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Title: The Godfather (1972)

Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Cast: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall, Richard S. Castellano, James Caan, Talia Shire,
Sterling Hayden, John Marley
Won for Best Picture; Best Actor-Marlon Brando; Best Screenplay. Nominated for Best Director; Best Supporting
Actor-James Caan, Robert Duvall, Al Pacino; Best Costume Design; Best Film Editing; Best Sound; Best Score-Nino
Rota.
DVD: Widescreen 1.85:1/16x9; audio English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Monaural; subtitles English; closed-
captioned; single sided - dual layered; 23 chapters; rated R; 175 min.; $99.95 - available only as part of The
Godfather DVD Collection; street date 10/09/01.
Supplements: Audio Commentary from Director Francis Ford Coppola.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As with many classic movies, I doubt that the folks behind 1972’s The Godfather had any idea what a monster
they’d create. At the time, mafia movies were a virtual non-entity. Though the film was based on a hugely successful
novel, the Mario Puzo text was largely seen as a sensationalistic piece of work; while a film version might do good
business, it didn’t seem like the stuff from which a classic would emerge.
Nearly 30 years later, the genre started by The Godfather remains more popular than ever. Through films like
GoodFellas and TV shows like The Sopranos, gangsters continue to fascinate folks, and the field shows no signs of
abatement. While some of these other works are quite good, the Godfather series persists as the big dog. It’s the
Beatles of mafia media.
Over the course of my three reviews - which will also include 1974’s The Godfather Part II and 1990’s The
Godfather Part III - I’ll discuss the merits of each entry, but whatever praise I’ll offer for the sequels will not fully equal
my accolades for the first film. Many argue that II was the best of the bunch, but I don’t belong to that club; it’s a very
close call, and I admit that as time goes on, I see II’s merits more clearly, but I feel The Godfather offers the most
satisfying and compelling entry of the series.
Set right after the end of World War II, The Godfather examines the Corleone family over a decade. Father
Vito (Marlon Brando) runs a large and powerful crime syndicate, and sons Sonny (James Caan) and Fredo (John
Cazale) also are involved, though the latter - who lacks much brain-power - only plays a tangential role; hot-headed
Sonny is a integral part and seems to be the don in training. Third son Michael (Al Pacino) - a returning war hero and
the only college man of the bunch - disdains his family’s illicit ways; he’s close to them but he wants to distance
himself from the crime.
The film starts during the wedding of the only Corleone daughter, Connie (Talia Shire). From there we get a
feeling for the family business and a larger plot emerges in which competition develops between the Corleones and
other mobs in the area; mainly this revolves around potential drug trade, which Vito opposes for his family. Inevitably,
greater conflict ensues, and rivals attempt to kill Vito.
They fail, although the violent shooting leaves Vito a shell of his old self. However, this action brings Michael
closer to the family business, and the remainder of the film examines his additional involvement and the rest of the
gang warfare.
Many people seem to view Vito as the center of The Godfather. Brando won an Oscar for Best Actor based on
his work here, and his image permeates most of the publicity materials attached to the film, including this DVD.
However, I think such determinations are incorrect. To be certain, Vito plays a major part in Godfather, but his story is
not central to the plot.
Instead, it’s Michael who remains the focus of the tale. I suppose this seems more obvious in retrospect, since
the film’s two sequels concentrated even more heavily on Michael, but it feels apparent even based just on a viewing
of Godfather alone. Of all the characters, Michael’s the only one who actually changes, and he grows in stature as
2

the film progresses. Are the alterations positive? No, but that makes them all the more significant, as Michael
becomes sucked into the nasty side of life against his will.
As Vito, Brando offered a fine, iconographic performance that stands as probably the most famous of his
career; his work in 1951’s A Streetcar Named Desire is also quite well-known, and his role in 1979’s Apocalypse Now
maintains a high level of awareness, though not for positive reasons. Nonetheless, Vito remains his signature part,
and he brought a great deal of force and presence to the role. In retrospect, the power he contributed makes it seem
like Vito’s onscreen more than he is; as was the case with Anthony Hopkins’ work as Hannibal Lecter in 1991’s The
Silence of the Lambs, a great actor created a role that transcended time limitations to dominate a film.
However, Brando really was just a supporting actor, and Pacino was the lead, though their Oscar nominations
reversed that status. Though not as commanding as Brando’s Vito, Pacino’s Michael is really a stronger
performance. Michael goes from a fairly innocent and likable guy to someone totally detached from his emotions by
the end of the film. Pacino had to take us through the levels of progression, and he did so smoothly and believably.
He never resorted to hamminess or any forced emotions, which made the performance all the more chilling; it
seemed as if we could actually see the blood drain from Michael as the movie continued. While Brando and the rest
of the cast certainly were terrific, Pacino was the empty heart at the movie’s center who gave the film depth.
When I review Godfather II, I’ll more fully compare and contrast the first two films, but I must admit that
objectively, II probably is the superior flick. So why do I continue to prefer the first Godfather? Simply because it
offers the more entertaining and memorable experience. Almost all of the images we associate with the series
appeared in the initial film; both sequels added a little to the lexicon, but when most people think of the series, it’s
Godfather they remember.
II surpasses the first movie through its complexity and depth, but the first flick wins the competition due to its
heart - or lack thereof, toward the end of the story. Some parts of Godfather seem a little slow at times - I never much
cared for Michael’s stay in Sicily - and others don’t flow tremendously well, but the overall impact appears strong.
After almost 30 years, The Godfather continues to provide an exciting, dramatic and compelling experience; it’s one
classic that deserves its status.

