The Godfather - The Coppola Restoration Giftset (The Godfather / The Godfather Part II / The Godfather Part III) [Blu-ray]

I love these movies first off or atleast one and two. I have the DVD box and now the Blu-ray. I can definetly tell a difference. Is it worth buying again? That is debatable but since I love these movies and bought them with a gift certificate and there is a rebate, I am completely satisfied.

If you don't own these movies yet, get the Blu-ray ASAP. If you do own these on DVD then you may want to wait and see if the price comes down or ask for it as a holiday gift.

For those looking for an improvement over the DVD and VHS releases, Blu-Ray is here! With the awesome quality of most blu-ray movies being released today, it is easy to get spoiled. Older films rarely look truly hi-definition when compared to current releases. However, when it is a truly great film like this, I do not mind spending money on yet another version of the same movie, provided it is significantly better than the previous versions. All too often this is not the case. Here the studio has done an exemplary job of restoring the original film. I never saw it in the theater, but I cannot imagine it looked any better at my neighborhood theaters back then. This film will always deserve 5 stars as a movie. However, this 5-star review is for the restoration!

As a fan of the Godfather series, I was very pleased with the Blue Ray Trillogy. All I can say is GREAT.

The Godfather Series (I-III) is without doubt the greatest trilogy to be placed on film. Add a bonus disc that includes interviews, behind the scenes footage, deleted scenes and much more and you have a collectors edition. Put it on Blu-Ray and you have a fantastic experience. On a winters weekend in Michigan, my wife and I watched the entire set and it was like watching for the films for first time. Many scenes were filmed in dark settings (to set mood), however VHS, Laserdisc and even standard DVD did not do justice to the experience. The Blu-Ray version however blew me away. No need to review the movies unless you have just crawled out from under a rock, however if you want to know if the investment is worth the price? It is for us...

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!

If you happen to like the Godfather Trilogy, then you simply cannot own another copy of this movie. Go buy a Blu-ray player along with this movie. Its cinematic perfection.

I can't tell you how excited I was about this restoration, but Amazon made me an offer that I can't refuse. Excelente, watch the movies with the ligths off.

Outstanding transfer. Notably superior image (on 70" Sony SXRD RP LCD) to current DVD box set. Extras are worth viewing and reinforce importance of serendipity in art. Godfather (I) considered third greatest American film (after Citizen Kane and Casablanca) of past 100 years by AFI - this release helps understand why.

Fantastic movies, fantastic restoration. Obviously the image still looks like a +30 years old movie but at the same time it never looked this good.

This remastering of the Godfather trilogy was masterfully done, it really did do a lot better job in terms of the audio quality, the video is still a little bit rough in some places but is marginally better.

It was worth every Penny

It is hard to understand that with the digital restoration, they could clean up and fix many things in the image for the GODFATHER films, yet they could let the jarring white spots run throughout the films. The white spots are even more shocking esepcially when the films have a dark composition. Even if the spots are branded on the masters, they could have masked or removed these spots digitally, since they did a frame by frame restoration.

There is no point of the blu ray technology with its depth and resolution when we cannot get "pure" images as promised, and when white spots that could be easily fixed or removed ruin the images.

The studios should have a budget to fix this problem. They could spend hundreds of millions on a film, but fail to spend a bit on fixing the white spots on the blu ray releases. Blu ray should have a clean and perfect picture AT LEAST, and should surpass the theatrical experience with dirty and scratched prints (and those black spots when reels are changed), especially when Blu ray discs are not cheap.

(This is based on Godfather I and II. I have yet to see III.)

The Blue-Ray version of I leaves much to be desired. Dark scenes are REALLY dark and lack detail. Colors lean toward an annoying yellow-orange tint. II is a bit better but not much. Given that many films from the same period look beautiful, I find this puzzling. The only extra on either disc is Coppola's real-time discussion of the movie, which is fascinating in portraying yet another studio that was too stupid for its own good and nearly screwed up one of the greatest films of all time. Godfather I is a fabulous film, if disquieting in its subject matter. I was less enamored of II, which didn't know if it wanted to be a prequel or a sequel, so it did both and suffered for it. Its higher operational budget is apparent, but the film is less satisfying. Much more complex than Godfather I, I was often unable to discern the good bad guys from the bad bad guys, and there are many on both sides. In whatever form, watch at least Godfather I.

One note of dissent. I like Part III much more than many of the reviewers here who simply dismiss it.

