The Godfather transfer (1 Viewer)

[Mark Zimmer]

I have to say I'm certainly pleased to see this post. I've long been dreading what these DVDs would look like, given Mr. Harris' past comments about the condition of the negative and the poor job done on the recent restoration. I bought them anyway, but have been reluctant to actually watch the discs. I can now go ahead happily, and without trepidation. Many thanks, Mr Harris!!!
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"This movie has warped my fragile little mind."

 

[Alex Shk]

Just chiming in - these discs will not disappoint. It is unfair to compare reference quality DVD's with The Godfather. Suffice to say that it has never looked better since it's initial theatrical release, and if you enjoy quality filmmaking - you will be so immersed after the first 20 minutes that the minor (I stress minor) flaws will not even raise an eyebrow.
We all have discs which allow us to show others the capability of our systems. Somehow I still think most of our friends would rather we show them these discs than the crystal clear images and house rocking thunder of futuristic warriors killing space bugs.
But maybe I'm wrong.....?
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[William DAnnucci]

Dear Mr. Harris,
I have been a fan of your work for a number of years. Thank you particularly for your restoration of Vertigo and Rear Window! I posted the following at another thread, regarding the new sound mix on the first two Godfathers. I was wondering if we could have you comments on this, as I feel the Godfather sound mix is just about as important as the image...
I own the letterboxed LD editions of Godfather I & II and I am very concerned about the "revisionist" sound mix that was on the digital tracks of those LDs. The sound mix on Godfather I was very hollow sounding, with new suped-up digital stereo sound effects that did not blend at all with with this classic film. I had to put on the analog track to hear the movie I grew up with.
I have not heard enough about the sound on the DVDs. I am hoping that they have used the original sound from the film, with none of these 90s stereo sound effects. Can anyone tell me in detail how the sound is and if it has been radically altered? This may affect whether I decided to upgrade my Godfathers to DVD.
All my best,
Bill

 

[Rain]

I must admit that I was scratching my head as I watched The Godfather and The Godfather Part II this weekend. I had read quite a few quibbles about the transfer (though the criticism appeared to really be aimed at the source material), but noticed no problems myself.
Considering their age, the state of the surviving elements, etc., I thought the discs looked terrific. I'm much more bothered by things like shimmering artifacts and such than with a few flecks of dust on the source material and I didn't notice any problems like that here.
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"Imagine all the people, living life in peace..." - Imagine by John Lennon
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[Blu]

The Godfather transfer looks amazing for me with all things considered. I think for the most part the people who are complaining about the transfer (generally not specifically) want to find something wrong to show their "trained DVD eye"
or just want something to complain about.
I am happy to own these movies on DVD and am happy with the quality. If you don't like them sell'em. Vote with your dollars.

 

[James Miller]

I'm of the mind that a the evaluation/rating of a transfer should take into account the age of the film as well as the quality of the transfer itself. (ie: one might give a five star rating to both Citizen Kane and Fifth Element Superbit)
That in mind I was extremely impressed (and surprised) by the quality of the Godfather 1 and 2 transfers. I would give both a solid 4 stars/A-.
On the other hand, all things being equal, I found Godfather 3 to be surprisingly poor. Not only was the transfer simply weaker than parts 1 and 2, (soft, grainy) but it simply should have been better given the age of the film/notoriously poor preservation of the elements of Parts 1 & 2) I'd give this presentation a not so solid 2 stars/C-.
Too bad after being blown away-in a positive way- after all of the low expectations of 1 and 2 to be equally blown away by the sub-standard presentation of Part 3.

 

[Scott Weinberg]

Aside from some very minor complaints about the packaging, I couldn't be more happy with this set. After reading several complaints about the picture quality, I went back for a second look and all I can say is mine looks great. I hope everyone else is as pleased with this set as I am.
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Scott Weinberg
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http://members.home.net/scott2915/_vti_txt/ofcs

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

I'm of the mind that a the evaluation/rating of a transfer should take into account the age of the film as well as the quality of the transfer itself.

