Rating: 
Summary: If there was ever an offer you couldn't refuse, it's 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!
Rating:
Summary: Like an old friend
Review: I write this having only seen The Godfather disk and the bonus material disk. And what a pleasure it was! My experience of this DVD brought back many of the feelings I recall from the theater viewings of 20 plus years ago, when I'd see both I and II in an afternoon. There are a lot of erudite musings in these reviews about the significance of The Godfather in the history of the late 20th Century. I was struck by how operatic the damn thing is, melodramatic, grand, sweeping. The tragic journey one takes in sitting through the movie is exhausting and strangly satisfying in a morbid way. I'm the first to complain about technical issues, and I have nothing but praise. You see now, finally, the entire image side to side as was intended by the film makers. The sound track is rich and revealing as so many digital renditions are nowadays. I don't understand complaints about picture quality and dark photography. You should have seen the abomination that was the laser disk! If anything, this video is pumped up slightly and more revealing in shadow detail that Gordon Willis originally gave us in the theatrical release prints. The image is clean and timed and telecined with love and care. The bonus material is fun and very revealing of the maestro's delightful and passionate nature. I had the pleasure of working with him on two pictures. He's a man who cares deeply and sincerely about his artistry. That spirit is evident in these disks.
Rating:
Summary: Masterpiece 10 stars * * * * * * * * * *
Review: What could I say about the Godfather movies? MASTERPIECE
I wore out my box VHS set so of course I bought the DVD's as soon as they came out. I think those $80 bucks were well spent. The Godfather trilogy should be viewed by everyone at least once in their lifetime. Its a piece of American Culture.
Brando, Pacino, DeNiro, Keaton, Duvall and Caan are amazing in The Godfather movies. Plus the other cast are great. The movie is about the Corleone Mafia family, their rise and movement, their involvement with other crime families in New York, their bussinesses etc. The movie is a classic and produces some of the most famous movie lines in the cinema history...
"I'll make him an offer he can't refuse" So dont refuse to make this great purchase, if you're a fan of mafia or any of the cast it is a must have, it makes a wonderful gift. In addition to the movies you'll get an extra disc with hours of extra features (p.s. click on the bunny and see The Sopranos watching The Godfather)
extra features include interviews with cast and directors, Copollas strive to make the movie, you can see Mario Puzo working on the scripts, and look at the Corleone family tree.
Rating:
Summary: A must have.
Review: Wether you are a Godfather fan or you saw it once (when it was released), you should own this set. I don't think I need to refer to the movie itself, because it has been much talked about and there are a lot of reviews on it, but instead explain the contents of the set. (This review is probably interesting for "The Godfather" fanatics who can't wait to have the box-set on their hands, but it can be helpful for those who wanted more info before they bought it.) *Disc 1 contains "The Godfather" with Marlon Brando on its cover.
*Discs 2 & 3 contain "The Godfather Part II" with Al Pacino on the front cover and Robert DeNiro on the second cover.
*Disc 4 obviously contains Part III with older Al Pacino on the cover.
*Disc 5 contains the bonus materials: (Francis Ford Coppola on the cover)
-Behind the scenes:
The Godfather Family: A Look Inside, On Location, F. Coppola's Notebook, The Music of the Godfather, Coppola and Puzo on Screenwriting, Gordon Willis on Cinematography, Storyboards from The Godfather Parts 2 & 3 and "The Godfather Behind The Scenes 1971".
-Additional Scenes/Chronology
-The Family Tree:
Character and Cast Biographies.
-Photo Galleries
-Theatrical Trailers
-Acclaim and Response:
Academy Award Acceptance Speeches, Lists of Awards and Nominations, 1974 Network TV Introduction and DVD Credits.
-Filmmaker Biographies. I hope this helps you get an idea of what comes with your set. The image quality is great and it has Dolby Digital 5.1. Great buy!
Rating:
Summary: You're Gonna Refuse This Offer? Fagetaboutit!
Review: "The Godfather DVD Collection" gives the greatest movies of all time the special treatment they deserve. The Godfather Complete Epic combined the first two films into one movie, with the action taking place in chronological order. In addition, some scenes that were originally edited out were put back in. I much prefer "The Godfather" and "The Godfather Part II" in their original versions, which is the way they appear in this DVD collection. Both movies won the Academy Award for best picture, which is an amazing achievement. In addition, "The Godfather Part III" was nominated for best picture. A partial cast list includes some of the greatest actors of all time: Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, Robert DeNiro, Robert Duvall, Talia Shire and Diane Keaton. What really sets the Godfather DVD Collection apart is the Bonus Materials disc. It includes a documentary on the making of the films, deleted scenes from all three movies, theatrical trailers and much more. I discovered a hidden bonus in a normally boring feature. In the section entitled "DVD Credits", I kept hitting next to fast forward past the extensive lists of names. After the last list, it takes you to a scene from the HBO series "The Sopranos." They're trying to watch a bootleg copy of the Godfather DVD! That's an extra surprise in a disc already packed with features.