The DVD:
The Godfather appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this single-sided, dual-layered DVD; the
image has been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. The disc sported an erratic picture that often looked quite good, but it
also displayed a mix of flaws.
Sharpness usually seemed quite strong. A few shots - mainly low-lit interiors - showed some minor softness,
but these occasions were rare. For the most part, the image appeared to be nicely crisp and detailed. I saw some
examples of moiré effects, usually due to car grilles, but jagged edges weren’t a concern, and only some minimal
edge enhancement seemed apparent on occasion.
Most of The Godfather featured an extremely drab palette. The movie mostly went with a very brown look, so
more vibrant colors were rare. When those hues did appear, however, they seemed surprisingly vivid and bright.
Through flowers, Kay’s orange dress at the wedding, and a mix of other elements, we saw some rather solid colors
at times. Make no mistake, however; the movie was almost monotone for much of its running time, so don’t expect a
Technicolor extravaganza.
Black levels mainly came across as nicely deep and dense, and contrast was fairly good for the most part. As
noted in the prior paragraph, much of the film looked rather brown and dark, and shadow detail usually seemed up to
the task. Most of the low-light situations appeared to be appropriately heavy but not excessively thick. Some of these
shots did come across as somewhat flat and dim, but as a whole, I thought they looked fairly solid.
Where The Godfather encountered most of its problems related to print flaws. Most of these remained pretty
minor. Light grain cropped up occasionally throughout the film, but it usually appeared during low-light sequences,
when it would be most expected; a few daylight shots - such as those between Michael and Kay at the wedding -
also demonstrated grain, but those instances seemed rare. A few nicks, some grit, and a blotch or two also occurred.
 3

What caused more concerns, however, was the surprisingly high number of little white speckles that showed
up during the movie. The density of these dots varied, and the image did become cleaner as it progressed; the first
half definitely displayed more of them. However, they remained a consistent distraction throughout the film, and I
really was surprised at how dirty the disc could look. Ultimately, many parts of The Godfather looked very good, and
as a whole the DVD offered a good representation of a visually difficult movie; the brown tone of the piece meant it
would never be an attractive picture. Nonetheless, I must admit I thought the picture was a disappointment as a
whole, mainly due to the relative lack of cleanliness seen.

AUDIO
I expected less of the film’s Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, but it also let me down nonetheless. The audio
remixed the original monaural stems, and the results weren’t terribly pretty. Actually, as with the picture of The
Godfather, the soundtrack combined some highs and lows, but the discrepancies seemed even wider.
On the positive side, the mix attempted a pretty wide soundstage. The audio stayed primarily located in the
forward spectrum, but it spread elements out across the front speakers. Quite a lot of ambient effects cropped up in
the sides, and the music showed nice stereo separation as well. Surround usage appeared minimal for the most part.
During a few scenes - such as those that involved trains or planes - the rear channels kicked to life fairly nicely, but
for the most part, nothing more than general reinforcement came from the surrounds.
Although some of the five-channel imaging worked well, for the most part I found this to be an awkward mix.
Elements were usually placed abruptly in their locations, and they tended not to blend together very well. This left a
forced tone to the mix that made it somewhat distracting; it rarely sounded natural or particularly real. Musical
elements meshed together pretty nicely, though, even when they weren’t parts of the score; for example, a
saxophone played in the street fit in well. Effects integration remained less successful.
However, I could excuse most of those flaws, as I don’t expect a 5.1 remix to seem tremendously well
integrated. Most I’ve heard have seemed superior to this, but it remained within the norm. Unfortunately, the audio
quality caused more concerns. Some elements sounded good, and those were what kept me from giving the mix a
below average grade. The music usually demonstrated pretty solid fidelity. At times the score appeared a little crackly
and distorted but for the most part I thought the music seemed fairly clear and bright. The score also boasted some
rather nice bass response at times. The climax showed good depth to the work.
A few of the effects elements also came across as pretty powerful and dynamic. When Tom Hagen’s plane
lands in LA, and when the train roars by while Michael’s in the restaurant, I found the track to offer good reproduction
and force to these bits. Another scene in which thunder roars provided solid breadth and depth.
However, much of the rest of the track suffered from a rather artificial and processed sound. It appeared that
someone went nuts with the reverb filter, as much of the movie provided a thin, echoed sound. This effect seemed to
occur to provide the mix with a sense of ambience, but it went way out of control; almost everything echoed, and it
became a definite distraction.
While the mix suffered from the awkward integration of some elements, it was really the weak sound quality
that made the track seem so problematic. The piece felt unbalanced, as some parts appeared too prominent
because of the processed sound. For example, the fireplace in Woltz’s house played much too strong a role during
the dinner sequence; its pops and buzz drew attention to themselves in a problematic manner. When Johnny
Fontaine sang during the wedding, the girls’ screams came across as synthesized; on the Bowie song called
“Zeroes”, some artificial squeals appeared, and the two sound a lot alike. Another example related to the sound of
people walking in the street. Instead of making this a small element, the footsteps became rather loud and obvious,
and they took away from the overall impression; I didn’t pay as much attention to the important action because I
focused on those stupid feet!
Dialogue also suffered from the same reverberated quality, and many lines showed moderate edginess as
well. Most of the movie seemed easily intelligible, though a few louder scenes could be tough to understand; for
example, one fight between Connie and Carlo forced me to activate the subtitles to hear what they said. Distortion
4

wasn’t a major concern throughout the movie, but it occurred more frequently than I expected, and I also heard a few
fairly loud pops early in the film.
In the end, The Godfather didn’t offer a terrible soundtrack for its age, and a few aspects worked very well.
However, these were marred by many problematic parts that made the audio seem somewhat weak even for an
older film. Although I usually like 5.1 remixes of monaural stems, I really wish this DVD included the original mono
soundtrack, as it would lack the distracting artificial quality of the awkward soundfield.
A couple of subtitle notes: for one, purists will be happy to hear that the original “burned-in” English
translations appeared during scenes that featured Sicilian dialogue. While the movie only provided English subtitles
for most lines, an option provides French text translations to appear on top of the burned-in English words. This
feature appears automatically if you select the French soundtrack.
If you examined my grade for the supplements of The Godfather, you noticed that I didn’t give it one. That
wasn’t because the disc included none. However, The Godfather can be purchased only as part of a boxed set that
also include its two sequels as well as a DVD devoted totally to supplemental materials. I didn’t think it was fair to
rate this disc’s extras in isolation, since it wasn’t meant to stand on its own. As such, a review of the whole
“Godfather DVD Collection” will appear that grades the total package.
However, I will presently discuss the one extra found on the Godfather DVD. We find an AUDIO
COMMENTARY from director Francis Ford Coppola, who provides a running, fairly screen-specific affair. Although
the track suffered from a fair number of empty spaces, I had little problem with the gaps, largely due to the length of
the movie itself; at nearly three hours, that’d be a lot of room for Coppola to cover alone.
I also didn’t mind the blanks too much due to the quality of the commentary itself. I wouldn’t call this a great
track, but Coppola offered a lot of solid information and he did so in an engaging way. In a refreshing move, he
mainly covered problems encountered during the making of the film. Many commentaries suffer from “happy talk”
syndrome, but that definitely wasn’t the case here; Coppola never seemed petty or bitter - he who laughs last and all
that - but he did relate the difficulties he encountered in a frank manner. Ultimately, he added a lot to the table during
this interesting and informative commentary.
The Godfather earned the third position on the American Film Institute’s list of the Top 100 films. Almost 30
years after its initial release, I find it hard to strongly quibble with that choice. The Godfather remains a very solid
piece of work that succeeds on almost all levels. Unfortunately, the DVD seems less satisfying. Picture quality is
erratic but generally good, while audio appears rather artificial and thin. A good audio commentary from director
Francis Ford Coppola adds a nice level of information to the package. While I found picture and sound to be
disappointments, I remain reasonably pleased with the DVD treatment of The Godfather, and recommend it.
 5