PLOT: Keeps you interested. Furthers the whole story. Has a great deal of suspense.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: The scenes in Italy were beautiful and beautifully filmed. Maybe not as impressive as _The Leopard_ but, still, impressive.

SCORE: Beautiful music. Especially the opera scenes.

BOTTOM LINE: Please don't be put off by the negativity surrounding Part III. Sure, it must exist as part of a greater whole, but it is a positive addition to that whole.

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.

Well, I'm just another fan of the films, but the real deal is in the extra features. Very food ones. The transfer in the films could be better, I guess.

Definitely an improvement over the previous DVD version, for the aficionado it's a must have. Fascinating documentaries have been added in addition to all the previous bonus material as well as new commentary tracks. Too bad we have to choke down Godfather 3 to get the first two but what are you going to do, right?

A vastly improved print compared to the dark-shaded 2001 DVD Box Set.

You will have the exact same viewing experience as you had when viewing in theaters on the big screen back in the 1970s.

I've read recently that Director Francis Ford Coppola has seen the restored version and is extremely pleased with the results.

A pristine restoration of the greatest movies (Godfathers I and II) ever made!

What can I say. Im not going to rate the movie because everyone know what it is. I will rate the Blu-Ray quality and I give it 2 Thumbs Up. The colors and bright scenes pop. With these older transfers the black/dark scenes seem to be a bit grainy. Overall, a very good buy!

The Godfather is a fantastic movie for anyone who likes a good action/drama/Mob movie. This movie always ends up in the top 10 of an all time list. The 2nd and 3rd installment are good too, with the 3rd the weakest of the 3. This Blu-Ray version is fantastic video and audio quality. Now some may feal the first film is "grainy" and this is actualy by design. Coppola wanted this grity, grainy feal to the movie so dont' think the blu-ray is defective. It is still, by far, the sharpest and cleanest version you will ever see. This is not like the TV version Coppola cut before, it is the original theatrical version with full cut. If you have not seen this before, it is a must own.

Don't be fooled by the grain, I own the SD-DVD version and this one is much cleaner in many scenes. However, some scenes are in fact very similar. This probably has to do with the quality of the original film used to convert. That said, I seriously doubt that there will EVER be a cleaner version of this movie then the Blu-Ray

The audio is also fantastic.

Again, this is a must own for any movie buff. Enjoy!

As another reviewed correctly pointed out, these movies shouldn't be used to show the clarity of your Blu-ray player. That being said, the restored versions of Godfather and Godfather II are outstanding. I noticed a remarkable difference in the picture compared to the standard DVDs. The biggest difference I noticed was the subtlety of the lighting throughout both movies. The sound has also been greatly enhanced. You're able to hear a lot of background sound that previously was muttled. Ten years ago I had the priviledge of seeing both movies at a movie theater - first time for me. The restored versions in Blu-ray are just as impressive. For all fans of the Godfather films, this set is a must have addition to your collection.

Dear Mr Coppola You Restoration idea is crap. It is an apology for a terrible DVD release. AND WHERE IS THE THE COMPLETE EPIC?????? The chronological one??? With ALL THE OUTTAKES!!!. This Version in many of our minds is the finest film. Do hand any damn excuses. Consumers: DON"T BUY this totally incomplete box set. I have the VHS set of THE COMPLETE EPIC it's only weaknesses are VHS resolution and 4:3 aspect ratio. I am Making a BLURAY copy. Everyone with this version should do the same to preserve it before Coppola deep sixes his best version like he did with Abel Gance's Napoleon with his father's score. I believe in paying for a product BUT HOW MANY TIMES AM I GOING TO GET RAPED PAYING FOR INCOMPLETE AND INFERIOR PRODUCT? WAKE UP FRANCIS. Whattza matta you?

I have been an avid fan of the collection of masterpieces that in it's whole is known as "The Godfather Collection." Recent advances in technology in the film industry, that are capable of enhancing the film's look, sound and overall quality are here. Blu-Ray format is perfect for the job. I have the utmost trust in these skilled men to bring the film into the 21st Century. May I offer a suggestion during the restoration, to allow some editing and splicing of the film to allow the film to follow it's chronological order. Purists may argue it's desecration of the original. It has been sold in VHS form already...perhaps a ltd. ed.

