Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #87 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-09-23
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Format: NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 4
• Running time: 549 minutes

Customer Reviews

Time to give The Corleone Family a proper chronology
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.

Paramount Press Release on the Restoration Process
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.

Long overdue - but what about the Saga/Epic/Trilogy???
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!