| The Godfather - The Coppola Restoration Giftset (The Godfather / The Godfather Part II / The Godfather Part III) [Blu-ray] | ![The Godfather - The Coppola Restoration Giftset (The Godfather / The Godfather Part II / The Godfather Part III) [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ek%2BlM5IIL._SL500_.jpg) | Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Actors: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Marlon Brando
Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $124.99
Buy New: $42.93
as of 9/10/2010 04:48 CDT details
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Rating:  124 reviews
Sales Rank: 473
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Widescreen
Languages: French (Subtitled), Portuguese (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: Blu-ray
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Region: 1
Discs: 4
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Running Time: 840 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 6.8 x 5.4 x 0.8
MPN: 097361386447
UPC: 097361386447
EAN: 0097361386447
Release Date: September 23, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The complete saga of the Corleone family, from Don Vito Corleone's childhood in Sicily to his son Michael's rise to power, and the organization's even
Amazon.com
On the DVD People used to say this was Frank Sinatra's world, and the rest of us just lived in it. After watching the multiple special features in the box set The Godfather - Coppola Restoration, one might conclude it's actually time for a cultural and historical revision: This is the Corleone family's world. The rest of us better tread lightly. Actually, the point of the half-dozen or so features crammed onto a disc accompanying the beautifully restored The Godfather, The Godfather II and The Godfather III, is that The Godfather movies have penetrated popular culture in such a deep and meaningful way that they are second-nature to everything. David Chase, creator of and writer on The Sopranos, for example, describes in the featurette "Godfather World" that his hit HBO series was intended to be the story of the first generation of mobsters actually influenced by Francis Ford Coppola's hit trilogy. Joe Mantegna calls the three films "the Italian Star Wars." (Mantegna co-stars in The Godfather III.) Alec Baldwin says no matter what one is doing, one is compelled to stop and watch the films if they're on television. Richard Belzer calls the films "a religion." And so on. A number of people similarly testify in "Godfather World" to the importance and ubiquitousness of The Godfather and its sequels in American life. There's no point in arguing, so its best to move on to the other featurettes, including "The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't," reviewing in detail much of what has been said about Paramount's mistreatment of Coppola, about casting fights (Steve McQueen as Michael?), about the studio's assumption they were getting a quick-and-dirty B-movie, and about producer Robert Evans' determination to keep his choice of director and unlikely actors under his wing. Fresh information within the special features, however, begins with "… When the Shooting Stopped," a fine study of post-production on The Godfather, with several surprising and fascinating facts. Among emerging details is an explanation of why Michael Corleone's scream toward the end of The Godfather III is silenced out. (Hint: it was meant to be the inverse of a sound effect in the first movie.) "Emulsional Rescue: Revealing The Godfather" talks about the painstaking work of restoring the first two films, beginning with a phone call from Coppola to Steven Spielberg (after the latter's DreamWorks studio became part of the Viacom family) asking if he'd request money from Paramount for restoration work. "The Godfather On the Red Carpet is a negligible series of fawning statements about the movie from hot young actors, while "Four Short Films" are brief and enjoyable takes on different aspects of The Godfather's impact on modern living. --Tom Keogh
Stills from The Godfather - The Coppola Restoration Giftset (Click for larger image)
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 124
 A faithful restoration of the originals September 23, 2008
Keith Paynter (Regina, Sask. CANADA)
171 out of 179 found this review helpful
For those crying for the "Godfather Saga"/"Godfather Epic" versions, you are missing the point. Restoration expert Robert Harris (and countless others) worked for over a year from the best available print materials (as the original negatives are badly damaged and faded) to restore the first and second films to their original theatrical glory, which is something these iconic films of American Cinema deserve. That is the point of restoration.
If you are looking for a "wow" disc to show off your Blu-ray home theater sound and video, this is not it. If you are looking to experience modern American Gangster cinema in its 1970's glory, this is as close as you are ever likely to get, muted sepia-esque color, film grain and all.
These were not done exclusively for the home market. The priority was that they were restored for theatres, because that is where they would be judged the most critically, and all indications are that they do not disappoint. Never watch these films in your living room with the lights on. Watch them like you do in the theater, lights out, to appreciate the effort that went into these films.
An offer you can't refuse--"The Godfather" restored for Blu-ray (and DVD) looks and sounds terrific-Doesn't include TV version September 24, 2008
Wayne Klein (My Little Blue Window, USA)
114 out of 124 found this review helpful
NOTE: Opinions vary but MY review is designed to help those who haven't purchased the product decide whether or not they want to. If you disagree, write a review--the comments section IS for that but not the voting system.
