| | | The most acclaimed film series of all time|The Most Acclaimed Film Series of All Time...
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, Dolby Digital (5.1), Biographies, Photo Gallery, Featurette, Theatrical Trailers, Additional Scenes, Family Tree, Storyboards, Music, English Subtitled, 5 Discs
With legendary director Francis Ford Coppola at the helm and spectacular performers filling every role, THE GODFATHER series churned out three of the best-loved and most critically-acclaimed films of all time. THE GODFATHER DVD COLLECTION includes each of these three masterpieces.THE GODFATHER: Francis Ford Coppola's epic masterpiece features Marlon Brando in his Oscar-winning role as the patriarch of the Corleone family. Director Coppola paints a chilling portrait of the Sicilian clan's rise and near fall from power in America, masterfully balancing the story between the Corleone's family life and the ugly crime business in which they are engaged. Based on Mario Puzo's best-selling novel and featuring career-making performances by Al Pacino, James Caan and Robert Duvall, this searing and brilliant film garnered ten Academy Award nominations, and won three including Best Picture of 1972. THE GODFATHER - PART II: This brilliant companion piece to the original THE GODFATHER continues the saga of two generations of successive power within the Corleone family. Director Francis Ford Coppola tells two stories in PART II: the roots and rise of a young Don Vito, played with uncanny ability by Robert De Niro, and the ascension of Michael (Al Pacino) as the new Don. Reassembling many of the talents who helped make THE GODFATHER, Coppola has produced a movie of staggering magnitude and vision, and undeniably the best sequel ever made. Robert De Niro won an Oscar; the film received six Academy Awards, including Best Picture of 1974. THE GODFATHER - PART III: One of the greatest sagas in movie history continues. In this third film in the epic Corleone trilogy, Al Pacino reprises the role of powerful family leader Michael Corleone. Now in his 60's, Michael is dominated by two passions: freeing his family from crime and finding a suitable successor. That successor could be fiery Vincent (Andy Garcia)...but he may also be the spark that turns Michael's hope of business legitimacy into an inferno of mob violence. Francis Ford Coppola directs Pacino, Garcia, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Eli Wallach, Sofia Coppola, Joe Mantegna and others in this exciting, long-awaited film that masterfully explores the themes of power, tradition, revenge and love. Seven Academy Award nominations for 1990 were the result, including Best Picture.
"[Part II] ... the film is breathtakingly beautiful, in all its component parts and as a collective entity." David Pickup, Movies At Home
"[I] In Coppola's brilliant crime saga, the director transformed the lowly gangster drama into an American epic capable of rivaling the western." Find-A-Video
"[I] Pulp fiction raised to the highest level; a film of epic proportions, masterfully done, and set to Nino Rota's memorable music." Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide
"[Part II] ...stands as one of American film's greatest efforts, and as a 1970s high-water mark." VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever
"[I] ...a landmark in American cinema...an enduring, undisputed masterpiece." Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle
"[III] A provocative and stirring climax to the Corleone saga, as well as an autonomous work that sometimes shows Coppola at his near best." Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
"[III] ...a work of high ensemble talent and intelligence, gorgeously mounted and crafted..." Michael Wilmington, Los Angeles Times
"[III] ...lushly photographed, brilliantly acted and wonderfully entertaining..." Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
"[II] A rare sequel to a great film that recaptures and expands upon the mastery of its predecessor." Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star
"[II] A rarity: a sequel as great as its A+ predecessor. A powerhouse film." Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
"[II] Al Pacino again is outstanding as Michael Corleone, successor to crime family leadership." Variety
Editor's Note
All three of Francis Ford Coppola's classic films detailing the trials and tribulations of the Corleone family and their involvement in the world of organized crime come to DVD in this collection. Each film is given widescreen treatment with commentary from Coppola himself. The fifth disc contains over three hours of exclusive bonus features, including several behind-the-scenes featurettes. See individual film titles for descriptions.
