The Godfather Trilogy: The Coppola Restoration
Starring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Marlon Brando, and James Caan
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Rated R
Appropriate for ages 17+
Available September 23, 2008 on DVD and Blu-ray Disc
The year was 1972 and two very important thing happened: I was born (yes, I am a legend in my own mind) and The Godfather hit theaters and changed the movie world. The first time I watched the Godfather films was on VHS while in high school. Like much of the world, I was truly blown away and didn’t know that it could look and sound better. Then came the DVD collection, and those of us that missed the films in theaters were able to see the movies almost like they were meant to be seen. But after 36 years, the film negatives were damaged and flawed and a serious restoration had to occur in order to get the movie looking like it first did in 72. This new collection showcases those efforts to restore the film and their efforts were not in vain. The look and sound of the film are now flawless, and according to one of the documentaries in the set, this new restoration might be better. All I know is that this new set provides 10 hours of pure heaven for movie lovers (while the third film is flawed, it still caps off the trilogy nicely). The special extras include three insightful commentaries and many short documentaries. The must watch extra is the featurette The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn’t, which shows how close we got to not having The Godfather at all. Movies: A+ Extras: A-