Tag Archives: Francis Ford Coppola

The Godfather films individually on 4K in October

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“The Godfather” films, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, are getting individual 4K UHD Blu-ray releases in both standard (pictured above) and SteelBook forms on October 11th via Paramount Home Entertainment, according to retailers.  This includes “The Godfather“ (1972) and its sequels “The Godfather: Part II“ and “The Godfather: Coda – The Death of Michael Corleone“ (1990/2020).

The first film starred Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard S. Castellano, Robert Duvall, John Cazale, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Diane Keaton, Abe Vigoda, Talia Shire, and Al Martino.  The second film starred Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, John Cazale, Talia Shire, Bruno Kirby, Gastone Moschin, Michael V. Gazzo, Lee Strasberg, Gianni Russo, Joe Spinell, and Abe Vigoda.  The third film, recut in 2020 from the original version of “The Godfather: Part III” (1990), starred Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Andy Garcia, Talia Shire, Sofia Coppola, Briget Fonda, George Hamilton, Eli Wallach, Joe Mantegna, and Raf Vallone.

You can find the standard and SteelBook versions of the films all available for preorder now over at Amazon.  For the standard versions, just click their titles further above.  You can find the SteelBooks below with their Amazon preorder links for each.

The releases will each come in the form of just the 4K UHD Blu-ray disc and a digital code (copy) of the film.  No Blu-ray Disc counterparts will be included.  I repeat, no Blu-rays will be included with these releases.  The bonus materials will be only those included on the 4K discs.  I’ll be updating this post later with a full rundown of those contents for each film [disc].

Finally, there will NOT be an individual 4K UHD Blu-ray release of “The Godfather: Part III” but you can find that, as a bonus disc, in the previously released trilogy sets on the format.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula gets 4K anniversary SteelBook

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The 1992 film “Bram Stoker’s Dracula“ will be officially getting a “25th Anniversary Edition” 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook release on October 4th via Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.  The film, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starred Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, and Keanu Reeves.

This new 4K SteelBook release will feature some new extras as well as Dolby Vision for the first time, unlike the previous [debut] 2017 4K UHD Blu-ray release.  That being said, tech specs for the release include a 2160p video presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 and Dolby Vision forms of high dynamic range along with Dolby Atmos as well as DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo lossless sound mixes.  It will come in the form of a “combo pack” with its Blu-ray Disc counterpart along with a digital code (copy) of the film.

UPDATE:  You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook available for preorder over at Amazon.

The bonus materials, including some new and exclusive to this 25th-anniversary edition 4K release are listed below.

  • Special Features:
    • NEWLY ADDED: “Love Song For A Vampire” Music Video by Annie Lennox
    • NEWLY ADDED: Blood Lines – Dracula: The Man, The Myth, The Movies Featurette

BLU-RAY DISC™

    • Audio Commentary featuring Director Francis Ford Coppola
    • Audio Commentary featuring Director Francis Ford Coppola, Visual Effects Director Roman Coppola and Makeup Supervisor Greg Cannom
    • Introduction by Francis Ford Coppola
    • Reflections in Blood: Francis Ford Coppola and Bram Stoker’s Dracula
    • Practical Magicians: A Collaboration Between Father and Son
    • The Blood Is the Life: The Making of Bram Stoker’s Dracula
    • The Costumes Are the Sets: The Design of Eiko Ishioka
    • In-Camera: Naïve Visual Effects
    • Method and Madness: Visualizing Dracula
    • Deleted & Extended Scenes
    • Theatrical Teaser & Trailer

Further below, after the break, you can find the full announcement about this upcoming new 4K release of the film.

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The Godfather Trilogy officially comes to 4K in March

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Francis Ford Coppola‘s “The Godfather Trilogy” is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray finally in both a standard release and a “Limited Collector’s Edition” on March 22nd via Paramount Home Entertainment.  This includes the following three films, making up the trilogy:

  • “The Godfather” (1972)
  • “The Godfather: Part II” (1974)
  • “The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone“ (1990)

UPDATED: The standard 4K and Limited Collector’s Edition will both come in a 5-disc set will four 4K discs and one Blu-ray, with two housing “bonus materials” — including the “Director’s Cut” and 1990 Theatrical versions of “The Godfather: Part III” (1990) in 4K.  Those two versions are EXCLUSIVE to the 4K sets. You do NOT get those versions with the standard Blu-ray set also being released.  Sorry for any confusion.  I just confirmed this via emailed with Paramount.  Each version will include “The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone” for the third film, the new edit done by Coppola and released in 2020.  That limited edition set (pictured below) will also include some physical extras that you’ll see below.  Those include:

“deluxe packaging and includes a hardcover coffee table book featuring stunning photographs, as well as portrait art prints on archival paper.”

