rossato brothers working for roth ) killed the assasins so they wouldn't talk
I suspect roths men ( or the rossato brothers working for roth ) killed the assasins so they wouldn't talk
fredo hadn't it in him to kill someone
I wouldn't think so of Fredo, either.
But did Fredo make some arrangement to get both the assassins and the Rossato brothers onto the Corleone compound despite all the security? I'm trying to figure out what possible help Fredo could have given them that helped set up the attempt on Michael's life, but without Fredo knowing that it was a hit.
My take is that Fredo may have just supplied info on when Michael will be at the compound and perhaps where certain rooms are.
As far as Pentangeli, I believe it was honoring the omerta code that changed his mind about testifying and ultimately to commit suicide.
Pentangeli's suicide wasn't ambiguous. He was accepting the deal that Tom brought him.....kill himself and his family would be cared for by the Corleones. Don't do it and...well, not such a happy ending for Frankie's family. Tom gets the message across to Pentangeli by engaging him in a conversation about the fates of plotters against the Roman Empire.
The Pentangeli part was originally written for the Clemenza character, but actor Richard Castellano held out for more money and they decided to 86 the character in favor of Pentangeli. There is a giveaway for all this in that final scene with Tom. At one point Tom tells Frankie that he knew he loved history, and was always talking about how they should have stopped Hitler at Munich. That sentiment was expressed by Clemenza in the first Godfather, he says that to Michael in the scene where he is training him how to shoot the Turk and the police captain.
My take is that Fredo may have just supplied info on when Michael will be at the compound and perhaps where certain rooms are.
As far as Pentangeli, I believe it was honoring the omerta code that changed his mind about testifying and ultimately to commit suicide.
Pentangeli also was promised that his family would be looked after. Tom told him that. And, yes, I agree that it was the code of omerta (in the person of his brother) that led to his suicide.
Very good observations from all you folks. Now I will have to watch the movie again.
Mike butted heads with Pantangeli when he refused to give Pantangeli permission to off the Rosato brothers with whom Pantangeli was fighting for territory. The reason is that the Rosatos were under Roth's command and Mike didn't want to risk war.
He told Roth after the assassination that it was Pantangeli and that he was going to have him replaced but that he won't replace Pantangeli with the Rosato brothers and Roth seemed ok with that.
But then the Rosatos attempted to assassinate of Pantangeli. This didn't make sense: why would the Rosatos try to kill someone already marked for death by the Corleones? Those things don't happen w/o permission.
In his last conversation with Roth in Cuba he alluded to this as well by saying "I didn't order the hit on Frank. So who did?"
Mike butted heads with Pantangeli when he refused to give Pantangeli permission to off the Rosato brothers with whom Pantangeli was fighting for territory. The reason is that the Rosatos were under Roth's command and Mike didn't want to risk war.
He told Roth after the assassination that it was Pantangeli and that he was going to have him replaced but that he won't replace Pantangeli with the Rosato brothers and Roth seemed ok with that.
But then the Rosatos attempted to assassinate of Pantangeli. This didn't make sense: why would the Rosatos try to kill someone already marked for death by the Corleones? Those things don't happen w/o permission.
In his last conversation with Roth in Cuba he alluded to this as well by saying "I didn't order the hit on Frank. So who did?"
By your analysis, did Michael know for certain that it was Roth after he heard about the Pentangeli hit, or was he still probing when he asked Roth who did it?
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