The Godfather Collection (The Godfather / The Godfather: Part II / The Godfather: Part III)

After my yearly view of these films and 6 months after buying the re-release James Bond collection it has become obvious to me that it can't be too long before a new edition of these movies comes out. The picture on all 3 Godfather movies (in this release) is so full of specks and the sound so limited, it's hard to believe Paramount won't do something about them soon. The new Bond release shows the technology is there for something so much better. About the movies themeselves, every time I watch #I, I always come up saying that has to be the best movie of all time. I don't care all that much about the Miami section of #II but when the last hour of that film comes up and Michael tells Fredo "he's not a brother, he's not a friend" and then "forgives him" at the funeral (while giving Neri the not so forgiving look) well, I'm just not so sure which ones is the best. #III is obviously not in the same league as the other II. It has plenty of sublime moments but: a) If not Winona Ryder, why did it have to be Sofia ? Why couldn't Coppola face the truth while watching the dailies ? b) Why cut Tom Hagen, my single favorite character of the first 2 movies ? c) Who can buy Michael's son going from law student to established opera singer in about 2 weeks ? Andy Garcia may be best thing in this movie but as good an actor as he is he can't possibly convince you it hurts him to dump his cousin or, for that matter, dump Bridget Fonda for his cousin. Still, the opera ending is phenomenal and Sofia's death scene incredibly powerful (thanks to Pacino, obviously). Michael Corleone's confession as well as his death scene are two of my favorite moments of the series so I can not consider #III a total waste. Motion picture history as a whole wouldn't be the same without the Corleones and forgive me for not including any "offer that can not be refused" in this review.

Francis Ford Coppola and Paramount Home Entertainment held a press conference and street fair in Brooklyn, and yours truly was there! The exciting news, of course, was announcing the release of THE GODFATHER DVD COLLECTION on October 9, 2001! If the preview of the set is any indication, then I must say this will be the crown jewel in any DVD collection! The three films will only be released together in this set. The Godfather and The Godfather Part III will each be on one disc, and The Godfather Part II will take two discs. The first of the good news? Francis Coppola has recorded full-lenth audio commentaries for all three films! But wait, there's a fifth disc that will blow your socks off! Check this out -- the bonus disc contains 3+ hours worth of special features, including: > "The Godfather Family: A Look Inside" documentary > "Francis Coppola's Notebook", an inside look at taking the book to screen! > "On Location" with production designer Dean Tavoularis! > "The Godfather Behind The Scenes" 1971 featurette! > "The Cinematography of The Godfather"! > "The Music of The Godfather" -- two featurettes! > "Coppola and Puzo on Screenwriting"! > Storyboards from GF2 and GF3! > "The Corleone Family Tree" character and cast bios! > Academy Award® acceptance speeches! > Photo galleries with captions! > Theatrical trailers! > Filmmaker bios! > Corleone Family timeline, with real-life events mixed in! > Never-seen alternate opening of GF3! > And "all" of the extra footage found in the televised Godfather Saga! The picture quality looked fantastic -- Coppola's American Zoetrope did a wonderful job restoring the films! From what I could tell, the sound quality was perfect, and the on-screen menus looked great. And the DVD packaging looks very nice. All three films are in widescreen format with English 5.1 surround sound, French mono, and English subtitles. Perhaps the only "bad" news I heard was that there were no plans at this point to release the chronological version on DVD. Francis said that the films were meant to be seen with the flashbacks, and I tend to agree. The biggest plus of having The Godfather Trilogy or Epic on tape, or watching The Godfather Saga on TV, was all the extra footage included. Well, the bonus disc in The Godfather DVD Collection contains "all" of the extra footage, and even something we've never seen anywhere before: an alternate opening for The Godfather Part III. Francis didn't give a firm "no" though; he cited technical reasons for not being able to include all the extra footage on DVD: the different scenes are in various levels of production ("they weren't mixed and scored"), making it difficult to add them seemlessly with today's technology. Maybe, but they seemed to be okay in the boxed sets and on TV to me. Do yourself a favor and order the biggest DVD release of all time!

Set of dvd’s in excellent condition. New as advertised. Arrived quickly. Thank you!