Here's the full press release, minus the disc specs which someone else has posted:

DIRECTOR FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA'S EPIC TRILOGY
DEBUTS ON DVD AND BLU-RAY IN ALL
NEWLY-REMASTERED VERSIONS

THE GODFATHER: THE COPPOLA RESTORATION

Cinematic Classics Return to their Original Pristine Glory with All-New Special Features

Must-Own Collections Arrive September 23, 2008

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (June 30, 2007) - More than three decades after they won the Academy Award® for Best Picture, director Francis Ford Coppola's classic films The Godfather and The Godfather, Part II will once again be enjoyed by audiences as they originally were meant to be seen, thanks to a meticulous restoration by Paramount Pictures, overseen by Coppola himself. On September 23, 2008, both fully restored films will debut on DVD and Blu-ray, along with a newly remastered version of The Godfather Part III, to be included as part of The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration Collection. All three films will be available individually or in a five-DVD collection or four-disc Blu-ray collection, which are loaded with a host of all-new special features.

The Godfather and The Godfather, Part II underwent extensive frame-by-frame examination and restoration utilizing state-of-the-art digital technology in this historic preservation effort, which required more than a year to complete. Robert A. Harris of the Film Preserve supervised the restoration under the direction of Coppola and cinematographer, Gordon Willis. Harris' restoration credits include Lawrence of Arabia, Spartacus, Vertigo and Rear Window among others.

The new special features created by Kim Aubry, founder of Zoetrope Aubry Productions, explores the complexities of the restoration process and provides new insights and perspectives about how the film almost didn't come to pass as we know it. The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't relates the unlikely events, intrigue, allegiances and luck that put together the unknown director with the "unwanted" cast and contains interviews with most of the living players and many of the film' admirers. Other featurettes include ...when the shooting stopped and Godfather World, which take a look at The Godfather's influence on popular culture today. Each film includes a commentary by Coppola.

THE GODFATHER: The Coppola Restoration Blu-ray Collection

THE GODFATHER: The Coppola Restoration Blu-ray four-disc set is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Mono (except The Godfather: Part III) and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.

Yes, to have all three movies restored for Blu-ray release is fantastic, but die-hard Godfather fans are longing for a chronological release with ALL the extra scenes found in the Saga (1977), Epic (1981) and Trilogy (1992). There are so many enjoyable and important scenes left out of the original movies. The scenes of Sonny taking control after the Don is shot is invaluable. After Connie's wedding, the Don & his sons visit the dying Genco in the hospital. The scene in Part II of Don Fanucci singing a Sicilian song and later trying to fix up Vito with one of his daughters. There are too many to mention here, but having the movies in chronological order with all the deleted scenes would the ultimate Godfather collection. Please Mr. Coppola, give us this special set!

I have been waiting for "The Complete Epic 1902-1959" to be released on DVD for years. And now I want it on Blu-Ray. This isn't it. I'm talking about the 1981 VHS release of the first two films combined into one, in chronological order with additional scenes. Godfather II, as everyone knows, contains flashbacks which don't necessarily add to the narrative. Tell the story in the order it takes place, throw in some lost footage, and add the third film to that, and we have an awesome epic film that isn't interrupted by 3 sets of opening and closing credits, telling one continuous epic story... 1902-1979.

This release has its place for purists, but I want the saga edition.

The wait will soon be over Godfather fans!!! These classic movies are finally getting the restoration they deserve thanks to Francis Ford Coppola and Paramount Blu Ray!!! After all 2 of these films(Godfather and Godfather Part II won the Best Picture Oscar for the years 1972 and 1974!!! Looks likes it's going to be done right this time(not saying that the 5 DVD set was bad thing,I own that release too,but this Blu ray set is supposed to be TOTAL RESTORATION of these films baby,the icing on the cake!!! Four discs(3 for the movies,and 1 disc for the extras!)This is what us fans have been waiting for!!! Two thumbs up!!! way up! PS,Hopefully "Apocalypse Now" will get the Blu Ray treatment it deserves in the not to distant future,guess they want too see how this release does! My only quibble is not include the "Complete Epic" version as well(as other reviewers have stated),because Blu Ray Dics have tons of space which could allow this to be done,it it would be a true treat for us fans,but it seems that for now the remastered movies + extras is what's going to be on this set!!! Still it's five stars anyway!!! A+

I was a little disappointed when I bought the DVD box set, and found that the horse head section was not rearranged with the cut scenes! They have them on the extra disc, but not in the movie. I saw it on cable once, and loved it! It made more sense with the killing of the race horse, not just to strong arm the studio head, but because of the abuse of the child star! I really hope they add this option to the Blurays, like they did with all the versions of the Blade Runner movie!

