He was so angry at how Michael embarrassed him in front of Moe Greene when he, Tom Hagen & Albert "Al" Neiri came to Las Vegas to buy out Moe's Hotel. He was so happy and proud to be out of Long Island, New York and have his own Steam and to have his Little Brother humiliate him made him very angry. He never got over the fact that Don Corleone all but made Michael the "Head" of The Family and not him although he was older. He had so much anger and resentment at Michael's Power he was willing to do anything to make his brother pay. When Johnny Ola approached him it seemed like a great idea but he all but dug his own grave during the Late Night Phone Call. For A Long time for some reason, I sometimes wonder if Artie Bucco was based on Fredo, a real dumbo. Remember the bad Wine deal he did with Jean-Luc.
@@Therealwordx Same as Michael, he was also unfit to be a Don. All of Vito's children have their own plus and weakness that unless they work together, they would doom the Corleone family. Unlike Vito Corleone.. Michael indeed has the calculating mind of his father but not his father's warm heart or social ability. Ultimately Michael made the Corleone family had many enemies, murdered his own brother, and even estranged his wife. Vito, even though grew up in a more harsh life, never sells out his friends/other people. Look at Clemenza his neighbor when he asks Vito to help him hide the weapons, Vito never sells him out to the police. Vito ultimately has long live friends which together built the olive oil company business: Genco Abbandado, Peter Clemenza, and Sal Tessio (only Sal betrayed the Corleone family and that was after he found out that Michael was made as a new Don instead of him). While in contrast, Michael is seen ultimately alone by the end of The Godfather 2.
Yes, even Al Pacino sang his praises in Interviews but I sometimes wonder if he had "Lived" would he have been typecast. Also, can you imagine how proud he would have been of Meryl Streep's Multiple Oscar Wins and Nominations.
2:05 One thing I like about Micheal saying that line is that even though Michael knew how weak Fredo was and that he has caused trouble AND Michael was the more “successful” son of Vito, instead of reprimanding him or being condescending to him, he chose to empathise with his brother and gave jobs that played to Fredo’s strength. Its sad Fredo was selfish and did not treasure how much Michael love Fredo
@sovietdeathstroke6713 you say that cause you have not feel what it is to be "a Fredo" cause you are either on top or you are not and don't realise it. It is a torture to be weak. I don't say that justifiy what Fredo did, he should have stay away from family business, go monk, literraly or figuratively. In any case, isolate himself. People do not need love, people need power first and foremost. Fredo has no need of Michael love, he needed more power, sadly god does not share equally his gifts. Anyway, the mistake of Fredo was not to not treasure Michael"s love but rather not commiting suicide (best way out for people like him) or isolate himself (a "social suicide" much less effective than the litteral suicide but much more accessible for weak people).
The screen chemistry between John Cazale and Al Pacino was extraordinary. To bad John Cazale died young. It is amazing that every movie in his career was either nominated or got an academy award. Probably one of the greatest supporting actors of all-time.
A lot of people missed a nice ,little detail . Look at the scene where Fredo tells the bodyguard " Hiya , Fredo Corleone ". He extends his hand to shake hands with the body guard , but the guard initially doesn't shake hands with him. Then , Michael appears behind Fredo ( with his back turned towards us ) and gives the bodyguard a look. The bodyguard immediately shakes Fredo's hand. This is yet another subtle way of showing that no one in the business really respected Fredo , but Michael always made people treat Fredo well. You can see this earlier in the scene , where Michael makes Rocco Subdue Fredo's drunk wife when she is publicly emascuo Fredo at the opening party. When Fredo tries to tell him " I can't control her Mikey " , Michael stops him and says " You are my brother Fredo . You never need to apologize to me " Even in the First Film , when Moe Greene admitted that he " Straightened Freddy out " , you can see the look of ice cold rage in Michael's eyes. Maybe Michael DID view Fredo as weak and Stupid ( So did everyone else , and let's be honest , he actually was weak and Stupid ). But he never stopped loving Fredo , until he realized that Fredo betrayed him and that Fredo's actions almost got Michael Killed . Even then , at the " kiss of death " scene , I doubt Michael still wanted to kill Fredo. He was still under the impression that Fredo , being naive got manipulated by Roth. Only when Fredo finally breaks down and admits that he acted out of pure jealousy and spite , does Michael finally decide to kill him. And even then , it haunts Michael deeply in the Third Film.
