Rating: 
Summary: Probably the best box set in the world!
Review: This is probably the best box set in the world!! No kidding, if it hadn't Godfather Part 3, it would be!!Seriously, why did Mr Coppola feel the need to write a third part to what is widely regarded as the first and arguably the best sequel in motion picture history. he left out so many characters, most notebly Tom Hagen, Rocco Lapone, and instead all we get is nearly three hours of Al Pachino, trying very badly to copy Marlon Brando's raspy voice in the first, why, please, why???? However, that aside, Mr Coppola has decided to put his masterpiece, and it is a masterpiece, in chronological order, from the first time we are introduced to Vito Andolini (Godfather Part 2) walking along with the rest of his family to the funeral of his brother, to seeing him as a young man growing and struggling to look after his family in New York, to seeing as an old wisend "Godfather" to his family, friends and business associates. It intertwines pieces from parts 1 and 2 perfectly, all until the death of Fredo ( hey, he deserved it) where we are forced to sit through the so-called Tragedy of Michael Corleone, believe me, watching part 3 is a tragedy!! Also included in this masterpiece is a superb 25 page booklet that includes superb screen-shots with script inserts by Mr Coppola and Mr Puzo (respect to both), the history of The godfather family,l, from when young Vito enters America until the death of Michael Corleone and Vincent Mancini being crowned as The New Godfather. But the best part of this collection is the fourth cassette which shows some amazing screen tests of various actors playing the part of Michael Corleone, such as Robert De Niro(Yep, that's how he get's the part to play Vito, you'll find the whole story here) Martin Sheen, and watch the amazing transformation as Marlon Brando shoves cheese down the side of his cheeks,then proceeds to laugh, pure entertainment. All in all, a great value, a great watch(bar Part 3) and the extra scenes are also great. Buy it, or i'll make you an offer you can'y refuse!!
Rating: 
Summary: Godfather dvd collection
Review: this is the best collection of dvd's to own. you can't beat a dvd set with two of the best movie's ever included and the third godfather is very good too. a must have.
Rating:
Summary: A man who doesn't spend time with his family...
Review: This DVD collection is excellent and well worth the (too) long of a wait. The DVDs are just great!! The transfers are crystal clear and very sharp on parts 1+2. The third feature has some minor discoloring What can I say about the Corleone saga. As I watched these films, (particularly the first film), I found myself saying many of the lines along with the actors. If anyone was watching them with me they probably would have thought I was nuts. I never really thought that they had become that much a part of me until now...For the record, although Part III is the weakest entry, it still has some strong points. The performances from Al Pacino and Andy Garcia are top notch and its production value is first rate As for the commentaries and Bonus Disc features--Coppala's comments seem almost wistful at times with an occaisonal egocentricity thrown in for good measure. If you are a fan of the saga many of the deleted scenes will be familiar to you. However, there was footage that even I had not seen before. It was the same with the behind the scenes material It is great to have it all in one place though...FINALLY!! The late author of the epic, Mario Puzo, tells some facinating stories that will have people buzzing This set is a must have!!
Rating:
Summary: Worth Considering for the extras
Review: Sure, the Godfather I and II are naturals for any collections. Does that mean that you should purchase this 5 disc collection? - that depends. While I haven't gone through all five disks yet this is what I can share with those of you who are considering purchasing the collection. Francis Ford Coppola's commentary on the first two films is terrific - both interesting and entertaining. He discusses his troubles with studio execs and scene by scene mentions many interesting and revealing points. For example, the L.A. scenes in the movie were all second units and not done with the principal actors. The cat in Marlon Brando's lap in the opening scene was improv. Some scenes during the Wedding that look like bright sunshine were actually shot at night because studio "watchers" had told Coppola that he needed to stop shooting that day. The scene where Luca Brasi (Lenny Montana) is rehearsing the lines of thanks for being invited to the wedding ... was done after Lenny could not say the lines well in front of Marlon Brando. So they put the scene where Luca is rehearsing the lines so that we are in on the fact that Brasi is nervous. ... (and on and on). The print is good but not great. I have no idea why a studio like Paramount could not clean up the spots/grain on the film better a la Rear Window. Probably just another opportunity to release a better version down the road and make some more money off this thing. Extras are well listed here at ...(the website). But of special note is the "Up Close" or behind the scenes if you will. There you can witness the improv of Coppola with some pretty young actors at the time .. Pacino, Duval, Caan etc. Hope this helps ...
