The Godfather Part II is the rare cinematic sequel as good as, and perhaps better than, its original. The anguished sense of a corrupted American ideal begun in The Godfather continues in this movie, as Al Pacino heads the huge cast as Michael Corleone, heir to the criminal empire established by his Mafioso father, the late Don Corleone. The time is the mid-1940s: Michael is now in charge of all gambling activities in Nevada, making certain that any and all political or mob enemies are quickly bought off, compromised, or disposed of. One disposal, that of his treacherous brother Fredo (John Cazale) is particularly painful, but "business is business." Michael's devotion to his work takes a toll on his immediate family, especially his thoroughly disillusioned non-Italian wife Kay (Diane Keaton). Throughout the film, Michael's travails are paralleled with the early experiences of his father, played in flashbacks by Robert DeNiro. These scenes have the feel of an Italian neorealist film of the postwar era, although director Francis Ford Coppola has sometimes cited the 1915 silent film The Italian as his inspiration. The flashback portions of The Godfather Part II, presented chronologically, were used as the opening sequences of The Godfather Saga, edited by Coppola from all three Godfather films, with outtakes and alternate scenes included. The Godfather Part II won several Academy Awards, including best picture, best director, best supporting actor (DeNiro), best screenplay, best score, and best art direction/set decoration. Sixteen years later, Coppola brought his saga to a close with The Godfather Part III, which was not as successful.