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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: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton
Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $124.99
Buy New: $61.99
You Save: $63.00 (50%)
New (29) Used (10) from $42.97
Rating:  53 reviews
Sales Rank: 218
Format: Ntsc
Languages: English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Portuguese (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: Blu-ray
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 4
Running Time: 840 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 6.8 x 5.4 x 0.8
MPN: PARBR138644
UPC: 097361386447
EAN: 0097361386447
ASIN: B000NTPDSW
Release Date: September 23, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 09/23/2008 Run time: 549 minutes Rating: R
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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| Customer Reviews: Read 48 more reviews...
 A faithful restoration of the originals September 23, 2008
Keith Paynter (Regina, Sask. CANADA)
56 out of 57 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)
25 out of 28 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.
Vastly Improved! October 28, 2008
Alric Knebel (Biloxi, MS)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The first SD DVD box set of THE GODFATHER looked terrific on my SDTV, but its upconversion for the HDTV was the worst of any DVD I owned. I was thrilled to hear of this new edition. A couple of weeks ago, I was dejected by the Blu-ray release of a favored classic, and as a result, the knee-jerk desire to collect the latest improved edition is no longer part of my consumer profile. I'll LOOK first. Which I did with this: I rented it. And I'm happy to report that it is as advertised, a restoration that's as good as possible, completely remastered, sound and all. The grain level is more natural and the mottled highlights present in the first SD set are gone. A couple of scenes are slightly blurrier than the rest, and there was one very, very brief scene that evidently could not be saved and looked as terrible as it did on the last SD set. But the obvious effort that went into this suggests that the restoration team simply could not locate a salvageable print of that segment. The rest of it is so good, I can accept this one ten-second flaw, and I'll definitely add this one to the collection. Plainly put, this is it, as good as it'll ever be. No matter how many times I see this, I'm still amazed at the level of acting, the rich characterizations brought to life with a thousand little touches. These are people recognizable from your own life (sans the criminal activity). It's no wonder that it won so many awards. And it's no wonder that it ranks among so many top-10 lists. No doubt, it will for years and years to come.
4 1/2 Stars for Blu-ray November 8, 2008
J. Patterson (Virginia)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I am personally not a fan of The Godfather Part III, I don't even regard it as part of the trilogy. This review is only for Parts I-II.
These films have been restored to what Paramount claims to be "the best they'll ever look." I agree with them about 95% on this statement. Here's why:
On both films (especially Part I), there are a few instances of white specks and minor print defects. Also, the colors arent 100% consistent all of the time. I agree that color problems can't be helped, it's probably due to problems with the original source.
However, with films like Casablanca (from 1942) looking spotless, I can't help but think that these scratches and white specks could have been eliminated entirely. They certainly were for about 95% of the film.
This is my only qualm however, and it is still a minor one compared to the rest of this set's beneficial aspects. The picture and sound, save for white specks, are pretty much perfect (or as perfect as they will ever be). The special features are EXCELLENT, and kudos to Paramount for porting over all the extras from the 2001 DVD release. It seems that some of these features could have even been remastered for this release!
I own the Blu-ray version of the set. I have a friend that doesn't have Blu-ray who bought the standard DVD set. After doing a comparison, I have come to the conclusion that the Blu-ray set is vastly superior to the new DVD set. I HIGHLY RECCOMMEND buying this set!
Mo Green goses blood and it's not cranberry juice! September 27, 2008
Ronald Eldred
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
The restoration is perfect. The Godfather is a cherished film not a window of mob life. I was looking forward to the clear and sharp window like picture of today's blu-ray's. But as I watched The Godfather I realised this is the perfect picture for the movie. Most of all the colors pop with such a variety of dark colors and the blacks are real blacks and not the gray's with alot of noise in the dvd collection. I laughed when I saw the Mo Green hit. Me and my friend always made fun of it and now it is a brutal execution. Before it was a watery light pink that ran from his eye. Now it is darkened and even seems to have a thicker texture to it. The audio is crisp and keeps the original mostly front channel sound. The whole perpus of the restoration is not to make it the perfect picture, but to make it the perfect viewing exerience of the Godfather. And even though its not as sharp as the current blu-rays it is a vast improvement. Any True Godfather fan will make the upgrade.
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