The Godfather Trilogy: Coppola Restoration

[zedz]

you don't spend millions of dollars on restoration to not sell it.

Unless Francis Ford Coppola threatens to sue you any time you show it!

[LionelHutz]

The Dutch release might not be true or not but you don't spend millions of dollars on restoration to not sell it.

I'm sure eventually they're going to put another version with the new master, just not in December or very soon. Plus they've been restoring a lot of original negatives that haven't been used yet for a video release. I think Night of the Hunter was restored a few years ago,but still no sign of a new dvd.

[Narshty]

I for one will be boycotting this and any Coppola releases while he and his cronies are holding Napoleon to ransom.

Stop being so dramatic. You aren't going to boycott them, you just aren't going to buy them. I don't much like cauliflower but I don't say "I'm off to the greengrocer's and I'm going to boycott cauliflower while I'm there".

Why not write Coppola/American Zoetrope a letter and ask him to either release Napoleon himself or licence it someone like MoC or Criterion? That is guaranteed to have a greater effect than leaving one more copy of The Godfather sitting on the shelves.

[pointless]

This won't be available on Blu-Ray.

That is correct, the Godfather trilogy will be out on HD DVD (and DVD) only. Paramount distributes on HD DVD exclusively.

Amazon has a "placeholder" for the HD DVD release and, although there is no release date as yet, Paramount has hinted they will release it on HD.

[pro-bassoonist]

That is correct, the Godfather trilogy will be out on HD DVD (and DVD) only. Paramount distributes on HD DVD exclusively.

They signed a deal which excludes some of their most notable hits (that would be all Steven Spielberg titles). If and when the Godfather films enter production I will be looking for a development similar to the event recently covered in Italy where Italian HDDVD exclusive backer MEDUSA were asked to release Kingdom of Heaven on Blu-Ray by Ridley Scott himself. You can archive my words above and come back to them for reference.

Amazon has a "placeholder" for the HD DVD release and, although there is no release date as yet, Paramount has hinted they will release it on HD.

I hate to disappoint you and those who read this thread but there has not been a single word from Paramount yet suggesting possible release date for the Godfather films. Prove me wrong and supply an article where Paramount discusses such a release!!

Pro-B

[patrick]

I know I'm a bit late on this, but this is terrific news. I'm in the middle of rewatching the Godfather films for the first time in about 10 years or so, and I was honestly a bit appalled at how terrible parts of I and II looked - I'm certainly not one of those people who complains if they see grain on a transfer, but even the scenes shot in full daylight are absurdly grainy. Paramount really screwed the pooch on this one; I don't think anyone is expecting these films to look like they were shot yesterday, but I'm 100% sure they can look better than this.

[Darth Lavender]

Italian HDDVD exclusive backer MEDUSA were asked to release Kingdom of Heaven on Blu-Ray by Ridley Scott himself.

So, did they? (I wonder what Scott, personally, could have actually offered them as persuasion. I know in Spielberg's case, he actually has certain contractual rights over the distribution of his film. Regardless, I've mentioned elsewhere my contempt for directors who pick sides in the format war (there's simply no difference from a director/artist point of view. (Big differences from a Producer/Moneymaking point of view, small differences from a consumer point of view.))

Main reason I'm curious, though, is to find out if there is, then, a HDDVD release of Kingdom Of Heaven with the VC1 or MP4 encoding?

Bringing it back to the Godfather movies; I do think Coppola is *precisely* the type of director who would choose sides in the format war. Fortunately, I doubt that he has the same control over The Godfather that Spielberg has over his movies (Coppola was, after all, originally chosen as a 'director for hire' on a cheap gangster movie, cashing in on a popular novel. So The Godfather still seems a very likely choice for Paramount to release on High Definition.

Apocalypse Now could pose more of a problem, since it involves Coppola *and* Storaro; cinema's 'special' people, and they probably do have distribution rights over that movie.

[Darth Lavender]

The Godfather Trilogy arriving on HD DVD in June? Found a link to this on one of the HD-DVD forums...

A quick internet search only found some more speculation on a few forums (mostly relating to this the Amazon UK listing) Apparently, Amazon has offered some 'exclusive' HD DVDs in the past (The new 'Robin Hood' TV series, and a few others) so that gives the listing *some* credibility. (This isn't just a place-holder; there's a price (30pounds, discounted to 22.95 (less than 20 without VAT))

And, what (ironically) gives me the greatest optimism; The release date was recently pushed back seven days (seems to me that if this listing were an error or something, it would be cancelled once the error was discovered. A 7 day delay (to the 17th June) suggests that Paramount are still serious about this release.