This all time best Francis Ford Coppola's movie has simply dazzled all its viewers and won their admiration. From Iraq's unseated dictator Saddam Hussain to the average American Joe, all have named this movie as their all time favorite. Produced in the 1970s about a story whose settings take place in post World War II New York, Coppola skillfully transformed Mario Puzo's The Godfather into a successful movie with Hollywood giant Maron Brando and America's favorite Al Paccino playing the roles of a mafia leader and his younger son who took over family business after the father became too old to handle the business and the elder son who was slated to take over was shot dead in one of the mafia settling scores activity. The success of the movie made its producers release parts II and III. However, the first one of this sequel remains the jewel of The Godfather crown. Vast literature has been written about the anthropological and sociological manifestations of this movie. Two main themes, however, have found their ways to the forefront. First, the movie captures the mood during 1970s America during which most communities where abandoning civil rights movements in favor of promoting retrieving their different community character and the Italian-American community was no exception. Second, the movie has been often compared to the rise and fall of dictatorships around the world especially in Syria where the life of its late dictator Hafez Assad looks almost identical to The Godfather. Assad was grooming his elder son, Bassel, was killed in a car accident. This forced Assad to groom his second son, Bashar, who was not into his family's business but was later forced to succeed his father. In both the Godfather and Syria, things eventually slip from the hands of the second generation and become more difficult for the successors to keep things as they were during the days of their fathers. The movie is a classic and is certainly a movie collector's item.

Gave this to our friends who said this set is almost impossible to find. Is It? I found it on Amazon, so don't think it is so hard to find. Glad they had it. Made my Christmas shopping a lot easier!

This breathtaking classic of American film-making frames Francis Ford Coppola as one of the all-time great cinematic craftsmen. Having inexplicablyl missed out on this piece of Americana at the time of its popularity, this reviewer bought the three-film set in time to finish it just after his fiftieth birthday. It was worth the wait. This epic saga of a mob family that cannot escape the burden of honor no matter how hard it tries (or, at times, fails to try) does not glorify gangsters or their ways. To the contrary, we grow to pity Michael Corleone for the centuries-old Sicilian trap into which he has unwittingly fallen. Along the way, gorgeous cinematography delights both eye and ear even as it saddens the soul. The Corleone family, and Michael in particular, passes through the various autumns of their fate en route to the ignoble demise of Il Padrino in his sunlit chair. He is old, bereft, and apparently forgotten. It is a quite splendid sadness that this trilogy leaves in its majestic wake. Evil is not so much a roaring lion as the end game of a thousand small decision, any one of which might have changed the game. Alas, none did. With inexorable, unforgiving and unforgiven beauty, autumn begets winter.

Upon purusing the various five star reviews, my four out of five star rating my stick out to you like a sore thumb. Well, I did this for two reasons: 1)The Bonus features, while nice, are missing one essential element: the actors' thoughts. You hear a lot of stuff from director Francis Ford Coppola. But also, you hear way too much stuff from the producer, Mario Puzzo, etc. These guys say way too much. Francis Ford Coppola gets his due in the one documentry and comentary on all three movies. I really enjoy what he had to say about his classic trilogy. But I need to hear more from the actors. While they do get some words in, we just don't hear nearly enough from them. Sadly, Marlon Brando doesn't even appear on the bonus disc. And guys like Al Pacino, Robert DiNero, Robert Duvall, James Caan, Andy Garcia, and the guy who played Fredo (sorry, but I can't remember his name), need their own actors' documentry and actors' comentaries on the movies that they appear in. 2) Now don't get me wrong, I adore the Godfather Part III. But it has one fatal flaw. And that is god-awful acting by Sophia Ford Coppola. The preformances by Pacino and Garcia are to be regarded with the highest honors, but this is heavily marred by Sophia Ford Coppola. It seems to me like Francis Ford coppola's only flaw in directing is his nepotism. If he would have been fair and had casted a better actress for the part, then the Godfather III would be as respected as the other two. That being said, I love the Godfather trilogy. Everyone I know loves it just as much. Even if you are not a movie buff, I can pretty much guarentee that you'll like the Godfather Saga. Now, I offer a brief overview of the three films: 1) Ah, yes the ledgendary first installment of the Godfather Saga. Many ledgendary scenes that are now parodied, respected, well known, and imitated come from this movie. Marlon Brando delivers the best preformence of his very famous career. Duvall's preformence as Tom Hagen is also one of my favorites. 2) The second installment is the perfect sequel. There's no doubt about it. This installment compliments the first part so well, that I believe that it is greater than the first. Al Pacino and Robert DiNero deliver great preformences, in my opinion the best of there careers. 3) Overlooked in many ways, the final installment is a classic ending. Aside from the flawed acting of Sophia Ford Coppola, the thrid part offers a Shakespearian tragic ending, much like the first two. Andy Garcia should have won an oscar for his preformence. As a final word, if you are like me and highly admire the Godfather Saga, then read Macievelli's The Prince. It'll go nicely with the Godfather.

I had never seen in my over 40 years but had hear a lot about and many quoits I never got until now