The Godfather DVD Collection Review

(This review is for The Godfather DVD Collection (2001) [ASIN: B00003CXAA])

1. THE FILMS

It would be unfair of me to write such short review for all the 3 films but I have to due to make this review as useful as possible.

The films are legendary, very popular & highly-regarded by both critics & people. Great films with great acting (by Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, James Caan, Diane Keaton & Talia Shire among many others), great score/soundtrack (by Nino Rota & Carmine Coppola) with many popular songs, great script based on a great novel (by late Mario Puzo), great cinematography (by Gordon Willis), great atmospheres... et al.

Some of my favorite bits about these films includes: the outstanding performances by Marlon Brando, Al Pacino & Robert De Niro, the scene with Woltz in bed (Part I) & the long scene with Fanucci walking the street (Part II). Another thing I like about The Godfather Trilogy is how it was less about crime and more about family. It's also exciting to see how Coppola did focus on family in real life (just like the film itself) by using them in these films.

The least favorite to most people would be Part III as it wasn't good enough. It actually was a good conclusion to the trilogy but was underrated because it didn't hold up to high expectations from the fans as well as to the great reputation of Part I & Part II. Al Pacino gave us another great performance. My guess is that it would've got a better reputation if the studio accepted Coppola's suggested title "Death of Michael Corleone".

Speaking of conclusions, a good conclusion to this review would be to praise Francis Ford Coppola's outstanding work from his great writing to superb directing to making such a great high-value DVD box set. Thank you Francis Ford Coppola.

Note: For a great review, check Emipre Magazine's article in issue 180 (June 2004) pages 166~167 (the article's called Masterpieces (#12)).

Godfather, The (1972) 5/5
Godfather: Part II, The (1974) 5/5
Godfather: Part III, The (1990) 5/5
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2. THE DVDS

Here's an offer you can't refuse: buy this 5-disc Box Set because there never was an offer this good with a reasonable price.

Each film has its own DVD book-like keep-case with covers that shows respect to both the fans (especially the elder ones) and to the films too. Each film has an Aspect Ratio of 1.85:1, Closed-captioned, English & French audio tracks both Dolby Digital 5.1 (no DTS) & subtitles. Each film comes with a great informative audio commentary by (Francis Ford) Coppola. Part I comes in a single disc, so does Part III, and Part II comes in 2 discs. This is a good thing yet bad thing. It's good because they cared to give us the highest quality yet it's bad because you'll have to stop and change the disc exactly after the long scene with Fanucci walking the street (a similar problem was with the 1st DVD edition of Godfellas (1990) were we had to flip it). So we have a total of 4 discs for the whole 3 films plus a disc of extras. Godfather Part I (alone) is already out on DVD (which comes in a keep-case) and I guess Part II & Part III are coming shortly but those who buy each part apart would miss the extra stuff (listed below).

The 5th disc (the disc of extras/bonus stuff) comes with:
- A great documentary (73 min.) which is full of trivia and behind-the-scenes stories and footage.
- All the deleted-scenes.
- A look into Francis Coppola's Notebook which was his own guide to making the films.
- Cool rehearsal footage.
- Clips with Gordon Willis, Nino Rota, Carmine Coppola, Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo & a short clip about locations.
- Academy Award acceptance speeches & list of awards.
- Corleone family tree.
And few more features (see DVD Features in the Product Details above or Technical Information also above).

The Godfather DVD Collection (2001) 5/5
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3. RECOMMENDATIONS (WATCH/BUY)

Killing, The (1956) [ASIN: 0792841395]
Goodfellas (1990) [ASIN: B000286RKW]
Untouchables, The (1987) [ASIN: B00029NKU6]
Donnie Brasco (1997) [ASIN: B00004XPPB]
"Sopranos, The" (1999) [ASIN: B0000C9JD4]
Carlito's Way (1993) [ASIN: B0000AM6JI]
Heat (1995) [ASIN: B00000JGHM]
Pulp Fiction (1994) [ASIN: B000068DBC]

Also recommended:
The Godfather (novel) [ISBN: 0451167716]
The Godfather Legacy (book) [ISBN: 0684836475]

PS. Does my intentional use of word 'great' here 14 times tell you something?