The Godfather Trilogy [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Cast: Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall

Release Date: March 22, 2022

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 10/10

Synopsis:

For the first time in one collection, this is the essential, definitive saga of the Corleone family, overseen by director Francis Ford Coppola and based on the bestselling novel by Mario Puzo. A global cultural touchstone captivating fans across generations, the enduring cinematic legacy of THE GODFATHER has immeasurably influenced popular culture, and rightfully earned its legacy as one of the greatest in the history of motion pictures. Remastered and Restored in 4K UHD with HDR-10 and DolbyVision, this collection includes Academy Award winners for Best Picture THE GODFATHER and THE GODFATHER PART II, alongside the acclaimed conclusion MARIO PUZO’S THE GODFATHER CODA: THE DEATH OF MICHAEL CORLEONE. Includes both the Theatrical and 1991 Cuts of THE GODFATHER PART III, as well as a special features Blu-ray featuring all-new content.

Please Note: Paramount Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

‘The Godfather Trilogy’ comes home for the first time on 4K Ultra HD and now fans and newcomers to the saga alike can experience the legacy of the Corleone Family in its entirety from the ‘The Godfather’ which explores the days of Don Vito Corleone running the family and his hesitant son Michael reluctantly getting pulled into the business that he never intended to be a part of; to ‘The Godfather Part II’ and the rise of Michael who takes over as Don and continues to build on the family legacy, bringing their tactics and skillsets into the world of casinos in Las Vegas (interconnecting with the origin of his father Vito and his early days in America); and eventually to Coppola’s newly reworked ‘The Godfather, CODA: The Death of Michael Corleone’ version of the third film (the Theatrical and 1991 versions of ‘The Godfather Part III’ are also included as a bonus 4K disc) that rejoins Michael decades later as his life begins to catch up with his family and new blood starts to arise in the hopes of claiming his mantle for their own.

Perhaps one of the most acclaimed film series of all time, ‘The Godfather Trilogy’ still remains a legend in the world of film, with the first two still garnering some of the highest praise of any films in history. A fact that’s not entirely surprising considering just how capably they still hold up to this day, with 2022 marking the fiftieth anniversary of the original ‘The Godfather’ film and very little about it has aged in a negative way. While many films this old begin to come off as cheap or tacky, ‘The Godfather’ seems to only improve like a good wine, almost a comment of what filmmaking was and always can be if treated with the right care and individuals behind and in front of the camera. Even with the increase in detail offered in new formats today which for some older classics only brings their imperfections to the surface, ‘The Godfather Trilogy’ looks clean, beautiful and anything but problematic throughout and these outstanding new restorations really allow these masterpieces to shine more than ever before.

This new 5-disc 4K Ultra HD box set (comprised of 4 UHD discs and 1 Blu-ray bonus disc) for ‘The Godfather Trilogy’ brings all three films home in full 2160p 4K Ultra High Definition with Dolby Vision and HDR-10 on each (the Theatrical and 1991 Extended Versions of ‘The Godfather Part III’ are included on a 4K UHD bonus disc while the newly reworked edition ‘The Godfather, CODA: The Death of Michael Corleone’ is featured on the main disc; although rest assured that the quality is on point for all three versions) that look simply breathtaking across the board, delivering what is surely the best possible quality these iconic films have ever seen, complemented by solid Dolby TrueHD soundtracks and an impressive offering of bonus material both new and old that diehard fans won’t want to miss out on. If you’re fully 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray capable (there are no standard Blu-ray versions of the films included within) and already considering a purchase, then I can’t possibly recommend this release highly enough!

Overall, ‘The Godfather Trilogy’ makes its anticipated 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray debut with this marvelous 5-disc collection that brings home all three films (including all three versions of the third film) in full 2160p Ultra HD with Dolby Vision and HDR-10 that each look downright spectacular across the board. It serves up meticulously remastered presentations that are almost certainly the best these films have ever looked by a good margin, paired with quite great Dolby TrueHD multichannel soundtracks on each and a wealth of bonus content that will have fans drooling. It all comes together into an outstanding box set that if anything only manages to exceed expectations. If you’re fully 4K capable and contemplating a purchase, this wonderful collection will probably be a must own and easily earns one of my highest possible recommendations. It should be safe to say that this will serve as the definitive home entertainment release of this masterful trilogy and dedicated fans should be outright thrilled with what it has to offer.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘The Godfather Trilogy’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10 on all three films (and all three versions of the third) presented in their original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentations look simply stunning all around and deliver sharp, clean and impeccably detailed presentations on each film. The work put into these meticulous restorations is quite obvious and it shines through in nearly every moment of these pretty much perfect 4K presentations complemented by deep blacks (particularly noticeable in many sequences such as the way shadows overtake characters while quietly plotting) and vibrant bright colors such as light blaring through the blinds behind a character near a window, all while still retaining its share of grain from the source material. At the same time every other possible imperfection seems to have been almost entirely eradicated in order to provide what must surely be the best the trilogy has ever looked at home by a good margin.