I cannot say enough about the power of these three movies. The acting and all the other movie things that make a movie superb are here. I rank these as my number 1, 2 and 3 favorite movies and can easily talk anyone into watching them and appreciating them with me. At first I didn't want to watch them but my ex was a fan and later I became one too. INCREDIBLE!

Okay, so finally it looks like it will be there in a bit more two months! Let's hope the material it's worthy of blu-ray... because all DVD/Divx streams I came across so far were between horrible and average. For all of ous too young to have witnessed these movies on the big screen (or at least the first two), this will certainly be an entertaining experience!

Now, why the hell it's only region A (or 1, whatever you want to call it, US and Canada only)??? Will it take another year for Paramount to issue a Worldwide/Europe version perhaps, and that one will have missing chapters or messed up disc structure?
God, I really hate those guys and I wish I understood what goes on in their tiny brains...

Don't be fooled Godfather fans.... forget all the bells and whistles bluray has to offer, not until bluray gets it right and includes all the edited scenes and bunches it in chronological order, will you get the best Godfather experience. So, sit back, dust off that old laserdisc player, if you decided to keep it. and brag to your bluray buddies, that this is the only Godfather edition to watch.

I caught the HBO HD versions of all three movies. I'm assuming that the HD versions are the exact same as the upcoming releases (if not better).


The HD versions were very nice. The first two movies were grainy in some parts, for instance, during Michael's trial before the commission.

I think it is too difficult to perfectly transfer 35mm film to a digital format. I think they did a tremendous job with the HBO HD versions and I hope the Blu Ray ones will be better visually. I already know the sound tranfers will be great.

I can hear the opening trumpet now in TrueHD.

The DVD release of "The Godfather" was an abysmal disappointment. After all those years of shoddy VHS viewings I was very excited about seeing these films in fully restored, DVD glory. So sad that didn't happen.

The first two films, on DVD, where often grainy, the color was washed out and there where still noticeable scratches from the film. For $80 you expect these classics to be better, much better. As well, the surround mix was pointless. Granted, the first film I believe was in Mono, the second two stereo, but still, re-mix? The sound was thin, the music tinny and the aural experience was just a disappointing as the visual. The scene with Sonny at the toll-booth should have exploded in the room, instead it barely felt like stereo. So lets home a new 5.1 or 7.1 lossless PCM has been added.

Older films have been restored to flawless perfection in the past. After all, extra-effects aside, the DVD restorations of films like "Star Wars" and "Alien" where amazing, and the Blu-Ray releases are something to look forward to.

So what of "The Godfather" on Blu-Ray? Well the title says "restoration" so one can only hope that they finally fixed what was wrong with the DVD collection. If they did then this will truly be an event for Blu-Ray.

The Blu-ray set will include all three films in 1080p with English Dolby and TrueHD soundtracks and commentary by Coppola; all three films have been fully remastered with all new HD transfers under the supervision of Coppola and input of DP Gordon Willis. The set will include four discs, three for the individual movies (50GB discs) and one for all new extras which are also in HD (the old extras that were available in the previous DVD set will be in SD).


Disc 1:
*The Godfather feature film
* Commentary by director Francis Ford Coppola

Disc 2:
* The Godfather, Part II feature film
* Commentary by director Francis Ford Coppola

Disc 3:
* The Godfather, Part III feature film
* Commentary by director Francis Ford Coppola

Disc 4:
* Godfather World (HD)
* The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't (HD)
* ... when the shooting stopped (HD)
* Emulsional Rescue-Revealing The Godfather (HD)
* The Godfather on the Red Carpet (HD)
* Four Short Films on The Godfather
o The Godfather vs. The Godfather, Part II (HD)
o Cannoli (HD)
o Riffing on the Riffing (HD)
o Clemenza (HD)
* The Family Tree
* Crime Organization Chart
* Connie and Carlo's Wedding Album
* Behind the Scenes
o The Godfather Family: A Look Inside
o On Location
o Francis Coppola's Notebook
o The Music of the Godfather
o Coppola & Puzo on Screenwriting
o Gordon Willis on Cinematography
o Storyboards from The Godfather, Part II
o Storyboards from The Godfather, Part III
o The Godfather Behind the Scenes 1971
* The Filmmakers
o Francis Ford Coppola
o Mario Puzo
o Gordon Willis
o Dean Tavoularis
o Nino Rota
o Carmine Coppola
* Additional Scenes
* Acclaim & Response
* Trailers (HD)
* Photo Gallery
* Rogues' Gallery