The films all have received a new 4K restoration and remaster, as noted below.

“All three films in the epic trilogy have been meticulously restored under the direction of Coppola”

“Newly restored and remastered in Dolby Vision, all three films in the landmark trilogy will be released together with HDR-10 on 4K Ultra HD Digital and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray™ for the first time ever.”

The tech specs for the 4K UHD Blu-ray (both versions of the trilogy) include a 2160p video presentation in the original aspect ratios with HDR10 and Dolby Vision forms of high dynamic range and with lossless 5.1 surround sound.  UPDATE: The audio here will be presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless surround sound as well as restored Mono and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround according to my source at the studio.

You can find the 4K UHD Blu-ray standard trilogy and the Ultimate Collector’s Edition on 4K both available for preorder over at Amazon.

The trilogy (in both versions on 4K) will come with digital codes (copies) of the film.  There also will be loads of new extras exclusive to this new 4K release of the trilogy.  Those are listed below.

“Both 4K Ultra HD sets include new bonus content including an introduction to The Godfather by Coppola, a featurette about the preservation process, photos by acclaimed photographer Steve Schapiro, home movie footage, and comparisons of the new restoration to earlier versions of the films.  A full list of new and legacy bonus content follows:”

NEW BONUS CONTENT:

  • Introduction to The Godfather by Francis Ford Coppola
  • Full Circle: Preserving The Godfather—Paramount Pictures archivists detail the incredible restoration process with archival footage showing the evolution of the film through various home entertainment incarnations as picture and audio technologies make quantum leaps over the decades.
  • Capturing the Corleones: Through the Lens of Photographer Steve Schapiro— In this reflective and frank discussion, special photographer Steve Schapiro shares his unique perspective and cherished memories as a witness to the making of this seminal film.  Commentary on curated archival images makes for a fascinating, never-before-seen addition to the production’s history.
  • The Godfather: Home Movies— An assortment of 8mm home movie footage shot in 1971 offers a candid glimpse into the production of The Godfather.  Shot on location at the Norton family estate on Staten Island’s Emerson Hill, this is the first time it’s been made available to the public.
  • Restoration Comparisons— Before and after highlights showcase extensive picture quality improvements to The Godfather.

LEGACY BONUS CONTENT:

  • The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn’t
  • Godfather World
  • Emulsional Rescue — Revealing The Godfather …when the shooting stopped
  • The Godfather on the Red Carpet
  • Four Short Films on The Godfather
    • The Godfather vs. The Godfather: Part II
    • Cannoli
    • Riffing on the Riffing
    • Clemenza
  • The Family Tree
  • Crime Organization Chart
  • Connie and Carlo’s Wedding Album
  • 2008 Credits
  • Behind the Scenes
    • A Look Inside
    • On Location
    • Francis Ford Coppola’s Notebook
    • Music of The Godfather
  • Nino Rota
  • Carmine Coppola
    • Coppola & Puzo on Screenwriting
    • Gordon Willis on Cinematography
    • Storyboards – The Godfather: Part II
    • Storyboards – The Godfather: Part III
    • The Godfather Behind the Scenes 1971
  • Additional Scenes
  • Galleries
  • Trailers
  • Acclaim & Response
  • Additional Material
  • The Filmmakers
  • The Godfather: Part III—newly remastered and restored versions of the original theatrical cut and Coppola’s 1991 cut (note: these are exclusive to the 4K Ultra HD Collections)

Further below, after the break, you can find the trailer for the upcoming 4K release and the full announcement — hot off the press!!
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1983 film The Outsiders is coming to 4K in November

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The 1983 film “The Outsiders“ will officially be getting a 4K UHD Blu-ray release on November 9th, via Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (stateside) and Studiocanal (in the UK). The film, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, has received a new 4K restoration by his company American Zoetrope. This new 4K restoration includes a new extended version “The Outsiders: The Complete Novel” as well as the original theatrical cut — using the original camera negatives. Below you can find a quote by the filmmaker regarding this new cut of the movie.