The Dolby Vision addition only improves on everything from the HDR-10 grading, offering a brighter and slightly sharper presentation with a perfect balance of color and light to dark throughout. Make no mistake, the HDR-10 option looks fantastic across the board, but the Dolby Vision option only makes everything look that much better throughout. If you have the option then I would strongly recommend enabling Dolby Vision for the most impeccable experience possible.

Overall, these are utterly phenomenal 4K Ultra HD presentations for all three films that look better than many would imagine possible, while the Dolby Vision option only makes everything look that much more breathtaking. Fans of this iconic trilogy should be absolutely blown away.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel Dolby TrueHD soundtrack for all three films (and once again for all three versions of the third). The release also offers the option to view the first two films with a Restored English Mono Dolby Digital soundtrack. The multichannel soundtracks for all three films deliver splendidly and offer clean, crisp and well balanced audio presentations on each. They utilize all five available channels throughout in order to send some gunshots, crowd chatter, action effects and more throughout the various speakers when fitting and never resulting in any dialogue or other audio elements becoming distorted or rendered inaudible in the process. Overall, these are quite great 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtracks that sound wonderful throughout without ever getting carried away by trying to make it sound like a modern Hollywood action film and the result should thoroughly please most fans.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘The Godfather Trilogy’ is loaded with an impressive helping of bonus material, much of which is featured on the dedicated Bonus Discs along with a few other extras on the main Feature discs. To help simplify everything I’ve broken down the extras by disc below.

Disc 1 (The Godfather 4K UHD Disc) includes a new ‘Introduction by Francis Ford Coppola’ (running approximately 3 minutes in length), in addition to an ‘Audio Commentary with Francis Ford Coppola’.

Disc 2 (The Godfather Part II 4K UHD Disc) includes an ‘Audio Commentary with Francis Ford Coppola’.

Disc 3 (The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone 4K UHD Disc) includes an ‘Introduction by Francis Ford Coppola’ (running approximately 90 seconds).

Disc 4 (4K UHD Bonus Disc) includes the 1991 Cut (approximately 170 minutes) and the Theatrical Cut (approximately 162 minutes) of ‘The Godfather Part III’ in full 2160p 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Vision/HDR-10 and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio. It also includes an ‘Audio Commentary by Francis Ford Coppola’ on the 1991 cut.

Disc 5 (Blu-ray Bonus Disc) is dedicated solely to extras and features a wealth of bonus content both new and old that fans should appreciate:

The ‘New Features’ included on the disc are ‘Full Circle: Preserving The Godfather’ (running approximately 16 minutes in length), ‘Capturing the Corleones: Through the Lens of Photographer Steve Schapiro’ (running approximately 13 minutes) and ‘The Godfather: Home Movies’ (approximately 9 minutes). Also included are ‘Restoration Comparisons’ which includes ‘The Godfather: Scan Element Comparisons’ (5 minutes) and ‘The Godfather Part II: Scan Element Comparisons’ (5 minutes).

The ‘Legacy Features’ (or previously released) extras on the disc include nearly an hour of ‘Additional Scenes’ which are broken down by their timeline in the story, ranging from 1901-1979, along with a mass of Behind the Scenes Featurettes, interviews and other videos including ‘The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn’t’ (running approximately 30 minutes in length), ‘Godfather World’ (running approximately 11 minutes), ‘Emulsional Rescue – Revealing The Godfather’ (approximately 19 minutes), ‘…When the Shooting Stopped’ (14 minutes), ‘The Godfather On The Red Carpet’ (4 minutes), along with ‘Four Short Films on The Godfather’: ‘GF Vs. GF Part II’, ‘Riffing on the Riffing’ ‘Cannoli’ and ‘Clemenza’ (running approximately 2 minutes apiece). A collection of ‘Additional Material’ is also featured within including the brief tidbits ‘James Caan Screen Test’, ‘The Sopranos’, ‘Puzo “For The Money”, ‘The Godfather Around the World’ and ‘Cosa Nostra & Coppola’. Various Stills Galleries and Interactive extras are also featured including ‘The Corleone Family Tree’, ‘Crime Organization Chart’, ‘Godfather Chronology’, ‘The Filmmakers’ profiles, ‘Connie and Carlo’s Wedding Album’, plus a ‘Behind the Scenes’ section with various videos and facts to be selected within and a general ‘Galleries’ section with various stills broken down by groups. Respective ‘2008 Credits’ and ‘DVD Credits’ are also included.

*Please note: The above images were provided by Paramount and are not reflective of the actual 4K Ultra HD release discs or their quality. No Blu-ray editions of the films were included in the set that could be used for screenshots therefore the above publicity stills were utilized. They are all the property of Paramount and any other potential owners.

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Disc Rating: 10/10

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‘The Godfather Trilogy’ is Now Available to Own Newly Restored on 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray from Paramount Home Entertainment

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