Title: The Godfather Part II (1974)

Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Cast: Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, John Cazale, Talia Shire, Michael V. Gazzo, Lee
Strasberg
Won for Best Pictures; Best Director; Best Screenplay; Best Supporting Actor-Robert De Niro; Best Art Direction-Set
Decoration; Best Score-Carmine Coppola, Nino Rota. Nominated for Best Actor-Al Pacino; Best Supporting Actress-
Talia Shire; Best Supporting Actor-Michael V. Gazzo, Lee Strasberg; Best Costume Design.
DVD: Widescreen 1.85:1/16x9; audio English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Monaural; subtitles English; closed-
captioned; Disc One: single sided - dual layered; Disc Two: single-sided, single-layered; 30 chapters (1-16 on DVD
One, 1-14 on DVD Two); rated R; 200 min.; $99.95 - available only as part of The Godfather DVD Collection; street
date 10/09/01.
Supplements: Audio Commentary from Director Francis Ford Coppola.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Whenever the subject of sequels that surpass their predecessors arises, a short list of the usual suspects
emerges. The Empire Strikes Back, Aliens, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day offer some of the most consistent and
prominent examples. However, the king of them all likely will always remain 1974’s The Godfather Part II. For one, it
remains the only sequel ever to win the Oscar as Best Picture, and it’s also the sole continuation to merit inclusion on
the American Film Institute’s Top 100 list, where it resides at number 32.
That’s 29 places below its predecessor, 1972’s Godfather, which seems kind of unfair. Many think II is a better
film, though I suppose Godfather may have earned the higher ranking partially due to historical importance; it was a
seminal flick, while II simply continued and refined its experience.
Personally, I’d always agreed with the AFI’s idea. While I thought II was a decent piece of work, I never could
get into it to the same level as Godfather. The latter seemed like a more visceral and involving experience, whereas II
came across as cool and less directly stimulating.
Prior to this DVD, I’d seen II four or five times, and my opinion of it remained fairly consistent. However, now
that I’ve watched it once more, I must admit that I’m starting to see its merits more clearly. II may not offer the same
level of slam-bang moments found in its predecessor, but it may be that film’s equal nonetheless.
The Godfather Part II follows dual storylines. One continues the tale begun in the first movie, as we see the
further development of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) as the head of a crime syndicate. When Godfather ended, he’d
consolidated his powers via a bloody attack on his competitors, and by II - which takes place a few years later,
toward the end of the Fifties - Michael’s become even more powerful. His side of the story shows his attempts to
further develop the family’s interests - most notably via some possible investments in Cuba - while he deals with
traitors within his organization.
In addition, II develops the early years of family patriarch Vito. Performed by Marlon Brando in the first film,
Oreste Baldini briefly portrays the child version while Robert De Niro plays the don as a young man. We watch his
arrival in America after a Sicilian Mafioso kills his family, and we see him as he starts his own clan. Though he starts
as an honest, hard-working guy, Vito soon sees the benefits of a life of crime, and when he takes on local don
Fanucci (Gastone Moschin) his course - and that of his family - is set.
Though the movie starts with Vito’s childhood, it interweaves the two tales in a fairly seamless manner. The
technique easily could have become distracting, but director Francis Ford Coppola manages to pull it off neatly, as
the stories flow cleanly and remain involving. Although I admit I found Michael’s tale more interesting, I thought both
sides of the film earned equal prominence.
Without question, Godfather was the showier movie of the first two, and II lacks some of the big personalities
seen in it. Both Brando’s Vito and James Caan’s Sonny were driving forces in the original film, and they presented
6