The bodyguard didn't want to shake hands because he's not supposed to do that, he's just a bodyguard. It's not because he didn't respect him. This moment is just supposed to show that Fredo is not smart enough and too light-hearted to apprehend a simple concept : you don't introduce yourself to a bodyguard, that's just dumb.
@@Kileik Agreed 100% with you, 0% with the OP. Fredo's spent so much time being coddled with easy work in the Corleone family's entertainment destinations that he's more of a majordomo or a party host than a representative of the Family. He shakes hands with the nameless button man and orders a banana daquiri because he's "gone native" and can no longer be trusted to represent the Family's interests.
i truly feel bad for fredo growing up in the corleone family nobody ever gave him a chance and that made him dumb they never allowed him to learn and grow they just sent him places like casinos. that line where he says 'why didn't we do this before' just proves he wanted to be someone in the family but than he realizes he will never be anybody in the family which leads to him betraying michael saying that 'their was something IN IT FOR ME' i believe fredo never wanted to hurt the family just no longer be controlled by it he wanted to go his seperate way because nothing would ever change for him if he was in the corleone family, he litterally was skipped over being the don of the family and the title went directly to michael, so i don't blame him for being mad at michael and it seems he experienced some form of abuse within the family with him saying his mother called him a gypsy. But in all of that he was still in the corleone family, fredo is just a sad story. he didn't deserve to die michael should have just disowned him from the family and disconnected all family contact with him atleast that way michael can sleep peacfully knowing his brother is alive and has a ability to move up in life, or michael could have orcastrated something to make it appear fredo died but really he's alive somewhere out there. I remember what mama corleone said to michael she said 'you can never truly lose your family' but michael did and the thing is michael let them walk away
My grandmother used to say the same thing to my mother and laugh about it. The fact my momma still remembers it with sadness tells you how much little things like that affect children.
John Cazale was just as good an actor as Al Pacino. He had this emotion about him. No doubt he would of been in the talk of greatest actors ever if he lived throughout the 80s and 90s.
Al Pacino spoke very highly of John Cazale but I'm not sure how far he would have gone as an Actor. He was so convincing as Fredo Corleone and Sal in Dog Day Afternoon it may have been hard for him to get other parts. Also can you imagine how he would have felt seeing Meryl Streep's Career go into orbit the way it did.
Oh yes, but in Hollywood if a Woman is more successful than the Man it creates a lot of tension. Jeff Goldbum/Geena Davis, Meg Ryan/Dennis Quaid are prime examples. Sometimes I felt so bad for Fredo, he tried so hard but he couldn't measure up to the expectations that were made for him.
"Mikey, I was mad at you.." Fredo almost slipped up but caught himself, but Michael already started seeing the cloud of suspicion around Fredo but almost brushes it off everytime because it's too much to bear.. very important scene
Yes. Jermaine Jackson was in That Boat. He was a Mama's Boy and sometimes he may have felt lost in the shuffle. Also when The Osmonds spoke on a BBC Documentary, they aired a lot of their differences. Jay was angry at Alan for being so bossy but Alan explained that if things went wrong he had to answer to their father George like Jackie Jackson had to answer to Joe. Merrill was angry that Donny became the new lead singer replacing him, then Donny does Solo Work, than Duets with Marie then the Act pretty much breaks up. Jermaine thinks that because he Married Berry Gordy's Daughter Hazel at 19 in 1973 he's the next big star and it doesn't happen.
No.Fredo was ambitious and jealous like most of us are.One on one brother time wouldn`t have beed enough.Fredo was resentful when he was passed over by Michael.
2:57 Look at when Michael smiles and his expressions right after, that feeling of surprise and the feeling of something uncommon happening. He's not used to it and he expresses it very well. Brilliant acting by Pacino
I disagree. His smile at Banana Daquori was a charade, an act for Fredo.. the expression he uses afterwards when Fredo has his attention on the waiter reflect his true feelings. Cold.
3:19 "My specialty, right?" You can hear the bitterness in Fredo's voice. He's really saying "Show people around clubs, that's all I'm good for, Mike? An errand boy?"
i totally disagree. He's playing him. He knows Fredo betrayed him, he's just not 100% sure. I don't see love, I see a weird mix of love, contempt and wrath. It is a subtle interrogation. Fredo knows he's subtly giving himself away here. It's like he wants to confess but fears his brother more than he trusts his love and forgiveness. After all he's a coward. That's when he abruptly pulls his hand from Michael's. He knows his brother is cunning and always scanning for sh!t. Also he can't help but be weak compared to his brother. That's his nature and he hates it. When he abruptly rips his hand from Michael's it's like a knee jerk reaction. The tone of his voice changes, he pulls up his shoulders. It's him saying to himself "Woops, almost confessed there. Pull yourself together, damn you" So many layers in this scene. This movie is extraordinary.