| Features | Widescreen Presentation | | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital Mono | | Subtitles: English | | On Location | | The Godfather Family Featurette: A Look Inside | | Filmmaker Biographies | | Francis Coppola's Notebook | | Coppola & Puzo on Screenwriting | | Academy Award Acceptance Speeches | | Photo Gallery | | Theatrical Trailers | | Additional Scenes | | The Corleone Family Tree | | Godfather Chronology | | Gordon Willison Cinematography | | Music of The Godfather | | Storyboards |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Paramount |
| Release Date: 5/23/2006 |
| Running Time: 725 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1972-1990 | | Catalog ID: 156474 | | UPC: 00097361564746 | | Number of Discs: 5 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1973) |  | Marlon Brando, Winner, Best Actor [Part I] | | Albert S. Ruddy, Winner, Best Picture [Part I] | | Francis Ford Coppola & Mario Puzo, Winner, Best Writing, Screenplay Based On Material From Another Medium [Part I] | | | Francis Ford Coppola, Nominee, Best Director [Part I] | | | James Caan, Nominee, Best Supporting Actor [Part I] | | | Robert Duvall, Nominee, Best Supporting Actor [Part I] | |
Golden Globe (1973) | | | Al Pacino, Nominee, Best Supporting Actor [Part I] | |
Oscar (1975) | | Francis Ford Coppola, Winner, Best Director [Part II] | | Robert De Niro, Winner, Best Supporting Actor [Part II] | | Carmine Coppola, Nino Rota, Winner, Best Music, Original Score [Part II] | | Francis Ford Coppola, Winner, Best Picture [Part II] | | Francis Ford Coppola, Winner, Best Writing, Screenplay Based On Material From Another Medium [Part II] | |
Oscar (1991) | | | Andy Garcia, Nominee, Best Supporting Actor [Part III] | | | Gordon Willis, Nominee, Best Cinematography [Part III] | | | Francis Ford Coppola, Nominee, Best Actor | | | John Bettis, Carmine Coppola, Nominee, Best Music, Song ("Promise You'll Remember Me") | | | Andy Garcia, Nominee, [III] Best Actor in a Supporting Role | | | Francis Ford Coppola, Nominee, [III] Best Director | | | Francis Ford Coppola, Nominee, [III] Best Picture | |
Oscar (1975) | | Dean Tavoularis, et. al., Winner, [II] Best Art Direction-Set Decoration | | Francis Ford Coppola, Winner, [II] Best Director | | Francis Ford Coppola, et. al., Winner, [II] Best Picture | | Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo, Winner, [II] Best Writing, Screenplay Adapted From Other Material | | Nino Rota, Carmine Coppola, Winner, [II] Best Music, Original Dramatic Score | | Robert De Niro, Winner, [II] Best Actor in a Supporting Role | |
Oscar (1973) | | Albert S. Ruddy, Winner, [I] Best Picture | | Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola, Winner, [I] Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium | | Marlon Brando, Winner, [I] Best Actor in a Leading Role |
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| | Professional Reviews | Chicago Sun-Times 10 of 10
[Part I] The Godfather is told entirely within a closed world. That's why we sympathize with characters who are essentially evil. The story by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola is a brilliant conjuring act, inviting us to consider the Mafia entirely on its own terms. Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) emerges as a sympathetic and even admirable character; during the entire film, this lifelong professional criminal does nothing of which we can really disapprove... The Brando performance is justly famous and often imitated. We know all about his puffy cheeks, and his use of props like the kitten in the opening scene. Those are actor's devices. Brando uses them but does not depend on them: He embodies the character... convincingly... - Roger Ebert
San Francisco Examiner 10 of 10
[Part I] One of the reasons that Francis Coppola's The Godfather is so good is that unlike many of its imitators made during the 25 years since its release, The Godfather is a handbook on cinematic lucidity. All events are described clearly. Motives of all the characters are set right there on the table next to the pasta for our consideration... Brando's quiet, understated performance as the Don is one of the elements of this movie that makes it terrific fun to watch... - Barbara Schulgasser
Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide 10 of 10
[Part II] They said it couldn't be done, but co-writer-director Coppola made a sequel that's just as compelling...
Find-A-Video 10 of 10
[Part II] Following the success of the original, Coppola felt free to delve more deeply and lyrically into the inherent roots of corruption, power and greed. By cross-cutting his two major stories--the rise of Vito Corleone and the fall of Michael--Coppola creates a dialectical narrative which elevates the movie above its low genre birthright.
ReelViews 10 of 10
[I] Rarely can it be said that a film has defined a genre, but never is that more true than in the case of The Godfather. Since the release of the 1972 epic (which garnered ten Academy Award nominations and was named Best Picture), all "gangster movies" have been judged by the standards of this one...If The Godfather was only about gun-toting Mafia types, it would never have garnered as many accolades. The characteristic that sets this film apart from so many of its predecessors and successors is its ability to weave the often-disparate layers of story into a cohesive whole. Any of the individual issues explored by The Godfather are strong enough to form the foundation of a movie. Here, however, bolstered by so many complimentary themes, each is given added resonance. The picture is a series of mini-climaxes, all building to the devastating, definitive conclusion...Rarely does a film tell as many diverse-yet-interconnected stories. Strong performances, solid directing, and a tightly-plotted script all contribute to The Godfather's success. This motion picture was not slapped together to satiate the appetite of the masses; it was carefully and painstakingly crafted. Every major character - and more than a few minor ones - is molded into a distinct, complex individual. Stereotypes did not influence Coppola's film, although certain ones were formed as a result of it. - James Berardinelli
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