Blu-Ray Review:
The Godfather Collection
By Jason Gillard
*Screenshots are not from the Blu-Ray source.
Movie
There isn't a lot left that can be said about these films. Numerous awards, currently #2 on IMDB.COM, in the top 5 of AFI's 100 years of 100 movies, and so the list goes on. I am sort of embarrassed to say that I had not seen any of these films before. I always said that I would go out and rent them and never did. So hearing that Francis Ford Coppola was working on a new collection of these films forBlu -ray I jumped at the chance to review them. For those of you like me who were hiding under a rock all these years I will give you a little plot synopsis of the first movie "The Godfather". The followingsynopsis was written by Charlie Ness found on IMDB.com. The story begins as "Don" Vito Corleone, the head of a New York Mafia "family", oversees his daughter's wedding. His beloved son Michael has just come home from the war, but does not intend to become part of his father's business. Through Michael's life the nature of the family business becomes clear. The business of the family is just like the head of the family, kind and benevolent to those who give respect, but given to ruthless violence whenever anything stands against the good of the family. Don Vito lives his life in the way of the old country, but times are changing and some don't want to follow the old ways and look out for community and "family". An up and coming rival of the Corleone family wants to start selling drugs in New York, and needs the Don's influence to further his plan. The clash of the Don's fading old world values and the new ways will demand a terrible price, especially from Michael, all for the sake of the family.
The first film is the one that is the most highly regarded. I absolutely enjoyed all 3 films! It's fascinating to watch these mob families in action. Plus there is some great work by up and coming stars at the time, like Al Pacino, RobertDuvall, James Caan . The movie's are all masterpieces and should be required viewing for pretty much anyone who is a fan of mobster movies and film in general.
10 out of 10
Video
Francis Ford Coppola and his Zoetrope Studios have gone above and beyond with a transfer called the "Coppola Restoration". All of the films are newly restored, and remastered for High Definition. The transfer is nothing short of astounding. Now you should not be expecting something like the Transformers transfer. When Coppola and his director of photography Gordon Willis set out to make these films they were going after a specific look, and grain and colour were part of that look. So these transfers have been restored to look like they did opening night in 1972. They actually created new prints from the original negatives and restored it frame by frame. It took them over a year to complete this restoration and it really shows. The blacks are perfect and there is very little blemishes left on the print. Grain is present but it's there on purpose. The colours also have a golden hue to them which is again on purpose, so there isn't a lot of vibrant colour. The one colour that does show up is the crimson red of blood. There is an extra that details the restoration process so be sure to check it out. If you are looking for the absolute best version of these films you will find here in the Godfather Collection.
10 out of 10
Audio
In 2001 Coppola supervised a new 5.1 track for the DVD release. The new Dolby TrueHD 5.1 adds extra oomph and clarity but don't expect the latest in surround sound, but the audio track is clean and clear. The dialogue is crisp and clear and is an upgrade to the previous release which was supposed to have a tinny quality to the dialogue track. In terms of sound the final film is the best sounding of the three because since it was newer, better techniques in sound production were utilized.
8 out of 10
Extras
Here is what you get in the way of extras:
| • Commentary: Commentary by Francis Ford Coppola (original 2001 commentary - legally cleared) |
| • Other: Godfather World HD |
| • Other: The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't HD |
| • Other: When The Shooting Stopped HD |
| • Other: Emulsional Rescue - Revealing the Godfather HD |
| • Other: The Godfather on the Red Carpet HD |
| • Other: Four Short Film on the Godfather: |
| • Other: The Family Tree (menus) |
| • Other: Crime Organization Chart (menus) |
| • Other: Connie and Carlo's Wedding Album (menus) |
| • Easter Eggs: Costra Nostra & Coppola HD |
| • Other: 2001 DVD Archive: |
| • Other: Behind the Scenes (Audio Over Behind The Scenes Menu 5:00): |
| • Other: The Godfather Family: A Look Inside |
| • Other: On Location |
| • Other: Francis Coppola's Notebook |
| • Other: Music of the Godfather: |
| • Other: Carmine Coppola |
| • Other: Nino Rota |
| • Other: Coppola & Puzo on Screenwriting |
| • Other: Gordon Willis on Cinematography |
| • Other: Storyboards - The Godfather Part II (menus) |
| • Other: Storyboards - The Godfather Part III |
| • Other: The Godfather Behind The Scenes 1971 |
| • Other: The Filmmakers |
| • Additional Scenes: Additional Scenes |
| • Other: Galleries |
| • Other: Acclaim & Response |
| • Trailers: Trailers |
| • Other: Photo Gallery |
| • Other: Rogues' Gallery |
As you can see there is a lot. You get everything from the 2001 release, plus some new extras that have been made specifically for this set. For me one of my favorite extras was "Revealing the Godfather". This extra is all about the restoration process and what was involved. For me this is fascinating stuff. Plus it's inHD which is a bonus. I also liked "The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't. This is fascinating look into how Coppola had to convince the studio to let him make this epic film. There are interviews with many people including Steven Spielberg. It's a really well done documentary and in my opinion a must watch. I also really liked the "Godfather Family." This 75 minute documentary is a look at the making of all 3 films and is an excellent watch as well. All in all if you're a fan of these films you're going to be happy with these extras.
9 out of 10
Overall
This is a very impressive set. If you're a fan of these films you have to buy this set! It is very well done with a fantastic transfer and great supplements.
9.5 out of 10
Highly Recommended