True.And although Mike was bright, his self absorption caused him to miss things.He completely missed the boat when Fredo stated that "I was mad at you".As of the time of this scene, Mike had no idea Fredo was the traitor within the Family.
No.Later in the conversation in the park, Michael told Fredo about the planned New Yrs eve hit on Fredo.Michael wouldn`t have done that if he had known about Fredo`s betrayal. Michael learned of the betrayal at the sex club in Havana when Fredo, while drinking, referred to knowing Roth and Ola.
It's sad to see how affectionate Michael towards Fredo here. It really makes the betrayal all the worse, because Michael's love for his brother was obviously so real.
You could probably get away with it, but only if you already command enough respect you can afford not putting on a front and enjoy what you enjoy. Like Harvey Keitel's character in Pulp Fiction taking his coffee with lots of cream and sugar.
Yes, but when you have One Million Dollars in That Suitcase, you'd be quite territorial yourself. Also, it's a joke because in Godfather One, Fredo didn't have a problem with The Bellhops carrying The Suitcase.
That's exactly it. Were it anyone else, his over-the-top follow-up line "Why didn't we spend time like this before" should have been the tip-off to Michael, but as others said he couldn't accept it until he heard actual proof when he caught Fredo's lie about Johnny Ola.
He realized he acted on impulse because he had alot of anger and jealousy towards Michael becasue Michael not only headed the Family but was the Apple of their Father's Eye. Kind of like Bobby Ewing on Dallas.
It’s amazing how you can pinpoint the exact moment when Michael begins suspecting Fredo. Right after 2:55, when his smile almost evaporates. Even the background music turns a little sinister for a few seconds, but then reverts to a more relaxed one. Here, Fredo pretends to not know how to say banana Daquiri, but later on at the party, he recites the local drinks’ name perfectly.
Notice that when Michal tells Fredo it was Roth who tried to kill him in his home, Fredo doesn't even look at Michael in the eyes. If he didn't knew anything about it it would be a surprise for him, but the look away showed that he already knew it was Roth all along. Don't know if it was on purpouse or not but nice acting detail.
@@lufsolitaire5351 Mike was in universe. Its mentioned in the third one but looking back you see him always drinking water. Maybe Al is too i havnt a clue!
+Will McCormick I always sensed Fredo had a little autism before that was really seen as a thing. He doesn't see the big picture of things, how little actions can have larger consequences in the big picture. He just needed to keep up with social practice by spending more time with his loving Corleone family, building his skills of picking up subtleties, instead of starting a bad family by marrying a drunken floozy. We hate to see it, but we more often see traces of Fredo in ourselves at times than we do see traces of Vito. Fredo really is a great character, and Mario Puzo was incredibly intelligent, and must have had a large understanding of the world to create him.
John Hein I read the book, and I totally thought John Cazale gave Fredo extra layers that the book did. Puzo didn't really concentrate on Fredo that much... It mentioned that he was a little slow but had a good heart. You could call that signs of autism or even Asperger's, which I wouldn't really dispute. But the weird thing is that John Cazale, according to Pacino, James Caan, Brando, De Niro, Walken, and all other kinds of actors said that they loved Cazale, because he was a very peculiar fellow. Hell, the way they described him honestly seems like he did have Asperger's in real life.
One wonders if Fredo had fessed up to the situation and his involvement in the hit attempt right then, if Michael would have spared him? What's so great about this is the writers and especially Cazale make Fredo both pathetic and strangely likable at the same time. If he'd been just an ass the ending of the picture wouldn't have been so powerful.
Will McCormick There would of been some type of punishment. It wouldn't have been as severe as death though. Maybe banishment from the family business altogether. Maybe before this scene, at the hotel room, when Michael straight up asked if he knew Johnny Ola, he should of said, "yeah I met him at the first communion party". That would of saved a lot of trouble for fredo.