Said Coppola, ‘“The Outsiders The Complete Novel’ came about after meeting students over the years who repeatedly asked me why certain scenes from S.E. Hinton’s wonderful book were missing from the theatrical version. These questions reminded about my inspiration for the film—in 1980, a contingent of 12- to 14-year-old students wrote and asked me to make it. I listened to those young fans back then, and I continue to listen to young people now and believe in their opinions, so this complete film version of the novel is for them.”

The film, based on the S.E. Hinton novel, starred C. Thomas Howell, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio, and Diane Lane. The tech specs for the 4K UHD Blu-ray release have not yet been fully detailed but it is known you can expect both versions of the film with HDR10, spanning across a 4-disc set. That being said, one would assume this will be a “combo pack” with a Blu-ray included of the film (perhaps one each for both cuts) and one just for bonus materials? That last bit has not yet been confirmed or detailed, so that’s just based on speculation of what will fill the 4 discs.

UPDATE: You can now find the artwork (pictured further above) and the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon and retailer Target.

It is known that a digital copy of the film will be included with the release. The bonus materials set to be included on the 4K release have already been detailed and are listed fully below.

  • NEW Restoration Interview with Cinematographer Stephen Burum, Zoetrope Head of Archives and Restorations James Mockoski and Colourist Gregg Garvin
  • NEW Deleted Scenes
  • NEW Francis Ford Coppola Introduction
  • NEW Francis Ford Coppola Anatomy of a Scene
  • NEW Old House New Home featurette
  • Audio Commentary with Francis Ford Coppola
  • Audio Commentary with Matt Dillon, C. Thomas Howell, Diane Lane, Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio and Patrick Swayze.
  • Staying Gold: A look Back at “The Outsiders”
  • S.E. Hinton on Location in Tulsa
  • The Casting of “The Outsiders”
  • NBC’s News Today from 1983 “The Outsiders Started by School Petition”, and
  • Deleted and Extended Scenes

In addition to this physical 4K release of the film, there will be a theatrical re-release as well as a debut on the streaming service HBO Max. Those international dates are listed below.

U.S. and International Release Dates:

NORTH AMERICA (Warner Bros.) – Theatrical September 26, Home Entertainment November 9, HBO Max November 16, TCM Fall 2021

UK HOME (STUDIOCANAL) – Theatrical TBC, Home Entertainment November 8

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND (STUDIOCANAL) – Home Entertainment November 10

GERMANY (STUDIOCANAL) – Home Entertainment November 11

Further below, after the break, you can find the full details about this upcoming re-release and the new cut of the film.

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The Kid Stays in the Picture comes to Blu-ray in February

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The 2002 documentary “The Kid Stays in the Picture” is coming to Blu-ray Disc on February 16th, 2021, via KL Studio Classics. The documentary, based on the autobiography by Robert Evans, was directed by Nanette Burstein and Brett Morgen, and it features a glimpse into the story of how the Actor turned Producer (Robert Evans) ended up running a major motion picture studio. The story is told via both modern and archival interviews with those such as Eddie Albert, Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo, William Castle, Arthur Hiller, Mia Farrow, Errol Flynn, Peter Bart, Steve McQueen, Jack Nicholson, Ava Gardner, and the late Robert Evans himself — to just name few. The tech specs for the Blu-ray include a 1080p HD presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with both 5.1 surround sound and 2.0 Stereo lossless sound — likely both in the DTS-HD Master Audio format — on a BD-50 disc. You can find the Blu-ray available to preorder over at Amazon. The bonus materials set to be included on the Blu-ray release are listed below.