I have a big order coming soon anyway, so it was easy enough to add The Godfather (Amazon.UK generally splits shipments at no extra charge, if there's a big difference in release dates)

Quality will, of course, be the next big question. Will this be the newly restored Godfather 1 & 2? (What's the latest story on those? Are the restorations actually finished? Screened anywhere? etc.)

[domino harvey]

An HD-DVD release of the Godfather would be huge news, you would not find out from an Amazon listing first.

[Cinephrenic]

I'm not sure if HD-DVD news of it would be huge, but I do think Blu-ray would definitely be huge.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Thought it was too good to be true. Received this from amazon.co.uk:

Dear Customer

We are writing to you with regards to your order for The Godfather Trilogy [1972].

We have learned, due to a catalogue error, 'The Godfather Trilogy [1972]' (B0014E917Y) is actually not a HD DVD title as originally listed on our website, but a standard DVD.

[Darth Lavender]

Yes, pity.

But, at least cancelling it has sped up the rest of my order...

[jaredsap]

I got invited to a 4K restoration screening of Part II next week, so obviously at least that film is finished.

Interestingly enough, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging is holding the screening.

[MichaelB]

Apocalypse Now could pose more of a problem, since it involves Coppola *and* Storaro; cinema's 'special' people, and they probably do have distribution rights over that movie.

Coppola certainly had a huge amount of control over Apocalypse Now at the time of production, since he financed much of it himself - but it rather depends on whether he successfully retained the relevant rights in the wake of his much-publicised financial problems a few years later.

But in this case, I think it's aspect ratio rights that we should be more concerned about!

[Darth Lavender]

Actually, I would argue for 'Redux' as a legitimitely 2:1 film... (This really belongs in another thread, though...)

The way I see it, Apocalypse Now (the first cut) was filmed and edited as 2.35:1 film and that's how it should stay (maybe you can argue for 2.20:1 because that's how the 'best' theatres would have shown it (and this was a film which was, I think, really intended for 70mm screenings, with the 6-track audio, etc.)

But, Apocalypse Now Redux is a whole new film, just using Apoc Now's raw materials... So, if crazy older Storaro & Coppola want to make the Redux 2:1 than that's just fine...

Best example of something similar is, I think, the black & white scenes in the Kenneth Branagh film 'Dead Again'...
Branagh filmed the scenes in color (and intended them to be shown that way,) then, during the editing, he decided to change them all to black and white and that is considered the 'proper' way to view the film...
Similarly, it's much too late for Storaro to change his mind about the original Apocalypse Now....
But, if, during the 'making,' of Apocalypse Now Redux he decided he wanted it reframed for a 2:1 aspect ratio then that's just fine.

[broadwayrock]

It's probably posted somewhere else on the forums but Amazon UK has a release date of 2nd of June 2008 for the remastered Godfather Trilogy boxset.

[kaujot]

The, uh, metal is awful.

[a.khan]

Hey, they forgot the chainsaw. I protest!

[jaredsap]

Hey, they forgot the chainsaw. I protest!

Actually, they forgot the words SWEENEY TODD.

[Adam]

I have a friend who has been editing some of the extras. She said the remaster looks AMAZING.

[exte]

That's fucking odd, where's Mario Puzo?

[a.khan]

That's fucking odd, where's Mario Puzo?

Puzo's dead. They figured he wouldn't mind.

[tryavna]

That's fucking odd, where's Mario Puzo?

Puzo's dead. They figured he wouldn't mind.

Oh, Mario? Won't see him no more....

[exte]

Yeah but having Coppola's name three times on the cover (and not one time for Puzo) is pathetic. What happened to "I'm dropping the 'Ford' name since it's pretentious"?? Anyway, it looks like fan art more than anything...

[stwrt]

Yeah but having Coppola's name three times on the cover (and not one time for Puzo) is pathetic. What happened to "I'm dropping the 'Ford' name since it's pretentious"?? Anyway, it looks like fan art more than anything...

Maybe his vineyard had a bad winter and he needs to recoup costs.