Michaels intense eye contact would've driven Freddo insane, because he knows how clear michaels vision is. He looks right through people and reads them like a book
Michael was always three steps in front of his Enemies, and that’s why they could Never get to Him, his Father Vito was a Very Smart Don, but Michael was always Smarter.
Darn Right! I remember watching Mad Med and how some the most pivotal scenes involve Cigarettes. Like in The Pilot Don Draper asks The Waiter would he change to Lucky Strike or when The Ladies try on some Lipstick and the Lady tells Joan to move and she does "A Little", then when they have the Meeting about Mencken's Miss Mencken is Smoking a Filter Free Cigarette.
From 2:50 to 2:56....you can see greatest acting ev-aar. From split seconds, Pacino goes from "i love you brother " to "despice " Look at his face. His eyes.... greatness
My dad (RIP) sat me down and made watch this scene when they showed “The Godfather Saga” on the telly and said this is why John Cazale (RIP) was one of the greatest actors of all-time. It's also spot on for anyone like me who has a slightly tense relationship with their brother
I get the feeling that if Fredo had any hopes pf surviving, this would have been the perfect time to tell Michael. He would have understood. You can tell that Fredo was about to come out clean when he told Mike that he was mad at him.
Agreed, I wonder if Fredo told Michael about the assassination attempt by himself, would Michael understand and forgive him? Because I damn sure when Fredo told Hyman Roth and johnny ola about Michael's werebouts he didn't know the reason behind it. And it was always better knowing something from the person who are involved rather than knowing it from someone else
0:22 notice how Fredo pronounced "Corleone" he puts emphasis on the E at the end. This is seen throughout the film, when people disrespectful the Corleone's the emphasise the E, whereas those who respect the family ends the word with the N sound.
Deep down Michael knew there was a cloud of suspicion around Fredo, but he didn't wasn't to 'go there'. There are different moments that Michael looks at Fredo suspiciously sensing something was 'off', but it was almost to much for him to have to face. Michael naturally starts telling Fredo 'insider information' and wants things to be 'Ok' between them. It was similar to Toney Sopranos suspicions about Big Pussy. However, it would take Fredo basically giving it all away for Michael to face the full truth about Fredo. Fredo was Michaels 'tipping point' to transitioning into a monster for awhile, and also a 'tipping point' in terms of being racked with guilt that led to his confessing his sins to the future Pope in Godfather III and getting his humanity back.
My God, John Cazale was phenomenal as Fredo, who might be the most complex character of them all and not at all easy to portray! Cazale however never even seems to be acting because every move just looks so natural and real! Such an intuitive and authentic actor!
Interesting scene because Michael actually shows weakness here as a result of brotherly bonding and shares info he mostly wouldn’t had previously had shared with fredo who coincidentally was partly responsible for him being set up in the first place.
It's funny how Michael kind of does what he did with Carlo to his own brother, at this point he sensed it and gave Fredo the freedom to act up because he's opened up to his brother yet Mikey was just waiting for a slip up from Fredo. Vito taught Mikey very well.
+Silver SurferMichael knows it's Fredo because the scene where they're at a nightclub watching the "superman" show, Senator Geary asks Fredo how he found the place and Fredo slips and tells him Johnny Ola brought him there. "Old man Roth would never come here, but Johnny knows these places like the back of his hand". Fredo wasn't supposed to know Roth or Ola. Michael heard this and realized Fredo has been in with them for some time.
Okay, in that case I can't help you cuz I just don't see that. I think he just wanted to spend time with his brother. And that's why he looks physically ill when Fredo spills the beans at the superman show. I've always thought that was Michael's first inkling that it was Fredo and it hits him like a ton of bricks. Sorry I misunderstood your question.
+Silver Surfer He does have his suspicions but he obviously doesn't want his suspicions to be true. I think Michael would have forgiven Fredo if Kay hadn't left him. When she left he lost all his sense of humanity. At that point he didn't give a shit about anything or anyone.
+Silver Surfer My thoughts? Mo Green. Fredo sided with Mo Green against Michael in the Godfather part 1. I also get the impression that Michael always knew of Fredo's jealousy that he was promoted as head of the family instead of Fredo.
