Paramount Home Entertainment have announced the Region 1 DVD release of The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration on 23rd September 2008.
The DVD release of "The Godfather" was an abysmal disappointment. After all those years of shoddy VHS viewings I was very excited about seeing these films in fully restored, DVD glory. So sad that didn"t happen.
The first two films, on DVD, where often grainy, the color was washed out and there where still noticeable scratches from the film. For $80 you expect these classics to be better, much better. As well, the surround mix was pointless. Granted, the first film I believe was in Mono, the second two stereo, but still, re-mix? The sound was thin, the music tinny and the aural experience was just a disappointing as the visual. The scene with Sonny at the toll-booth should have exploded in the room, instead it barely felt like stereo. So lets home a new 5.1 or 7.1 lossless PCM has been added. Older films have been restored to flawless perfection in the past. After all, extra-effects aside, the DVD restorations of films like "Star Wars" and "Alien" where amazing, and the Blu-Ray releases are something to look forward to. So what of "The Godfather" on Blu-Ray? Well the title says "restoration" so one can only hope that they finally fixed what was wrong with the DVD collection. If they did then this will truly be an event for Blu-Ray. The Blu-ray set will include all three films in 1080p with English Dolby and TrueHD soundtracks and commentary by Coppola; all three films have been fully remastered with all new HD transfers under the supervision of Coppola and input of DP Gordon Willis.
The set will include four discs, three for the individual movies and one for all new extras which are also in HD (the old extras that were available in the previous DVD set will be in SD). 
Disc 1:
*The Godfather feature film
* Commentary by director Francis Ford Coppola
Disc 2:
* The Godfather, Part II feature film
* Commentary by director Francis Ford Coppola
Disc 3:
* The Godfather, Part III feature film
* Commentary by director Francis Ford Coppola
Disc 4:
* Godfather World (HD)
* The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn"t (HD)
* ... when the shooting stopped (HD)
* Emulsional Rescue-Revealing The Godfather (HD)
* The Godfather on the Red Carpet (HD)
* Four Short Films on The Godfather
o The Godfather vs. The Godfather, Part II (HD)
o Cannoli (HD)
o Riffing on the Riffing (HD)
o Clemenza (HD)
* The Family Tree
* Crime Organization Chart
* Connie and Carlo"s Wedding Album
* Behind the Scenes
o The Godfather Family: A Look Inside
o On Location
o Francis Coppola"s Notebook
o The Music of the Godfather
o Coppola & Puzo on Screenwriting
o Gordon Willis on Cinematography
o Storyboards from The Godfather, Part II
o Storyboards from The Godfather, Part III
o The Godfather Behind the Scenes 1971
* The Filmmakers
o Francis Ford Coppola
o Mario Puzo
o Gordon Willis
o Dean Tavoularis
o Nino Rota
o Carmine Coppola
* Additional Scenes
* Acclaim & Response
* Trailers (HD)
* Photo Gallery
* Rogues" Gallery
The Godfather and The Godfather, Part II underwent extensive frame-by-frame examination and restoration utilizing state-of-the-art digital technology in this historic preservation effort, which required more than a year to complete. Robert A. Harris of the Film Preserve supervised the restoration under the direction of Coppola and cinematographer, Gordon Willis. Harris’ restoration credits include Lawrence of Arabia, Spartacus, Vertigo and Rear Window among others.
The new special features created by Kim Aubry, founder of Zoetrope Aubry Productions, explores the complexities of the restoration process and provides new insights and perspectives about how the film almost didn’t come to pass as we know it. “The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn’t” relates the unlikely events, intrigue, allegiances and luck that put together the unknown director with the “unwanted” cast and contains interviews with most of the living players and many of the films’ admirers. Other featurettes include “…when the shooting stopped,” and “Godfather World,” which take a look at The Godfather’s influence on popular culture today. Each film includes a commentary by Coppola.
The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration DVD Collection
All three films are presented in anamorphic widescreen with English and French DD5.1 Surround audio, English Mono (The Godfather and The Godfather, Part II) and English, French and Spanish subtitles.
The DVD disc breakdown is as follows:
Discs 1 – 3: The Godfather, The Godfather, Part II and The Godfather Part III all with commentary by director Francis Ford Coppola.
Disc 4: Original Collection Special Features
* Making of The Godfather
* Additional Scenes
* Filming Locations
* The Corleone Family Tree
* The Music of The Godfather
* The Godfather Historical Timeline
* Profiles on the Filmmakers
* Photo Galleries and Storyboards
Disc 5: New Special Features
* Godfather World
* The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn’t
* …when the shooting stopped
* Emulsional Rescue Revealing The Godfather
* The Godfather on the Red Carpet
* Four Short Films on The Godfather
o The Godfather vs. The Godfather, Part II
o Cannoli
o Riffing on the Riffing
o Clemenza
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