larger than life attitudes. On the other hand, Michael remained a quieter sort, and the younger Vito may have
foreshadowed the man he would become, but here he - appropriately - appeared less commanding and forceful.
While the variations in tone may make it appear as though II is at fault somehow, it isn’t; I mention them just to
relate the differences between the two movies. As I mentioned earlier, the relative coolness of II led me to find it
inferior for quite a while, and it remains a less iconic flick. However, the film’s quieter, more introspective nature leads
it to be very satisfying nonetheless. On one hand, we witness the gradual evolution of Vito into a cold-blooded killer.
The movie makes this growth seem almost inevitable, but it doesn’t portray Vito as a stereotype or a one-sided
personality. As portrayed by De Niro, he’s a strong force but not one who did what he did without purpose or
intelligence. De Niro ably made the character feel like a younger version of Vito without resorting to cheap Brando
imitations, and his Best Supporting Actor Oscar was richly deserved.
Unfortunately, Pacino wouldn’t grab a similar prize for his performance as Michael, though I think he earned it.
Actually, I believed he deserved that award for Godfather, where he was misclassified as a supporting actor. For II,
he got Best Actor consideration but lost to Art Carney for his work in Harry and Tonto. (Interestingly, both Godfather
and II snared solo nominations for Best Actor - Brando received the award for the first film - and a whopping three
Best Supporting Actor nods apiece. For Godfather, Pacino, Caan and Robert Duvall all got nominations, while De
Niro, Lee Strasberg and Michael V. Gazzo all received nods for II. For the record, Caan, Pacino and Duvall all lost to
Joel Grey for Cabaret.)
I felt Pacino should have won for Godfather. In that film, Michael was the only character who really showed
development, and he was the center of the story. Brando was terrific, but Vito was essentially a supporting role, and
he didn’t evolve in any real way. I suppose one could make the same argument for Michael in II, as the changes
experienced by the character are much more subtle this time. He begins as a cold, distant man and ends the film in
the same state.
However, II concentrates much more intently on nuance, and that’s where Pacino’s performance gets its
passion. Although Michael finds himself increasingly lost in his criminal world, he maintains a perverse focus on his
family; in a bizarre way, he truly seems to feel that he does what he does for the good of the family. Unfortunately, all
that this leads to is the dissolution of what he loves and cherishes. Pacino executes the slow transformation with
tragic power and makes Michael one of the great film characters.
Admittedly, in some ways, II suffers from a factor that affects many sequels: it feels like a mild rehash of the
first film. The Godfather was clearly the more original movie of the two, and I think that’s one reason why it continues
to garner more attention. While II lacks the force of its predecessor, it compensates through coherence and style. II
seems like a better developed and implemented movie, and it definitely used a more daring style; the dual storylines
made II vastly more ambitious than Godfather.
Arguments about the superiority of either flick will likely continue ad infinitum, and I won’t attempt to resolve
them. I continue to prefer the original film, but I must admit that I’m starting to develop a greater fondness for The
Godfather Part II. It may hold up better to repeated viewings, as it communicates greater depth and subtlety each
time. In any case, The Godfather Part II remains an excellent achievement that holds up very nicely next to its classic
predecessor.
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The DVD:
The Godfather Part II appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 across these two DVDs; the image
has been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. Disc One was single-sided, dual-layered, while the shorter Disc Two offered
a single-sided, single-layered experience. The film’s break occurred 126 minutes into this 200-minute movie. While
the imbalance between the two platters may seem odd, the cut made perfect sense, as Disc One ended at a very
natural and logical point.
As was the case with the first movie, the picture of Godfather II provided a mixed bag of highs and lows, albeit
different ones than seen on the prior DVD. Sharpness remained acceptably clear and accurate throughout most of
the film, as much of the movie looked reasonably crisp and detailed. However, I thought II showed softness on a
more frequent basis. None of the shots looked badly fuzzy, but a generally soft tone appeared at times that didn’t
seem as prevalent during Godfather. II also included some moiré effects - particularly seen in stairs - and light edge
enhancement at times.
All three Godfather movies operated from a very brownish-yellow palette, and II offered the most monotone
experience of the bunch. As such, I didn’t expect many vivid or brilliant hues, so I found the colors of II to appear
satisfactory. Actually, Godfather managed to sneak in some brilliant hues at times, but these were totally absent from
its sequel. I believe that was by design, as II was a darker experience, and the color scheme reflected that.
Since so much of II took place in low-light conditions, it needed excellent blacks and shadow detail. It didn’t get
that. Overall, the dimly lit situations looked fairly solid. Blacks usually came across as acceptably dense and deep,
and most low-light shots appeared reasonably clear and visible. However, some “day for night” exteriors seemed
excessively dark, and some interiors looked moderately muddy as well. While this gave the film its distinctive vision,
it did come across as too much at times.
Print flaws offered the most significant concern found during Godfather, and they continued to be a problem
here. However, the various defects seemed noticeably less prevalent during the sequel. I still witnessed light grain
during much of the film, and occasional examples of speckles, grit, nicks and marks popped up with greater
frequency than I’d like. Nonetheless, it seemed like a cleaner experience than Godfather at least. Ultimately, The
Godfather Part II was consistently watchable but a mix of concerns made the picture seem less than terrific.

AUDIO
During my review of The Godfather, my greatest criticisms were leveled at the hollow and artificial-sounding
remix accorded the film. Since The Godfather Part II also included a recreated Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, I feared
the worst. Happily, although II’s audio included some concerns, the sequel provided a much more satisfying sonic
experience.
The soundfield itself seemed surprisingly natural and involving. Godfather came across as forced and
excessively speaker-specific, but the elements in II blended together with solid grace and realism. The mix remained
concentrated in the front spectrum, where fairly positive stereo music appeared as well as a variety of effects. Those
bits added the good dimensionality to the track, as sounds appeared to be appropriately placed throughout the film.
Surround usage stayed pretty minor, but they contributed acceptable reinforcement of the front channels, and they
also kicked to life nicely at times, such as during a train sequence.
Audio quality showed the most notable improvements over The Godfather. That track suffered from an
excessive amount of reverb that seemed to be added to everything; the whole piece came across as processed and
phony. Some of those elements still occurred during II, but they appeared to have been greatly decreased. I noticed
an artificial-sounding tone to some chatter at the brothel, but otherwise much of II lacked the vaguely synthesized
sound that plagued its predecessor.
The absence of those effects was a major plus right off the bat. Otherwise, the sound quality for II seemed
decent for its era. Dialogue usually came across as reasonably distinct and crisp. Some edginess interfered at times,
but I detected no problems related to intelligibility. Effects also could crackle on occasion, but as a whole they
seemed clean and relatively dynamic; the few loud sequences showed decent bass response. Music demonstrated
some modest distortion as well, such as during the opening party sequence. Overall, the score lacked the depth
8

heard during Godfather, but I still thought the music seemed to be relatively clear and vibrant for a film of this vintage.
Ultimately, the audio of Godfather II showed its age at times, but it appeared to be above average for its age, and it
offered a vastly improved experience compared to the first film in the series.
We find an AUDIO COMMENTARY from director Francis Ford Coppola, who provides a running, fairly
screen-specific affair. Frankly, I expected this track to be less interesting than the one created for the first film; first
flicks always have the most background to relate, and the rough time Coppola went through making it seemed to
offer more opportunities for interesting stories.
To my surprise, I found the II commentary to be at least as good as the one for Godfather, and it may actually
be better. When I reviewed the Godfather track, I related that despite his negative experience, Coppola didn’t seem
bitter as he discussed the shoot. While that remains true, he did appear much brighter and cheerier through his chat
here. Clearly II was a much more pleasant time for him, so instead of the complaints about difficulties heard during
Godfather, Coppola focused more on positive issues for the sequel.
That doesn’t mean we got a superficial puff piece, however; Coppola never lets the commentary degenerate
into excessive praise. Instead, he simply talked about a variety of elements that went into the making of the film, from
his reticence to do such a project to casting woes - which include the reason why Clemenza doesn’t reappear in the
sequel - to his overall goals to the piece to a slew of other issues. As was the case with Godfather, a moderate
number of empty spaces occurred, but these seemed fewer during II, perhaps because the subject engaged him
more fully. Ultimately, Coppola provided a very informative and engaging track that included a wealth of good
information about Godfather II.
I don’t know if I’ll ever like it as much as its predecessor, but I’ve begun to appreciate The Godfather Part II
more. The film richly deserves its status as a classic, and it may well be the better film of the two. Whatever the case
may be, II offers a fascinating and deep experience that holds up extremely well to repeated viewings.
The DVD provides the most consistent visual and auditory presentation of the three; the image looks quite
similar to the other two, but II gives us the best sound of the bunch. In addition, another fine audio commentary from
Francis Ford Coppola rounds out the package. While I used to think The Godfather Part II was overrated, I’ve
changed my mind, and I now agree with its many accolades. Due to some visual flaws, the DVD isn’t the great piece
of work I’d expected, but it still offers a good representation of an excellent film.
 9

