I finally found the time to sit down and enjoy the Coppola restoration versions of the Godfather series. The new set (which I actually purchased at the end of last year) is a meticulous restoration by Paramount Pictures, overseen by Coppola himself. In September last year they released the fully restored first two films along with the newly remastered version of The Godfather Part III as a full collection called "The Coppola Restoration Collection". The Godfather and The Godfather Part II underwent extensive frame-by-frame examination and restoration utilizing state-of-the-art digital technology which took more than a year to complete. The result is an enhanced feast of these academy award endowed favourites.
The films track the evolution of the Corleone crime family.
In "The Godfather" we follow Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) as his power wanes, and his youngest son Michael (Al Pacino) as he rises to become the family head.
In "The Godfather Part II" we follow Michael's further challenges as the Don as well as flashbacks of Vito's (Robert De Niro) early childhood migration to America and rise to power in the 1920s.
In "The Godfather Part III" we follow Michael's attempt to legitimize his family's business interests against a changing world of young hungry gangsters.
What makes these films such a pleasure for me is their lack of reliance on violence and over the top special effects and high action (which have their place in other favourites of course :D). Instead the films focus on the characters, their strengths and weaknesses, their victories and failures and their interactions as both a family and bunch of mobsters making offers "you can't refuse!".
Set aside some serious time though to watch them all together as combined they are 8 hours 47 mins of sublime viewing.
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