Rating:
Summary: Excellent DVD Set
Review: Everyone pretty much knows these movies before they're buying them so I don't have to get too critical about the stories. We all know they are up there in the history of film. Did the DVD's rank up there as well though? YES. First of all, I owned the VHS copies of these movies. The DVD's as you can imagine provide excellent visual clarity and sharp colors in the picture. That in itself is a reason to buy these DVD's even if you own them in VHS. The picture quality IS that much better. For those who have a sound system, the 5.1 audio tracks are very welcome. The sound distribution was decent, but at times scant in terms of surround sound. That's not a fault of the sound mix, but more of the movie's quiet, dark tone. There aren't whirling bullets or massive explosions left and right to employ every channel, every scene to its maximum. Nonetheless when it has to, all 5 channels are used efficiently. The main disc people will be hungering for will be Disc 5. The whole thing is just bonus features. The documentaries, featurettes, historical/rehearsal footage, etc... are all abundant and appropriate. This is unlike other DVD's that cram itself with useless features that provide no insight into the film's making or history. Every feature in here provides something new and interesting for the Godfather buff. Now, some may be redundant such as the deleted scenes that were edited into the movie when they aired the Godfather Saga chronologically. Nonetheless, it's a gem to have them all here isolated. Lastly, the commentaries by Coppola are superb as anyone who has heard his commentaries before already knows. It's like he's sitting there on the couch with you and telling you little tidbits of the movie as you watch along. And the thing is, every word out of his mouth is economical. Nothing irrelevant or rambling is spoken. Another plus. Overall, Paramount has not let us down. This was well worth the wait and it met or exceeded my expectations on various levels. If you are a fan of the Godfather series, this is a must. Even if is just for that fifth disc of bonus features. Regardless, every disc in this set is a bonus. Well worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: American Masterpieces
Review: The first two Godfather movies are among a small handful of films that can truly be called cinematic classics. Everything from the acting to the directing to the writing to the musical scores are as close to perfection as you can get. Francis Ford Coppola's direction and writing are impeccable, but what he really showed was a brilliant eye for talent. Many of the stars of the Godfather movies are now household names, but at the time of the movies releases, were virtual unknowns. Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Robert DeNiro, Robert Duvall and James Caan turned in performances that catapulted them to A-list actors. Even legend Marlon Brando had career resurgence thanks to his cool and commanding performance as Don Vito Corleone. While Mr. Brando was the star of the first part, the real centerpiece of the movies is Mr. Pacino. His transformation of Michael from the bright-eyed, caring war hero to the cold, calculating and ruthless head of the family is the finest performance of his distinguished career. Robert DeNiro is amazing the young Vito Corleone in Part II and the fact that he does the part completely in Italian makes his performance all the more captivating. James Caan also gives a career performance as the fiery Sonny Corleone whose death scene is one of the most violent and rememberable of all time. All the actors hit the right notes and even the legendary acting teacher Lee Strassberg, who never appears in movies, shines in an Oscar nominated performance as Hyman Roth. The first two parts were released in 1972 and 1974 respectively and both won the best picture Oscars (Part II is the only sequel to do as such), Mr. Brando won for best actor in '72 (he famously refused the award), Mr. DeNiro won Best Supporting Actor in '74 and Mr. Coppola took home the best director award in '74. Part III was released in 1990, sixteen years after the second part and is an often maligned film. The film suffers mainly from the fact that it has to live up to the unreachably high standards the first two films set. It does suffer from bad casting as Mr. Coppola's daughter Sophia is in way over head in a pivotal role of Michael's daughter Mary, George Hamilton oozes too much smarm in his role and Joe Mantegna is lifeless as Joey Zaza. But in light of those poor performances, there are numerous others that shine including Andy Garcia as Vincent who is the illegitimate son of Sonny Corleone. Mr. Garcia exudes the fiery anger of Mr. Caan's character and his performance is a real star turner. Of course Mr. Pacino is still electric as Michael and Ms. Keaton is beautifully understated as his put upon wife Kay. Part III isn't as essential as the first two parts, but it is a better than average film and a nice coda to the series. In addition to the three films there is a bonus disk that has some great features including screen tests and a documentary on the making of the earlier films. The Godfather series has taken on almost mythical proportions and helped introduce the world of the mafia to mainstream America and this DVD collection does a magnificent job of presenting their overall brilliance to the home viewing experience.