Title: The Godfather Part III (1990)

Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Cast: Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Andy Garcia, Eli Wallach, Joe Mantegna, George Hamilton, Bridget
Fonda, Sofia Coppola
Nominated for Best Pictures; Best Director; Best Supporting Actor-Andy Garcia; Best Cinematography; Best Art
Direction-Set Decoration; Best Film Editing; Best Song-"Promise Me You'll Remember."
DVD: Widescreen 1.85:1/16x9; audio English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Monaural; subtitles English; closed-
captioned; single sided - dual layered; 25 chapters; rated R; 170 min.; $99.95 - available only as part of The
Godfather DVD Collection; street date 10/09/01.
Supplements: Audio Commentary from Director Francis Ford Coppola.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In my review of The Phantom Menace, I stated that I feel it was the most highly anticipated film of all-time.
Commercially, I don’t think this can be argued; no movie has been so eagerly awaited by so many. However, if I had
to pick a flick that labored under the toughest critical standards, it probably would be 1990’s The Godfather Part III.
Look at the situation. The first film in the series, 1972’s The Godfather, was an enormous box office hit and it
grabbed the Best Picture award for that year. Although it didn’t take many additional Oscars - of its remaining 10
nominations, Godfather grabbed only Best Actor for Marlon Brando and Best Writing - Godfather has maintained an
extraordinarily strong reputation; it stands third on the AFI Top 100 Movies list. 1974’s The Godfather Part II “only”
snagged the 32nd spot on that chart, but it actually did better at the Oscars. The perennial favorite among
discussions of sequels that outdid their predecessors, Part II earned six awards for its 11 nominations, including
another Best Picture plus Best Director for Francis Ford Coppola, a prize that eluded him the first time; that year Bob
Fosse won for Cabaret.
Imagine that you’re the third son in a family. Your oldest brother was George Washington and the middle
brother was Abe Lincoln. Based on that lineage, you’d be subjected to insanely high expectations. Such was the
atmosphere that greeted the late 1990 release of The Godfather Part III; whatever merits the movie might boast on
its own, it’d have to live up to the examples set by its predecessors.
Personally, I think III would have been more successful without the Godfather connection. That link set the
standard so high that it would be almost impossible to match up to it. Taken on its own, III isn’t a terrible film, but
when compared to its siblings, its flaws seem much more prominent.
III starts in 1979, 20 years after the conclusion of II. When that film ended, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) was a
virtual shell of a man; after years of scheming and killing, all allegedly to further the interests of his family, he found
himself almost totally alone and haunted by his actions. By the beginning of III, however, he seems to have loosened
up quite a bit. Apparently he’s taken the family nearly fully legitimate in the ensuing 20 years, and as the story
commences, Michael receives a high honor from the Catholic Church due to all his charity works.
This reunites Michael with his semi-estranged children Anthony (Franc D’Ambrosio) and Mary (Sofia Coppola)
as well as his ex-wife Kay (Diane Keaton). We also meet new characters like small-time gang boss Joey Zasa (Joe
Mantegna) and Vincent Mancini (Andy Garcia), the illegitimate son of Michael’s dead brother Sonny. Vincent wants a
role in the family’s business - its real business, not this namby-pamby “legit” stuff - and develops a loathing for Zasa
that motivates his behavior.
Essentially III follows Michael as he tries to redeem himself through non-criminal business dealings. He
attempts to become a partner with the Vatican in a financial interest but soon discovers that the church is more
corrupt than the Mafia. When Zasa and others try to off Michael, he gets drawn back into his old violent ways, and
Vincent takes an active role in the proceedings as the apparent don in training. He also falls in love with Mary,
something that displeases Michael since they’re cousins.
10

I won’t go further with the story because I’d rather avoid any possible spoilers. Suffice it to say that this sucker
doesn’t have a happy ending, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise; none of the three movies concludes on a joyous
note. It would have seemed artificial and forced to alter that tone for III.
While I’m happy that director Francis Ford Coppola kept that aspect of the saga intact, he made enough other
alterations to make III feel very different from the first two films. The biggest change comes with Michael himself.
Same actor, same director, same writers, but this isn’t the same Michael, and I don’t mean that in a good way. I
thought the character seemed almost unrecognizable. For one, I found it hard to buy that he invested himself so
strongly in his attempts to go straight. During much of the first two movies, he paid lip service to that concept, but he
only became more heavily embroiled in the crime. By the end of II, he’d lost everything near and dear; the possibility
that Michael would eventually snap out of it appears illogical and inconsistent with the character. 1959’s Michael was
a tortured, doomed soul; there was no going back for him.
Pacino plays 1979 Michael in a much more broad and gregarious manner as well. Oh, he seems tired at times,
but he comes across as way too peppy and extroverted through much of III. For example, a scene in which he takes
Kay on a tour of the family hometown in Sicily feels all wrong; I can’t envision even the young and idealistic Michael
of the first film behaving in this way, much less the worn-out old man. By 1990, Pacino had become a much louder
and showy actor than he’d been in the Seventies, and that made all the difference here. It hurt the film, for I never felt
like this guy was even vaguely related to the Michael I watched earlier.
In the “good acting” category, Garcia stands pretty much alone. He brought much-needed spark and fire to
Vincent, and he largely kept him from seeming like a stereotype or cliché. No, he wasn’t as full-blooded and real as
the characters seen in the first two movies, but beggars can’t be choosers, and when compared to the rest of the
performances in III, Garcia’s Oscar nomination makes even more sense.
Mantegna overacted relentlessly as Zasa, but he’s not the worst offender. I most disliked the cheesy, ham-
fisted performance offered by Eli Wallach as family friend Don Altobello. Wallach really went over the top in the role
and his presence made me cringe consistently.
Note that I’ve actually failed to mention the worst performance in III, Sofia Coppola’s legendarily bad turn as
Mary. Yes, she really does as poorly as you’ve heard. I thought she was cute, but she couldn’t act her way out of the
proverbial brown paper bag. I’m sure Sofia tried her best, but she was stuck in a bad situation and lacked the skills to
overcome the circumstances. Her inability to convincingly portray any form of life, depth or emotion left a large hole in
the film.
Even with better performances, III would remain an unworthy successor to Godfather and II, largely because
of the character inconsistencies seen in Michael. A continuation of his story as seen in II was unnecessary; we knew
this was a miserable man who would continue to pay for his sins. III’s alteration of that path seems illogical and
almost insulting, and the manner in which it reminds us that we can’t escape our pasts feels patronizing.
I also disliked the film’s attempted irony. I suppose it’s meant to be shocking that Michael encounters so much
corruption as he walks through the Catholic ranks, but this “revelation” simply felt forced and artificial. Ultimately it
comes across as a cheap attempt at depth that goes nowhere.
It didn’t help that the film seemed to be sloppily researched. III takes place in 1979, but it involves the deaths
of Pope Paul VI and John Paul I. Both died in 1978. I didn’t need to research that fact; I remembered it, even though I
was just a kid at the time. No one associated with III was aware that they used the wrong date?
Perhaps the year was changed to distance the film from reality. After all, some nasty things are implied about
Paul VI, and maybe it was felt that the alteration of date took the movie more into the realm of fiction. However, that
makes no sense; if Coppola wanted to do this, he shouldn’t have used the names of real popes. Make up some
names and we won’t view the story as being reality based at all.
Hmm… As I started this review, I stated that I didn’t think The Godfather Part III was a terrible film. That’s true,
I suppose, as even with all its flaws, it still maintained a fairly interesting experience. Nonetheless, it’s not one about
which I can conjure too many positive things to say. Sometimes when I write a review, I realize that I liked the movie
in question more than I initially thought. Such was the case with Citizen Kane. When I screened it, I wasn’t that hot
on it, but when forced to coalesce my thoughts for the article, I recognized how many strengths it offered.
 11