A marvelous restoration job, "The Godfather-The Coppola Restoration Gif Set" includes all three original films as they were presented theatrical. It doesn't have the version that Coppola cut for TV and presented in chronological order. THe first two films are masterpieces and while the third is severely flawed, it does have its moments.
Keep in mind that these were restored for theatrical showings NOT for the home video market and, as such, these probably aren't the best Blu-rays to use to show off your home video system. Some people will no doubt be disappointed but, quite frankly, these films have never looked this good before on home video. Is this a big step up from the DVDs? Yes and no. The Blu-ray does provide better resolution but keep in mind it also shows the flaws inherent in the original films (and some people will regard the grainy images as being a flaw).
First keep in mind that "The Godfather" was meant to look grainy so those of you who hate grain will probably wonder why they didn't eliminate it. That's because to do so would have required altering the look of the film not restoring it and the usual result of eliminating film grain is that you lose detail. The result also makes it look like the actors are walking wax dummies. Some scenes are much grainer than others but that's the way the film was meant to look.
According to Harris in an article at American Cinematographer, the original film was in extremely bad shape and, in some instances, frames from outtakes had to be subsituted because damage had crept into the frame area of the film.
"The Godfather Part II" was in better shape for a variety of reasons and didn't require quite as much work on it as the first film.
"The Godfather Part III" since it used different development techniques from the first three (and for other reasons you can read at the American Cinematographer website)and only required Harris to match the black levels and make sure the color scheme was done correctly.
Robert Harris has done a marvelous job on the restoration of the film. Colors are bolder than before with nice crisp images as cinematographer Gordon Willis originally shot the film. While the DVD looks terrific, the Blu-ray looks positively stunning. Does it look like a film released last year? No, of course not that would be impossible but Harris working with Coppola and Willis has brought the film into the 21st century without overprocessing the image (like the recent Blu-ray "Patton")and staying true to the original look of the original film elements if they were in pristine condition.
All of the previous extras from the boxed set have been ported over in HD along with some new extras including "The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't" documenting the difficult birth of the film from Paramount asking Puzo to initially change the period setting to 1970's Los Angeles to the constant threat of Coppola being fired during the shooting of the film. "When the Shooting Stops" covers the post-production efforts of editing and scoring the film.
THe humorous "Godfather World" has famous directors illustrated the cultural impact of the film and features bits and pieces from "The Simpsons" to "South Park"."Emulsion Rescue documents Robert Harris' restoration efforts of the aging film elements. "Four Short FIlms of "The Godfather" is amusing as well.
The 12 page booklet included with the Blu-ray was clearly designed for the DVD because it's much too large to fit in the Blu-ray holder (it's glued to the outside packaging). It's odd to design the booklet like this as you'll have to either trim it down to fit inside, slide it in where it might possible become creased or store it separately to prevent wear and tear. It has a bit of info on the Oscars for the films and the credits. It's an odd extra to include because it doesn't have anything truly essential NOT included on the Blu-ray or DVD boxed set.
I'd highly recommend this compelling saga on Blu-ray and DVD. It's a huge improvement on the previous set, has new and previously released extras (including Coppola's often blunt commentary tracks)and looks terrific. For those looking for the TV version that ran in chronological order just be aware it's not here as part of this set although many of the deleted scenes used to assemble that one are included.
The Gold Standard of Digital Film Restoration June 28, 2009
W. R. Stockstill Jr. (Marietta, GA United States)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
There are so many reviews on these 3 films that I will just comment on the quality of the restoration. This has to be one of the top 5, if not the best, jobs done on film restoration to date. Paramount used one of the best restoration labs in the world, owned by Warner Brothers, to restore this film only after a Kodak owned lab cleared it as being sturdy enough to run through the digitizing equipment. The whole restoration was spurred by a letter to Spielberg from Coppola asking him if he could get Paramount, who had recently been bought by Viacom if they would do a restoration on the Godfather films. The head of Paramount didn't even hesitate to cut the large check to fund the restoration. The result? Coppola says its more beautiful then he remembered it. The extent of the restoration is included on the Bonus disc. And in that the clip you will see that the filmographer instead of filming the scenes correctly exposed and then having the lab darken the frames went with shooting the scenes dark, the result being there is no detail in the black areas of the film. This explains how difficult it was to get this quality of a restoration, which meant finding the best copy available, which still left much to be desired, and going frame my frame and digitally correcting the image. What is impressive is that the WB Studio lab consulted the original filmographer. I don't know if there is an Academy Award for restoration, but if there is, I know this team deserves it.