More important than the age of the film is something trickier: the aesthetic intent. If you are dealing with Gordon Willis photography, for instance, running it through a massive grain reduction filter, however sophisticated, will likely alter the way the film looks. The light areas of the frame are lit just enough to be clear, with the dark areas less resolved (Heaven forbid an actor would miss their mark!). Films that use lots of deep focus shots lend themsleves more readily to de-graining, but post-processing, even they can wind up looking more like hi-def video than film.
Regards,
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Ken McAlinden
Livonia, MI USA

 

[Michael Reuben]

On the other hand, all things being equal, I found Godfather 3 to be surprisingly poor. Not only was the transfer simply weaker than parts 1 and 2, (soft, grainy) but it simply should have been better given the age of the film/notoriously poor preservation of the elements of Parts 1 & 2)

Well, the elements for part III are in better shape. There's almost none of the print damage that people are complaining about in I and II. Yes, it looks grainier than the first two films, but that has to do with the color scheme and photographic style, not the age of the film. As Ken rightly points out, the grain could probably be reduced, but at the cost of sacrificing some of the film's intended look.
People constantly assume that grain = bad transfer. Ain't necessarily so.
M.

 

[Craig Crane]

- Michael and Fredo are having a little "chat" in the house by lake Tahoe.
To me, this is a great scene, shot superbly. The stark contrast between the light outside, and the darkness within is a true pleasure. I just cant wait to hear about how such and such forum member spent all night adjusting contrast and brightness to "fix" that scene.
The GF box set is as best your gona get these film for a long time. Far better than the LD set that was released 4 years ago.
All you haters and detracters out there should watch the supplimentals and then get a better idea of how this film was made, why it was made and the appling situations its maker was working under.
Don't just assume that because a film is muddy and dark that it is a crappy transfer.
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Link Removed

 

[Grant Degs]

I just watched the Godfather on DVD for the first
time. I thought the transfer was very good but I
have one question.
The indoor scenes were very dark. Almost so dark
that I couldn't make out what was going on. I never
remember these scenes being this dark when I watched
it before on cable or VHS. Is this how they are
supposed to be or do I need to tweek my TV? I also
noticed a lot of contrast in these scenes. The faces
were almost glowing in the dark it seemed.
Could I have gotten a bad disk? Any thoughts or
advice from those more experienced would be
appreciated
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Looking forward to May of 2002

 

[Richard Kim]

Grant- take a look at the Gordon Willis on Photography featurette on the extras disc.
I definitely agree that the Michael confronting Fredo scene in part 2 looks incredible.
I finally got a chance to see part 3 and was disappointed with the transfer compared to the first 2. In particular, when Michael and Kay are at Don Tommasino's place eating, the color in the scene seemed to change back and forth repeatedly. Anyone else notice this?
[Edited last by Richard Kim on October 16, 2001 at 09:45 AM]

 

[Michael Reuben]

In particular, when Michael and Kay are at Don Tommasino's place eating, the color in the scene seemed to change back and forth repeatedly. Anyone else notice this?

Yes, it's been commented on by a number of people. I seem to remember this being a problem in prior versions, which suggests that the source material may be damaged in some fashion.
M.

 

[Dave H]

Grant,
I noticed that some detail was a bit too dark to make out in some of the indoor scenes. However, I don't recall the contrast being off too much. Make sure you have your brightness and contrast levels are set properly by using Avia or Video Essentials.

 

[Robert Harris]

There are transfer and then there are transfers.
In many cases the owner of a title will supply the film
to television, only to have someone adapt it more to their
liking.
This occurred historically with "Vertigo," which was ALWAYS
broadcast much brighter than by design. There are folks out there in TV land who feel that one should see everything, even if that's not the case.
For that reason it is difficult, if not impossible to make sense of various "versions" of the same film seen in different video venues.
RAH

 

[Richard Kim]

From Roger Ebert's Great Movies column:

Gordon Willis' cinematography is celebrated for its darkness; it is rich, atmospheric, expressive. You cannot appreciate this on television because the picture is artificially brightened.

 

[Rob Tomlin]

I watched this last night. I rented it via Netflix. Just let me say that if anyone was considering purchasing this set but decided not to because of the negative reviews regarding the video transfer, you need to pick this up!
I don't understand the negative comments about the transfer! It looked great! Yes, there was some dirt in certain scenes, but not excessive. The colors were great. The picture was reasonably sharp. Overall a very good transfer of an absolutely great movie!