The opposite was true for The Godfather Part III. The more I pondered it, the more problems I remembered
and the less I cared for it. I could keep going and provide more defects in the film, but I’ll leave it alone. Suffice it to
say that the Godfather saga should have stopped with II.

The DVD:
The Godfather Part III appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this single-sided, dual-layered
DVD; the image has been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. Objectively, III offered the strongest picture of the three
movies, but considering its much more recent vintage, the improvements seemed to be surprisingly minor.
Really, all three looked a lot alike. From the production design and cinematographic points of view, that was
great; I love the fact that the different movies mesh together so neatly in that regard. However, I was less happy
about the consistent problems witnessed on all three DVDs.
Sharpness continued to appear generally good. Most of III presented an acceptably crisp and detailed image.
However, some softness interfered during wider shots, and even a few closer scenes looked slightly fuzzy. Moiré
effects and jagged edges caused no noticeable concerns, but some mild edge enhancement cropped up at times.
As was the case with the first two movies, III maintained a very brownish-yellow tone. As such, it offered a
restricted palette, and very few bright or vivid hues appeared. When appropriate, the colors looked fairly solid, and
they came across as accurate and concise as a whole. Black levels usually were reasonably deep and dark, and
shadow detail often looked appropriately clear but not excessively opaque. At times some interiors seemed a bit
muddy, however, and a few dimly lit sequences failed to provide the depth I expected.
I found the first two films to provide too many print flaws, and the same concerns arose during III. Though
generally clean, more than a few examples of grit, speckles, nicks and marks cropped up throughout the movie, and
some light grain also appeared at times. Many have blamed the relatively high level of defects witnessed during
Godfather and II on poor storage of the materials over the years. Perhaps that’s true, but then why does the much
newer III show similar concerns? Overall, The Godfather Part III provided a reasonably good image, but it showed
too many problems for a fairly recent film, especially one with such a high profile.

AUDIO
All three of the Godfather films offer Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks remixed from the original material. However,
the first two worked from monaural stems, whereas III reconfigured a mix that already provided multichannel sound;
III used a Dolby Surround track theatrically. As such, it should have given us easily the strongest auditory experience.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, as the soundtrack of The Godfather Part III suffered from some of the same
problems that plagued the first film’s audio.
For the most part, the soundfield remained fairly heavily anchored in the front speakers. There the music
showed decent stereo separation, and a variety of elements cropped up from the side channels. These sounded
moderately speaker-specific and didn’t blend terribly well, but they did add a good layer of atmosphere to the project.
The surrounds contributed mild punch at times - such as during the helicopter attack scene or the climactic opera
sequence - but usually they stayed fairly subdued and offered mainly reinforcement of the forward spectrum.
Overall, it was a reasonably good soundfield for the era, though it felt fairly sterile. Where the mix often fell
short, however, related to audio quality. Speech often sounded sibilant and edgy, and intelligibility occasionally
became weak; I had some trouble understanding a few lines. III suffered from some terrible looping, and this most
strongly affected dialogue heard during exterior scenes. The entire track of Godfather provided an annoying echo
effect, but that concern mostly seemed restricted to this looped speech in III. When characters speak outdoors, the
reverberation made their words sound ridiculously out of place and artificial. It became a genuine distraction and took
away from the experience.
12

Some of the same echo also affected effects, but not to nearly as heavy a degree. I found most of those
elements to lack much low-end response, as the piece appeared somewhat trebly and thin at times, but they were
reproduced with reasonably good clarity and fidelity as a whole. The lack of depth seemed most clear during scenes
like the helicopter attack; that segment failed to deliver the punch I expected. Nonetheless, it remained clear and
acceptably accurate. Music also sounded a bit wan and free from bass, but the general range was reasonably good,
and the dynamics improved during the opera scene. Overall, the soundtrack of The Godfather Part III was a mixed
bag and I thought it was a disappointment, but it provided enough strengths to merit a “C+”.
If you examined my grade for the supplements of The Godfather Part III, you noticed that I didn’t give it one.
That wasn’t because the disc included none. However, The Godfather Part III can be purchased only as part of a
boxed set that also include its two sequels as well as a DVD devoted totally to supplemental materials. I didn’t think it
was fair to rate this disc’s extras in isolation, since it wasn’t meant to stand on its own. As such, a review of the whole
“Godfather DVD Collection” will appear that grades the total package.
We find an AUDIO COMMENTARY from director Francis Ford Coppola, who provides a running, fairly
screen-specific affair. I enjoyed his discussions of the prior two films, and he added another largely compelling piece
for III, though I admit I found it to be the least interesting of the three. Part of that stemmed from my general lack of
enthusiasm for the movie, but I’ve been entertained by commentaries that accompanied flicks I hated - such as - so
that factor didn’t explain the apparent decline.
Instead, I think this commentary was less satisfying because Coppola seemed to be on the defensive much of
the time. The reception accorded III appeared to leave him somewhat bitter, especially due to the criticism leveled at
his daughter Sofia. Coppola seemed to feel she did a good job; he frequently defended her during the track and
appeared to believe that people slammed her as an indirect attack on him. I think he’s wrong, but his affection for
Sofia offered some of the commentary’s most touching moments, such as when he choked up a little because her
character cried.
The track for III probably suffered from a few more empty gaps than I heard during the first two films, but once
again, I didn’t mind these terribly; due to the length of the movie, it was almost inevitable that some blanks would
occur. Overall, Coppola provided a reasonable amount of interesting information about III, but I felt the details lacked
appropriate depth. For example, he addressed some of the issues I discussed during my review, such as the
differences in Michael’s character. However, he made it sound as though he changed the tone and the role for no
particular reason; I didn’t get a real feel for the cause behind the shift.
Perhaps there was none other than a desire to do things differently. Coppola seemed generally unenthused
about III as a whole, and his remarks left me with the impression he did the film mainly for the money and the
increased exposure. His stature had declined badly through the Eighties, and he needed something to spark his
presence again. As a guaranteed “A”-list project, a new Godfather film did that, but it felt like his heart wasn’t really in
it; he even mentioned the peculiar form of hell that comes with continually being asked to remake the same movie.
As such, many of his changes appeared to come just for the sake of change, and Coppola didn’t do much to justify
them here. Ultimately, the commentary seemed good but not great, and I definitely preferred the tracks that
accompanied the earlier films.
While not a bad film per se, The Godfather Part III really doesn’t deserve to be mentioned in the same breath
as its two predecessors. From some poor acting to a contrived plot, weak dialogue, and a myriad of other concerns,
III remained reasonably interesting for the most part, but it failed to even remotely approach the levels achieved by
the earlier classics. The DVD offered decent but unspectacular picture and sound plus a fairly good audio
commentary from director Coppola. The Godfather Part III is a film I’ll likely revisit every three or four years out of
curiosity, but I doubt I’ll ever care much for it, as it doesn’t provide a strong conclusion to the Corleone saga.
 13

