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The Godfather - The Coppola Restoration Giftset (The Godfather / The Godfather Part II / The Godfather Part III) [Blu-ray]
Availability:
In Stock
Price:
$124.99
$53.98*
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| Part No: | B000NTPDSW |
| Manufacturer: | Paramount Home Entertainment |
| MFG Part: | PARBR138644 |
| Customer Rating: | 4.0 / 5.0 |
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Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 09/23/2008 Run time: 549 minutes Rating: R
On the DVD People used to say this was Frank Sinatra's world, and the rest of us just lived in it. After watching the multiple special features in the box set The Godfather - Coppola Restoration, one might conclude it's actually time for a cultural and historical revision: This is the Corleone family's world. The rest of us better tread lightly. Actually, the point of the half-dozen or so features crammed onto a disc accompanying the beautifully restored The Godfather, The Godfather II and The Godfather III, is that The Godfather movies have penetrated popular culture in such a deep and meaningful way that they are second-nature to everything. David Chase, creator of and writer on The Sopranos, for example, describes in the featurette "Godfather World" that his hit HBO series was intended to be the story of the first generation of mobsters actually influenced by Francis Ford Coppola's hit trilogy. Joe Mantegna calls the three films "the Italian Star Wars." (Mantegna co-stars in The Godfather III.) Alec Baldwin says no matter what one is doing, one is compelled to stop and watch the films if they're on television. Richard Belzer calls the films "a religion." And so on. A number of people similarly testify in "Godfather World" to the importance and ubiquitousness of The Godfather and its sequels in American life. There's no point in arguing, so its best to move on to the other featurettes, including "The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't," reviewing in detail much of what has been said about Paramount's mistreatment of Coppola, about casting fights (Steve McQueen as Michael?), about the studio's assumption they were getting a quick-and-dirty B-movie, and about producer Robert Evans' determination to keep his choice of director and unlikely actors under his wing. Fresh information within the special features, however, begins with "… When the Shooting Stopped," a fine study of post-production on The Godfather, with several surprising and fascinating facts. Among emerging details is an explanation of why Michael Corleone's scream toward the end of The Godfather III is silenced out. (Hint: it was meant to be the inverse of a sound effect in the first movie.) "Emulsional Rescue: Revealing The Godfather" talks about the painstaking work of restoring the first two films, beginning with a phone call from Coppola to Steven Spielberg (after the latter's DreamWorks studio became part of the Viacom family) asking if he'd request money from Paramount for restoration work. " The Godfather On the Red Carpet is a negligible series of fawning statements about the movie from hot young actors, while "Four Short Films" are brief and enjoyable takes on different aspects of The Godfather's impact on modern living. --Tom Keogh Stills from The Godfather - The Coppola Restoration Giftset (Click for larger image)
| Fertile imagination. | 2009-01-05 | 5 / 5 |
| THE GODFATHER (1972) was clearly ahead of its time, when it was
released, from its many aspects and from its 3 hour duration, much
can be said of it, mostly about Mario Puzo's imagination and
personality.
First, many will be critical of Puzo's opinion that Italian
civilization is the peak in human achievement, comprising wine from
grapes, olive oil, a peak in culture development comprising
sophisticated music, cuisine, high standard of etiquette, complex
marriage, baptism, funeral rites and ceremonies, multi-generational
households with grand parents and grand children living under the
same roof, etc. As such, this movie is an emotional outburst and a
shout to the world " I love Italy" which is not suprising, for an
Italian book author.
Secondly, in addition to the tribalism, another weakness is the
nostalgia expressed in the movie, such as being 21 years old again,
finding a spouse, entering adulthood and marriage, with all the
pressures that entails, the joy of Christmas and the family, etc.
This generosity by Puzo is in a part a gift to the feminine viewers
in providing entertainment, by underlining the personal, intimate
aspects of relationships, emotions, the birth of children, schools,
playgrounds, etc. But it shows that a man is multi-dimenensiol.
Clearly it is unrealistic to suggest that most or many Italian
Americans originate from cow pasture, bare mountain spots in Sicily,
from poverty stricken villages. In fact, Italy was and still is one
of the most prosperous nations on the Earth, and only a tiny fraction
of its population emigrated, the rest staying behind, most with full,
natural lives, obviously.