  • Audio commentary by Directors Brett Morgan and Nanette Burstein
  • The Truth About Bob:
    • The Film That Saved Hollywood
    • The Kid Speaks
    • On The Red Carpet
    • Up Close With The Kid
    • The Spirit of Life Award
  • The Truth According to Others:
    • Showgirls on Evans
    • The Evans Gag Reel
    • On the Red Carpet
  • Theatrical Trailer

The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone Blu-ray

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The 1990 film “The Godfather: Part III” has been re-edited by director Francis Ford Coppola as “Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, CODA: The Death of Michael Corleone“ which is officially coming to Blu-ray Disc on December 8th via Paramount. The film, based on Mario Puzo‘s novel and screenplay co-written by Coppola, starred Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Andy Garcia, Talia Shire, Eli Wallach, Joe Mantegna, George Hamilton, Bridget Fonda, and Sofia Coppola. The tech specs for the Blu-ray have not yet been fully detailed but it is known that the film has received a new 4K scan and was remastered. Below you can find details about this release’s video and audio presentations, taken from the press release.

“‘Mario Puzo’s THE GODFATHER, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone’ is an acknowledgment of Mario’s and my preferred title and our original intentions for what became ‘The Godfather: Part III,’” said Coppola. “For this version of the finale, I created a new beginning and ending, and rearranged some scenes, shots, and music cues. With these changes and the restored footage and sound, to me, it is a more appropriate conclusion to ‘The Godfather’ and ‘The Godfather: Part II’ and I’m thankful to Jim Gianopulos and Paramount for allowing me to revisit it.”

“Coppola and his production company American Zoetrope worked from a 4K scan of the original negative to undertake a painstaking, frame-by-frame restoration of both the new Mario Puzo’s THE GODFATHER, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone and the original The Godfather: Part III. In order to create the best presentation possible, Zoetrope and Paramount’s restoration team began by searching for over 50 original takes to replace lower resolution opticals in the original negative.  This process took more than six months and involved sifting through 300 cartons of negative.  American Zoetrope worked diligently to repair scratches, stains, and other anomalies that could not be addressed previously due to technology constraints, while enhancements were made to the original 5.1 audio mix.”

“The Blu-ray presentation will include the newly restored and re-edited film, an exclusive introduction by Coppola, and access to a Digital copy of the film.”

The is no indication if this will receive a physical 4K release anytime soon, but you’d think that it would be later and include the first time films to form the entire trilogy. Stat tuned for full details regarding the tech specs, as I’m expecting it to come in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a lossless 5.1 surround mix (in either Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio). The release will come with a digital code (copy) of the film. Lastly, no info regarding bonus materials has been made aside from this including a new introduction by the director (Francis Ford Coppola).

UPDATE: This upcoming Blu-ray Disc release is now able to preorder over at Amazon.

Further below, after the break, you can find the complete announcement regarding this newly re-edited version of the third film in “The Godfather” trilogy.

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Apocalypse Now comes to 4K UHD Blu-ray in August

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The 1979 film “Apocalypse Now“ is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on August 27th via Lionsgate in a “40th Anniversary Edition” with a Final Cut of the film. Not only will that version be included but there will also be the original theatrical cut and “Apocalypse Now Redux” Extended Cut – along with the “Hearts of Darkness“ (96 minutes) documentary from 1991. The film, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starred Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest, Sam Bottoms, Laurence Fishburne, Albert Hall, Harrison Ford, Dennis Hopper, and Scott Glenn.

Tech specs for the 4K release include 2160p video, from a 4K restoration of the original negative, presented in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio with both Dolby Vision and HDR10 forms of High Dynamic Range along with Dolby Atmos sound. The release will come as a “combo pack” and include three Blu-ray Discs along with a digital copy of the film. UPDATE: The 4K UHD Blu-ray is now available for pre-order over at retailers Amazon and Best Buy. Stay tuned for an Amazon pre-order listing when it becomes available. Lionsgate has included what appear to be three screenshots in 1920 width (1080p) from this restoration as promotional material. You can watch the teaser trailer on YouTube (also in 1080p HD) if you’d like a better look at the quality but I’m going to include these for readers anyway.

Bonus materials set to be included on the release are very lengthy and span across a total of the 4K UHD Blu-ray disc and THREE Blu-ray Discs. This is going to run rather lengthy so I’m going to include it below after the break. Also further below, after the break, you can find the official trailer for the upcoming theatrical re-release and 4K release as well as the announcement.

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