DISCO EXTRA
Supplements: Audio Commentary By Director Francis Ford Coppola for All Three Films; “The Godfather Family: A
Look Inside” Documentary; 34 Additional Scenes; “On Location” Featurette; “Francis Ford Coppola’s Notebook”; “The
Music of The Godfather”; “Coppola and Puzo On Screenwriting”; “Gordon Willis On Cinematography”; Storyboards;
1971 “Behind the Scenes” Featurette; “The Family Tree” Character Biographies; Photo Galleries; Theatrical Trailers;
Academy Award Acceptance Speeches; List of Awards and Nominations; 1974 Network TV Introduction; DVD
Credits.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Earlier this year, Paramount produced their first two-DVD special edition with Forrest Gump, and it was a nice
piece of work. Now we get “The Godfather DVD Collection”, undoubtedly the studio’s most elaborate product to date.
Was it worth the wait? Despite some concerns I maintain about the picture and sound quality of the movies, I’d have
to answer “yes”; this is a fine package.
For full information on the individual movies, please consult my separate reviews of 1972’s The Godfather,
1974’s The Godfather Part II, and 1990’s The Godfather Part III. Please note that the picture and sound grades found
at the top of this article represent an average for the three movies. This was easy for the various visuals, as all three
got “B-“ marks from me, but greater variation occurred for the audio, so please check out the full reviews to get the
details.
Though this article covers the boxed set as a whole - which is the only possible way to purchase any of the
movies - I want to concentrate mainly on the package’s fifth DVD. Called simply “Bonus Materials”, this disc includes
a wealth of Godfather information.
All of the pieces appear in different domains. We begin with Behind the Scenes, where we get a mix of video
programs. Most significant of these is “The Godfather Family: A Look Inside”, a documentary about the trilogy.
Created to accompany The Godfather Part III, this 1991 program runs 73 minutes and 20 seconds. It includes clips
from all three films, footage from the various sets, and interview snippets with a mix of participants, most of which
appear to have been recorded during the filming of III.
Although I found this to be a generally interesting documentary, the focus on III made it less effective. Roughly
the first half of the program explored the genesis of the series and discussed Godfather and II. This was where the
best material resided. We saw parts of Marlon Brando’s original makeup test as Vito Corleone, Pacino’s auditions,
and even tryouts for others; we got to watch De Niro go for the role as Sonny, and both James Caan and Martin
Sheet attempt Michael! All of this was fascinating to see, although it went by far too quickly.
Additionally, interviews added to the discussion of the first two films, and these provided some good
information. Really, most of this material stuck with Godfather, and even then we heard mostly about the casting.
Most of the show’s second half dealt with III. Occasional tidbits about the other movies cropped up, and the program
could be rather disjointed as it leapt between eras.
Admittedly, some of the information about III was interesting, and I enjoyed a lot of the shots from the set; a
scene in which Garcia really chomps at Mantegna’s ear is terrific. However, the concentration on III felt fairly
superficial, and the program seemed like it mainly intended to promote that film. We didn’t get a lot of insight into it,
and the preponderance of film clips became tiresome. Overall, “A Look Inside” had some good moments, but it failed
to become a truly engaging and informative piece.
Next we found “On Location”, a six minute and 55 second featurette that followed production designer Dean
Tavoularis as he revisited the original shooting settings. It’s moderately fun to get an updated look at these locales
and to hear about how the areas were changed for the movie. The program also included some documentary footage
shot for II, which added a nice layer of depth to the piece; it’s too bad more of this material didn’t make the DVD.
“Francis Coppola’s Notebook” offered a very compelling discussion of the director’s preparation for the first
movie. He took the Mario Puzo novel and extensively annotated it. During this 10 minute and 10 second program,
Coppola goes through the notebook and mentions many of his comments. The piece particularly focuses on the
14