Thirdly, the movie shows a reluctance or a hesitance in the Italian
ethnic members in USA, in integrating into the mainstream culturally,
behaviorally, socially, such as, for example, in terms of the
sexually liberal conduct typical of American. Puzo transposes his
own reluctance in letting go of his European and Old World beliefs
and values vs. present day-to-day society in USA. This is not
realistic, as 2nd or 3rd generation immigrants, for the most part,
lose all notion of their ancestors' language, cuisine, traditions,
ceremonial requirements, religious behaviors, etc, and that includes
Italian-Americans, clearly fully joining the mainstream.
Those aspects are only liablilities for those who do not descend from
Roman European countries, while for those who do descend, they are
curiousities, and paradigms, interesting observations.
The positives of this movie, is the full spectrum of emotions, wide
range of experiences shown that comprise a human being ... the film
does require 3 hours to show those and does it well.
A surprising suggestion from Puzo, is that a Santa-Claus twin existed
in the USA at the turn of the 20th century, handing out favors, jobs,
contracts, promotions, justice as he saw fit, and people would turn
to him endlessly as if he was a witch doctor solving those ills that
nowhere and nobody else could solve, such as through the justice
system, a capitalist market, the responsible, good citizen conduct
from people at large. This is played by Marlon Brando, to perfection.
Another strength is the courage of the story in reflecting problems
at large, such as corrupt law officers, judges, politicians,
manipulated unions, personal animosities in companies that result in
rivals being left in the dust for trivial slights of ego, gambling,
prostitution, drinking rackets, etc, with the narco-trafficking on
the horizon, and the Las Vegas scene in its infancy.
Perhaps the most significant statement, in the movie, is Puzo
shifting from the early chest-pounding of Italian-Americanism, who
can do no wrong, mid-way through the movie, as he focuses on the
inter-gang fighting among various crime bosses and gangs for
territory, each set on monopolizing the market, with betrayals,
traps, strategic maneuvering behind the scenes, and gang-banging.
Puzo's wisdom, as well, is his notion that corrupted individuals are
not permanently bought, nor would they provide unlimited protection
or favors once bought. Brando is shown calculating mentally how far
his powerful personal contacts could go in supporting various types
of mobster projects, this skill having taken him to the top of the
NYC underworld over many years, in addition to skill in reading
psychologically his opponents intentions from assessing them when in
their presence.
James Caan's character, according to Puzo, suggests a temperament, a
propensity to libidinous and hotheaded behavior that is not typical
of most Italian-Americans, which seems to stereotype needlessly the
latter group, as he's shown as having been an adopted son.
Overall, the movie is outstanding from the point of view of creating
tension, suspense, surprising viewers with the turn of events, in
connecting with viewers, showing culturally the struggle of Italian
Americans in leaving behind the civilization learn in the so-called
Old World as they take their space on the American continent. The
mature subject will be difficult to take for many, such as brutality
from guns and car bombs and the taking out of fellow human beings as
mere pieces on a chessboard. |
| I Love this set!!! | 2009-01-02 | 5 / 5 |
| | First off I have to say the restoration is superb for such an old film. I have a 60" Sony 1080p, PS3, and a High end 7.1 Pioneer Home theater. So I can tell you that this both looks and sounds better then I ever remember it. If your a fan of the Godfather and you don't have the collection on DVD. Then this is a must buy! If you do have the collection on DVD you still might consider upgrading, I would. The only thing I want to comment on is the case itself. It's very hard to get the disks to pop out, I feel like I am going to break them every time and it concerns me. Still a must buy! |
| Legend Movie in Future Technology | 2008-12-26 | 5 / 5 |
| | if they release it in new dvd technology i will buy it.... the movie is the best and the blu ray is crazy crazy i loved it |
| Quality is not of Blu Ray Standards | 2008-12-26 | 1 / 5 |
| The movie is 5 star. But I am rating the Blu Ray version, not the movie itself. Unless there is something wrong with my Blu Ray copy, then the God Father Blu Ray is not worth the money. Unlike other Blu Ray movies, where there is a significant noticeable difference in the quality of the Blu Ray version vs. non Blu Ray, I perceived no difference.
I am not saying that if you had both a Blu Ray and non Blu Ray version of the Godfather running side by side, that you would not be able to see a difference. Just that with other Blu Ray movies, the difference to me has always been clear with a Wow factor. No Wow with the Godfather Blu Ray.
I haven't watch Part II of the set, maybe it has improved quality.
Not worth the money for the package. This is the only Blu Ray I have purchased where I have been disappointed.
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| The Godfather collection | 2008-12-24 | 5 / 5 |
| | I was very happy to see that the Godfather was released in Blu-ray. A perfect gift for someone...of the best movie ever. Great collection and I received it in a very timely manner. |
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