NOTE: There seems to be some here that don't like the way the film looks. I suggest they watch Emulsional Rescue - Revealing the Godfather on the bonus disc. Anyone that buys the set, may want to watch it first too to see how the films were shot, underexposed and with an orange tint, and the care taken to restore that look and even in 1 scene improve on it. Watching this feature first will show that its the way it was shot and meant to look, not the restoration.
Grain is Good ! April 11, 2009
Sugunan (Singapore)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
I've lost count of the number of times I've seen these movies on DVD, but I'm glad I got this blu-ray edition. I feel like I'm watching them for the first time. I made a side-by-side comparison on a 90" home theatre projection screen, and the improvements on this blu-ray are substantial enough for one's viewing pleasure to be enhanced manifold. The images are sharper, but not so sharp until they lose their film-like quality. Colours are much more solid and vibrant. I know there have been many complaints about too much grain, but for a movie like the Godfather, grain is essential for the Rembrandt-like quality of the interior scenes, and the sepia glow of the exteriors. Over-zealous processing would have ruined its moody atmospherics. There is a point beyond which a restoration job robs a classic movie of its classic aura. Thankfully, this has not happened with the Godfather on blu-ray.
The Restored Classic in Your Living Room October 10, 2008
G. Ware Cornell Jr. (Weston FL)
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
When I was in college I went to the theatre and watched Francis Ford Coppola's brilliant interpretation of Mario Puzo's bestseller The Godfather. The stunning photography and sound transformed a very good Mafia story into an iconic piece of American culture. Over the years I have watched the Godfather and its brilliant sequel in various formats, film, VHS and DVD. But finally when the trilogy was restored by Coppola and his incredible cinematographer Gordon Willis I broke one of my cardinal rules about acquiring Blu-ray versions of movies I already own in DVD.
I watched on my Mitsubishi LT-46149 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV with Integrated Sound Projector, which fully optimizes Blu-ray disks in a 1080p format. Just to be sure I compared it with the original triologyThe Godfather DVD Collection (The Godfather/ The Godfather - Part II/ The Godfather - Part III) on the same set using a Sony BDP-S301 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player BD/DVD/CD Playback with Bonus HDMI Cable which "upverts" standard DVDto 1080i.
There is no comparison.The colors are deep and rich in Blu-ray, while they are faded and scratchy on the "upverted" DVD. The overall effect of the restoration is to bring that original movie onto that original theatre screen into my house. Even though Godfathers I and II have never lost their place in the pantheon of American film, we have for years been watching these films under less than ideal conditions. The darkness that surrounds Don Corleone and then Michael became more dark gray than near-black. In its 1080p restoration the vermillion Statute of Liberty rises from the flat marsh grasses looking more like amber waves of grain than a neutral killing field. Taillights twinkle against the buffed exteriors of post-war automobiles as Michael exits the restaurant after killing a rival don and a corrupt police captain.
In Godfather II the 1080p again recreates the feel of the original cinema release, subject to a few clearly enhanced scenes. In several of the lake scenes (excluding Fredo's last bite) the water seems bluer and the mountains purpler. As many Godfather aficionados know the lake house was actually on the California side of Lake Tahoe. From the back yard the mountain profile Heavenly is unmistakable, establishing the California address.
The prequel segments featuring De Nero are bathed in sepia-like golden hues presumably as an antique finish that seems more reminiscent of Traffic than the theatrical rversion of Godfather II. It might be easy to say that the "restoration" has in some places done more than recast a damaged negative. However like the Star Wars recuts that used contemporary special effects technologies to create new virtual sets unimaginable in the 1970's, this restoration was the product of the original director in collaboration with the original cinematographer. These artists (and only they) are entitled to enhance their work using tools that help explain their original vision. this is not the colorized version of The Maltese Falcon whose pastels reeked havoc on a film noir classic. There is no reason these two films should not be works in progress by their creators.
The second issue relating to any enhancement is of course the viewer. It has been 36 years since the public has watched a fresh print of the Godfather. Since then we have seen it in less than optimal circumstances on over the air analog television, VHS, standard DVD and even Betamax. Each one of these formats substantially degrades the original film with poor resolution, pan and scan editing, and sloppy sound mixing. With so many exposures to these two classics under less than perfect conditions it is slightly presumptious to attempt to say what it looked like back then.
A 1080p Blu-ray version is a close as any average consumer is ever going to come to having a a fresh print. The bonus is that unlike a fresh print the digital imagery and sound will not fade, scratch or be formatted for television. In 38 years when Francis and Gordon (and I) will be likely be gone from this world this vision will be as fresh as it was today and in 1972 and 1974.
I have no comment on Godfather IIII, which is a poor cousin to the first two films. It is good to have, if only to show that money drives Hollywood and even great directors.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 124
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