scene in which Michael kills Sollozzo and the police captain, with additional information about the violence aimed at
Apollonia and Vito. It’s a terrific little featurette that provided some great information.
“The Music of The Godfather” gave us some notes about the two composers involved in the series. The
section about Nino Rota comes from an audiotape Coppola made of a January 1972 meeting between the two men.
We hear demo versions of many Godfather themes as well as some remarks from Rota and Coppola during this cool
five and a half minute snippet. This was one place we could check out the unused “Going to Los Angeles” music
discussed during Coppola’s audio commentary for Godfather.
Another area talks about Carmine Coppola. In the three minute and 15 second piece, we see shots from a
November 1990 scoring session conducted by Carmine, and we also hear comments from him and director son
Francis. It’s a superficial piece but I thought it was mildly interesting.
“Coppola and Puzo On Screenwriting” offered exactly what the title implied. During this eight minute and
five second program, we find more Godfather III vintage interviews with Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo, and
they went through issues dealt with for all three movies. It’s a good discussion of the general concerns, and I was
very interested to hear Puzo’s idea for Godfather IV.
During “Gordon Willis On Cinematography”, we got some insight into his photographic techniques for the
three films. In addition to his comments - which included an admission that he may have made some parts of II too
dark - we heard from fellow cinematographers Michael Chapman, Conrad Hall, and William A. Fraker in this three
minute and 45 second featurette. Despite its brevity, I found this to be a very compelling little piece.
Two separate sections provided looks at “Storyboards”. For The Godfather Part II, we found a stillframe
presentation that covered 24 boards, mainly from the scene in which Vito murders Fanucci. The boards from The
Godfather Part III used more of an animatic format; a narrator described the filmed action, and some others acted out
the parts during this four minute and 25 second piece. It’s an interesting way to check out the material, which
covered three different scenes but mainly focused on the break-in at Vincent’s apartment.
Lastly, we found “The Godfather Behind the Scenes 1971”. This eight-minute and 55-second program
offered a puff piece similar to the promotional featurettes that accompany modern films. However, it did provide short
interview snippets with a few performers who usually don’t make the cut; in addition to big names Caan and Pacino,
we heard from Al Martino, Morgana King and Richard Castellano.
One cool aspect of the Behind the Scenes area: if you let the menus run, you’ll hear what appear
to be outtakes from Godfather rehearsals. These concentrate on the preparations for Michael’s
restaurant killing, and they’re a lot of fun. Click on them more than once, as different snippets pop up at
various times; I’ve heard at least four, and there may be more.
The next big area of the DVD is the Added Scenes department. There we find a whopping 34 unused
snippets from all three of the movies, though III only includes one piece; its video version features extra footage
reintegrated, so there was less to provide here. The different clips run between 20 seconds and six minutes, 40
seconds for a total of 55 minutes and 37 seconds of material. All of the pieces appear in fullscreen except for the final
one, which comes from III; it’s non-anamorphic letterboxed. Each scene starts with a text introduction that tells us a
little about the segment and places it within the films’ continuity.
Although the vast majority of the clips are quite short, they’re fascinating to see. Actually, many have already
been viewed because they appeared during TV versions of the first two films. In any case, almost none are crucial
material, but considering the stature of the movies, it’s a delight to check them out, and they’re consistently
interesting. I thought very few belonged back in the film, but I also believed that almost none of them would have
been inappropriate. Personally, I’d argue that the Godfather II footage that follows Michael’s pursuit of Fabrizio -
Apollonia’s killer from the first film - should have made the cut, but I’m very glad they omitted some shots of Kay as
she lights candles for Michael’s soul.
Otherwise, I could go either way with the rest of the clips. They clearly weren’t necessary, but they would have
been interesting additions nonetheless. I appreciated the inclusion of the text to set up all of the clips, though I found
it irritating that I couldn’t skip this material; if I want to watch the scenes again, I still have to sit through a few
 15

seconds of print. This is a minor complaint, but I must admit that I hate it when DVDs won’t let me skip menus or
other pieces.
When we move to the Filmmakers department, we encounter decent text biographies for some key
participants. There are listings for Coppola, Puzo, Willis, Tavoularis, Rota, and Carmine Coppola. One nice touch:
click on the filmmaker’s name at the top of each screen and you can link to the appropriate featurettes
that appear in the “Behind the Scenes” area.
The Family Tree offers additional fun text material. We get short biographies for a slew of characters. These
radiate out from the main Corleones: Vito, Michael, Sonny, Connie, and Fredo as well as Tom Hagen. From there we
find information about those characters as well as spouses and children. The entries are short but sufficient and
interesting. A little sloppiness appears, such as conflicting dates for Carlo’s death; the main page says 1954, while
the full text mentions 1955. Nonetheless, this is a cool little extra.
In addition, the Family Tree provides biographies for many of the actors. If you click on their portraits at the top
of the pages, you can access text similar to that offered for the filmmakers. Again, these are brief listings, but they
add some depth to the proceedings and are a nice touch.
In the Galleries area, we find a few sections. There’s a “Photo Gallery” that includes 106 stills. These offer a
nice mix of publicity shots and behind the scenes images. In addition, we get a “Rogues’ Gallery”. An odd choice,
this one shows 10 publicity shots of some of the trilogy’s bad guys. The “Photo Gallery” is much more interesting, but
I didn’t mind the addition to the other set as well.
We see “Trailers” for all three of the movies. We get one per film. The clip for The Godfather was surprisingly
bad; it provided just a series of stills and offered a slew of spoilers. The II piece came after the Oscars. Actually, it
was unclear if this was one long trailer or two; I think it was just one, but it seemed hard to tell.
The “Acclaim and Response” part of the Galleries adds some additional interesting pieces. There we find a
listing of some of the Oscars won by the films: it charts the Best Screenplay and Best Picture victories for The
Godfather as well as the Best Director and Best Picture triumphs for II. However, these aren’t just mentioned in
text; if you click on them, you’ll find the appropriate excerpts from the awards ceremony. It’s too bad the
infamous acceptance of Brando’s award by “Sacheen Littlefeather” - an actress who pretended to be a
Native American - didn’t appear, but I thought this was a very cool touch nonetheless.
In addition, we get a 95-second “1974 Network TV Introduction”. This preceded the first television showing
of The Godfather and showed Coppola at work on II as he explained some modifications made to the first film to
allow it to appear on network TV. It’s a fun piece of history that I enjoyed. Lastly, this area adds a traditional text
listing of “Awards and Nominations”.
Also in the Galleries department are the “DVD Credits”. In addition to text that lets us know the people behind
this fine package, we find one of the coolest “Easter eggs” I’ve seen. I’ll leave it a surprise, but you’ll definitely want to
click through all of the text screens to find it.
When I gave “The Godfather DVD Collection” its “extras” grade, I also considered the supplements found on
the movie discs themselves. While the bulk of the materials appeared on the fifth DVD, each film included an audio
commentary from director Francis Ford Coppola. Overall, these were strong pieces; please consult the individual film
reviews for more information about those tracks.
While the Godfather boxed set isn’t the slam-dunk I’d hoped it to be, I feel satisfied with it. Picture and sound
for the different films seemed erratic but was generally solid, and the extras included in the package helped make
this a special set. From three separate audio commentaries to a documentary to nearly an hour of deleted scenes to
a mix of other materials, there’s a wealth of Godfather information in this box, and most of it seemed very good. All in
all, I liked this package and definitely recommend it.