Tag Archives: The Godfather

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.

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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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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