Rating: 
Summary: Docking two stars for extortion...
Review: We're all adults. Shouldn't we be able to buy each Godfather film separately? Honestly, the set costs $... Do you really want Godfather III? Of course not, but you're essentially forced to buy it because you can't get the other two without buying the whole set. In the long run, we'll all buy the set anyway. But it just seems silly that you can't buy each film on its own. It's a raw deal unworthy of the best American movie ever made, the orginal "Godfather." It's the best because, simply put, it's more entertaining than "Citizen Kane." And it's better than Part II because it illustrates the dramatic change in Michael Corleone's character. That's what's at the heart of the original, and that makes it a fascinating character study in and of itself (on top of everything else, of course). Part II is, essentially, an exploration into Michael's descent into evil. But without that transformation of character, the film lags a bit over its gargantuan length. You tend to yearn for more of De Niro's scenes as the younger Don Corleone. Yet Part II is terminably watchable, as much so as its predecessor. As for Part III, it feels even more like it's been tacked on, unnecessarily, to the original. I'd rather have my own imagination to envision the string playing out for the entire Corleone family, and the inexplicable addition of George Hamilton to the film series makes the Part III even sillier. In the end, it's all about the first two films, and you shouldn't have to pay through the nose for an extra film you don't want. Shame, shame, shame.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed with the Box Set Packaging
Review: As a long-standing fan of the Godfather movies, I received my Region 1 copy in the UK last Saturday. However, after waiting so long for the release of the DVD Collection I was very disappointed with the packaging. The bonus materials are excellant, especially the clip of "The Sopranos" which can be found in the DVD credits. The packaging should have reflected the contents of this masterpiece in cinema history.
Rating: 
Summary: WARNING - SPLIT MOVIE
Review: just RETURNED the Godfather DVD set - I was absolutely disgusted that Paramount would put HALF a movie on one dic and HALF on another. The movie is 200 minutes - and can be placed on ONE disc. I consider the set DEFECTIVE and the advertisment on the Paramount web site showing 4 discs (including bonus disc) DECEPTIVE.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent set, but I'm a bit jaded...
Review: People know how outstanding the first two movies are. So like many, I bought the set the day they came out. I had extremely high hopes for the content of these discs, considering the first two films are hailed by many as two of the ten greatest movies ever made. But, then again, they were released by Paramount, the laziest DVD supplier in America. The features are good, the movies look beautiful and the sound is crystal clear... BUT... I have only a few minor complaints. The films don't come in snapcases; inside the marvelous looking black box are four cardboard inserts which contain the discs. Each of the discs are gold-plated except for the second disc to the Godfather Part II. WHY?? Any why is it on two discs? This is DVD. You CAN fit 3 1/2 hours onto one disc. And since all the extra features are on a seperate fourth disc, there is no excuse for this. Now, I've only watched the first Godfather and part of the second one, but I found something rather annoying during the first movie. It's really not THAT big of a deal, but if you're nuts for these movies, then it'll surely urk you. After Vito is shot, and Fredo screams "PAPA," it cuts to the next scene instead of fizzling into it. Why did Paramount do this? Like I said, it's really not that big of a deal, but it's enough to make fans of the films go, "Hmm... I wonder why that happened." This makes me a little nervous to watch the other two films, for fear of what other little changes Paramount has made to them. I'm very happy with them, because, well... they're the Godfather movies. And even if it is only 1:85 widescreen, the difference is HUGE when compared to fullscreen. All complaints aside, this set is definitely worth what they're charging (an arm and a leg).
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