I know this is a big debate… but I do believe Michael was suspicious of Fredo here. He wanted one on one time with him, which is clearly out of the norm. He revealed sensitive information to disarm him. He asked him specifically about Roth to see how he would react. Similar to his sisters husband in part 1. He ask things that he already thinks he knows the answer too, just to get confirmation
When Fredo said That Mama used to say "You Don't Belong To Me, You Were Left On The Doorstep By Gypsies." Very cruel thing to say to a child. It was her way of saying without actually saying "You're a Failure, A Family Joke, You Don't Hold A Candle To Santino, Michael or even Tom." In his own way Gary Ewing on Knots Landing was alot like Fredo who back in the day couldn't do anything right. He came into his own but for many years he was the Family Screw Up.
When he said "Mama used to tease me, she'd say "You don't belong to me, you were left in the door step by gypsies" really didn't help his middle child syndrome. I don't blame their mother, parents often joke to their kids but to them it's only a joke, to their children however it's the first seed of insecurity that gets planted in their young, and impressionable minds.
John Cazale should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for this movie, should have been 4 nominations for the one film. They all deserved it.
0:22 the boss and his family doesn't need to be really nice to their bodyguard / workers. That's why the bodyguard doesn't shake fredo's hand until mike gave him a sign. It's not a sign of disrespect, he just knows his places..
The sirens in the background when Fredo says "Anybody I know" and Michael says Roth and Johnny Ola like the walls are starting to close in Fredo...BRILLANT
The music in this scene is hilarious. It fits absolutely perfectly. Matching Fredos awkwardness, the bullshit fake persona of Cuba, this bs Bussiness deal. It’s hilarious
Finallyyyy found the video. The scene at the cafe where Michael tells Fredo that Roth was lying about making Michael his successor instead he wanted to remain in the business. This scene explained exactly what happened to me by my former Boss in my previous job (petroleum shipping) who is a friend of my father, i was brought to his company to learn the business and become his successor in administration of it while he relaxes and takes time off to focus on his family and life, i adapted quicker than anyone just 2 years and indured so much stress and actually kinda started taking the company in a different direction (improved) for the first time in many years, i had ambition and confidence i had my vision, when i became recognised by the oil companies worldwide he began to cut his help down on me but in a very slick manner so he doesn't seem obvious, i knew it from the 4th month working that the man had no intention whatsoever to give up his place to anyone especially me, to him i was different because i was the only one of my colleagues that was actually smart and think outside the box and can act under pressure without fearing the consequences so for him it was a difficulty because 80% of my colleagues aren't uni graduates nor bilingual also i was the youngest among them talking about 20 years age gap anyway after i got so smooth with it qnd companies began to contact me directly instead of him he accused me of betraying him and doing tasks for my own benefits instead of the company and he wanted me either working under very strict new terms to limit my access and ability or leave, i decided to quit because i knew nothing will ever be the same especially after he met with my colleagues behind my back and told them i oppose danger for the company. Funny how all these years from making the godfather 2 this scenario still applies to our daily lives
grossograndissimo Yeah it was kind of comical, but it made sense though 2 million dollars is a lot of money today, so you can imagine it worth in 1950's.
You had to act and it means everything and stands the test of time. Perhaps not the right place, everyone took Christopher Reeve as Superman for granted but when he was flying did it ever look unconvincing?
@@mcgurkryans Wrong. It was a quiet moment at the dance between them and it was so much more genuine than the scene here where he was sizing up Fredo. He smiles later in their bedroom too. Rewatch it.
Its a pity, people mistake roles for actors. Most of the really gifted actors, able to give effortless, nuanced performances, play supporting roles. Well, the Godfather is an exception, since Pacino gave a monster performance, but could I see a "star", a Kevin Spacey or a Daniel Day Lewis or a Denzel Washington play Fredo to the absolute perfection Cazale did? I really doubt it.
Watch carefully as Michael is looking at Fredo when he's ordering the banana daquiri at 2:55-57. He suspects Fredo has fucked up and he has that look like "you don't know it but you're in deep shit buddy."
As Fredo said, "You take care of me, your my kid brother." Never underestimate the deepness of sibling rivalry. Fredo soldout the family for something as little as "something in it for me". He could have never been trusted, or handled more than he was given, his ego and fragility just could never accept that.
I sincerely wanted Fredo to come clean right here, in this scene, perhaps they could've salvaged something of their brotherhood, or at least calm Michael's nerves enough for him not to have Fredo killed.
Michael already suspected and tell the plan of the assasination to analyze Freddo reaction. With this done in this scene he knew about fredo, but he loved him that much that he was in denial.
This scene is so brutal because it shows that Fredo was the one person who Michael could let his guard down around and also because Fredi comes soooo close to confessing.
