In Contention

Tag: The Godfather Restoration

  • 9/25 Oscarweb Round-up

    The Godfather• Jeffrey Wells talks with legendary Oscar-winning lenser Gordon Willis about “The Godfather Restoration.” [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • Talia Shire discusses same with Alex Simon and Terry Keefe. [The Hollywood Interview]

    • Nikki Finke shits herself with weird fury over the Condon/Mark Oscar news from yesterday, finally admits she has testicles. [Deadline Hollywood Daily]

    • Patrick Goldstein responds to it all, giving that nut-bird credence as a result. [The Big Picture]

    • Tom O’Neil thinks Will Smith would be a fantastic Oscar host.  Naaahh. [Gold Derby]

    • Lynette Rice gets the rumors started with Ricky Gervais as a possibility. [Entertainment Weekly]

    • Roger Moore could care less about his Bond legacy. [The Independent]

    • Michael Moore’s election year freebie. [New York Times]

    • Three films that broke through the “chick flick” barrier. [Test Pattern]

    • Spike Lee and “Miracle at St. Anna” own the local paper this week, starting with a big overview/interview from Tom Roston… [Los Angeles Times]

    • …then a spotlight on hottie starlet Valentina Cervi… [Los Angeles Times]

    • …and finally, John Horn takes the opportunity to wonder whether audiences will care about WWII films this season, with four films yet to come. [Los Angeles Times]

    • Scott Bowles gets a first look at Ridley Scott’s “Body of Lies.” [USA Today]

    • 10 literary classics to turn into blockbusters. [Spout Blog]

  • Some suggestions for Special Edition DVDs

    United Artists' Heaven's GateEvery week, much to the delight of my children, several packages arrive at my door containing DVDs, movies that are not yet released in the home market that I am expected to review. Tough work, ain’t it? Seriously, I would do what I do just for the free movies.

    That said, I have followed the history of DVD very closely and the manner in which several studios double dip with their releases. Most recently we have “The Godfather Restoration,” which is superb, but represents the third such DVD release for these films. The first came in 2001, The Godfather Trilogy, and then each film was released on its own so folks not wanting Part III could pass (sorry Kris).

    Another film that went through many incarnations before the Ultimate Collector’s Edition was “Blade Runner,” though last year’s final release should be the final release. Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now” went through several variations before coming to us in the ultimate edition, minus, of course, “Hearts of Darkness,” the splendid doc about the film’s making. What might have been cool is to see some footage of Harvey Keitel as Willard (if it exists).

    But it all leads me to wonder which films out there deserve a double disc/special edition release.

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  • ‘Godfather Restoration’ on DVD generates excitement

    The Godfather RestorationI wonder if any of us really understands the impact of home entertainment, beginning back in the early 1980s with the advent of the VHS and BETA tapes one could rent to play on new machines known as VCRs.

    My parents, God bless them, bought one right away, perhaps a way to get their eldest son (me), away at college, to come home and visit weekends. I did indeed, and after Dad would pick me up at the bus station, we would stop at the video store and grab 10 or so movies for the weekend.

    I rarely went for new releases.  Instead I chose films that I had seen once on the late show, perhaps, or films of interest I might have heard about.  Sometimes I might even have gone for the films I had never heard a thing about but were directed by someone I recognized or featured an actor I knew.

    I was 19 when I hit university and felt I was pretty well educated cinematically, having seen many films at the rep theaters in town.  I would set my alarm for the late shows, attending showings at the libraries and consuming every book I could find on film. So the advent of the VHS tape was a film lover’s wet dream.

    I watched literally thousands of films at home, over and over, studying them and finding something new each time. When I became a professional critic (when someone finally paid me for it) I made it clear that in addition to reviewing new releases in theatres, I must be permitted to review what was out for the home market.

    The generation of film-goers that followed me me (I am 49) are far better equipped with film knowledge than I was as a teen, but they have seen probably thousands more films than I had seen at that age as well. Furthermore, the special features on DVDs provide audiences with extraordinary knowledge that we were simply never privvy to.

    Yes I know there are disadvantages to home viewing.  Perhaps it has bred bad manners in movie theaters — talking, coming and going, cell phone use — but I still believe that films should be seen on a movie screen whenever possible.

    I am thrilled that Paramount and Francis Ford Coppola have gone back to restore “The Godfather” and “The Godfather Part II” in the upcoming “The Godfather Restoration,” which will also include the film that does not exist in my universe, the wretched “The Godfather Part III.”  Entirely new generations will get to see two of the greatest films ever made, enjoy the insightful commentary and documentaries that come with the set, and hopefully, come to understand that art can also be entertainment.
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