Godfather questions (1 Viewer)

[Jason Boucher]

Any insight would be appreciated.
If Fredo was the traitor who let the assassins in the compound and opened the curtains, did he really not know it was a hit? And if so, was he the one who killed the assasins? There must have been another party, no?
Second, if the theme of the movies is about Michael losing his family, why does his sister return to his side in II? It doesn't seem to match thematically.

 

[Michael Reuben]

Second, if the theme of the movies is about Michael losing his family, why does his sister return to his side in II? It doesn't seem to match thematically.

It's not just about losing the family; it's about losing the family to the greater forces of "business" as the amounts of money and power at stake get bigger and bigger. (As Michael says in part III, the higher he went in society, the bigger the crooks.) Connie and Michael are able to reconcile because Connie isn't a business rival, and because, unlike Fredo, she's smart enough to realize that her only access to power is through Michael. This isn't to say that her love isn't genuine, but only why it isn't undercut by countervailing forces.
M.