Rating:
Summary: One Sweeping Epic.
Review: Probably the two best known trilogies in the history of cinema are the "Star Wars" trilogy and "The Godfather" trilogy. To look at all three films by Francis Ford Coppola is to look at three examples of great cinema, of great acting and composition. The first "Godfather" is a true masterpiece, full of so many characters and such a moving story. Marlon Brando is unforgettable in probably his best role. It's also a great parable on the son taking over for the father, of a bloody family tradition being passed down the generations. And the funny thing is, even the son who didn't want anything to do with the family business, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), is eventually the one who ends up commanding it. "The Godfather Part 2" is a brilliant look at both the father and son at the same age. Coppola shows us the rise of Michael as a ruthless mafia don and the ascendance of Don Vito from part 1 in the 20s as a crime boss as well. Coppola nicely balances both, and created a weird moving experience. The movie is elegantly mounted and goes out further than the first one, even takes us to Cuba where Michael flees the night of Castro's takeover. Everything from the sets, suits and music is rich. And the ending is haunting. "The Godfather Part 3" finalizes the saga as we see Michael as an old man, already tired of the violence and wants to legitimize his family. But the past is seductive, and Michael is pulled back in. This movie is rich in cinematography and music. It has a lot of style and great performances by Pacino and Andy Garcia as the trigger happy Vincent. The movie is haunting in it's own way, and exciting. It's great to watch this and connect it's threads with the other two. With part 3 "The Godfather" series ends on the right note. Every film in this collection is a masterpiece and Coppola's best work. It's an example of true cinema.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Movie of All Time with Some of the Best Extras
Review: The Godfather Part 1 - Arguably the greatest film of all time, this movie is undeniably a masterpeice.
The Godfather Part 2 - By far the best sequel of all time, this is a cinematic experience must be viewed by all who think they know movies.
The Godfather Part 3 - Considered by many to be a cash in, this is still an incredible movie in its own right. Say what you want about part 3, it is still a passable ending to the best film series of all time. Extras - Each disc comes with a comentary track by coppola, and some others. Best comentary ever, in my opinion. 5th disc contains hours of extras, several making of features, trailers, a interesting family tree, photo galleries, and much much more. Recomendation - although somewat pricey this set is a must own. Buy today!
Rating: 
Summary: Masterpieces Get No Restoration
Review: This crappy duplication of the original stock contains scratches, nicks, color washout and flickering, all problems that can be solved by frame by frame digitizing and restoration. They opted not to do one damn thing to create the lush, rich, colorful and remarkably sharp DVD experience, instead the quality is that of a brand new VHS on a good machine. As for sound, no DTS and the surround is nearly pointles, the shots of cars driving, rain, gun fights have no spatial or 3D sense. For nearly $25.00 per film we deserve more. Don't let hte fancy packaging fool you, after seeing what they can do with Star Wars or The Evil Dead I expected at least as much from this, at least the light flickering to be gone. I am gravely disapointed as I love these films.
Rating:
Summary: Mixed messages
Review: I'm not sure there has ever been a good "gangster" movie, these films included. Why? Because gangster movies are more focused on nothing but glorifying crime and the criminal lifestyle, and that's dangerous. So while the "Godfather" films sit at or near the top of many a crtic's "favorite movie" lists, I encourage you to think about what you're watching. As for the movies themselves, they're nothing special.
Rating:
Summary: This is a review of part one.
Review: O.K, before you look at the score I gave this and go scrolling down to the next hight flyer, give me a chance, and hear me out.
I am a huge movie fan. Any type of movie I generally enjoy. (Of course modern hollywood get's a little tedious).
Anyway I had heard so mucha bout the Godfather (As had anyone else) that when I finally got a hold of the first one I couldn't wait to jam it in.
Now I've seen Apocolypse Now and quite frankly I think it's amazing. Despite the fact that I feel the end is something to be desired, I still love the movie and can see why Copella is so highly acclaimed.
But let's face it people, the Godfather is tedious and boring.
Now for all I know I will watch it again, change my mind and forever regret writing this, but not yet.
I thought it was too long and slow, Al Pacino was highly over-rated as always (Don't get me wrong I still like him) and the film didn't really go anywhere.
The only reason that I can imagine people falling to there knees over it, is that it's a film about the mafia. Since it was on eof the first that really took the whole thing seriously people enjoyed it because they thought that what they were watching was real.
I don't know.
I asked someone recently why they thought it was the best film ever made and he couldn't say. It looked to me like he was repeating his fathers words, as I'm sure so many others are.
Basically, I don't want to put you off it, I f you like it, and you know you like it then by all means buy it. But you have to admit it's over rated.
The best film ever made? Come on people, Reservoir Dogs strangles this film and Pulp Fiction kills it.
It's boring and you know it. But if you can sit through nice cinematography for hours on end, time after time without anything happening, then feel free. P.S
Keep posted for when I see it again. You may see my stars racking up.
But probobaly not.
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