The Godfather Trilogy and The Godfather Saga (1 Viewer)

[Scott Merryfield]

Orson Welles was almost always in need of money. But he never re-cut Citizen Kane in chronological order.

Maybe FFC should have done the wine commercials.

Instead, FFC simply started his own winery.

 

[Tom St Jones]

Sorry to bump a months-old thread, but just wanted to ask Ronald Epstein if he has received any news or heard any rumors, positive or not positive, concerning a possible release in the future for either of these versions?

 

[Sam Favate]

Someday, Paramount is going to realize that repackaging the Godfather films in a Godfather Saga set is another way to monetize the franchise and it will see the light of day. I'm perfectly happy with the Coppola remasters, but I might take a look at a Saga set out of curiosity

 

[Peter Neski]

I strongly doubt that we'll see the television version made available on Blu-ray.
As I understand it, the additional material is all in the deleted material that can be found both in the DVD set and the Blu-ray set.

The movies, in my opinion, work best in the manner in which we have them. Godfather II in particular is meant to be seen in point/counterpoint as the two eras are contrasted throughout.

No There's footage which isn't on that dvd (or in the BR sets) Not to mention they have way better versions of those deleted scenes on those sets

 

[Kevin EK]

What footage is not present in the DVD or Blu-ray sets?

 

[Tom St Jones]

Hard to know the answer to that without owning a copy of the "Saga" or "Trilogy", which I unfortunately don't as yet.

 

[Peter Neski]

What footage is not present in the DVD or Blu-ray sets?

well the scene with the undertaker in his apartment with his wife ,plenty of trims too

 

[texboil]

Hadn't seen anybody else post this, so I will. HBO will begin airing The Godfather Saga in HD this weekend. It is the unedited (unlike AMC) 424-minute version. Haven't seen this for 25 years, so I'll be DVRing. Thanks to The Digital Bits for the heads-up.

 

[JoHud]

I'm guessing there is some sort of odd separate ownership rights to the television cut (aka The Godfather Saga) which is why it wasn't included on home video before. With the HD release, that may change but there may be some rights tie-ups preventing home video distribution. Fingers crossed.


Agreed that I am very interested to see this alternate cut/perspective on the series.

 

[TonyD]

I'm guessing there is some sort of odd separate ownership rights to the television cut (aka The Godfather Saga) which is why it wasn't included on home video before. With the HD release, that may change but there may be some rights tie-ups preventing home video distribution. Fingers crossed.


Agreed that I am very interested to see this alternate cut/perspective on the series.

VHS was/is also home "video". The saga is on vhs if you can find it.

Looks like I picked a bad week to quit HBO.

I cancelled Comcast which gave me free HBO last week,.

 

[TonyD]

Hadn't seen anybody else post this, so I will. HBO will begin airing The Godfather Saga in HD this weekend. It is the unedited (unlike AMC) 424-minute version. Haven't seen this for 25 years, so I'll be DVRing. Thanks to The Digital Bits for the heads-up.

To be more specific it's "The Godfather Epic" airing in a 7h10m timeslot.


I might have to delete most of my dvr and sign up for HBO just to get this.

The HBO GO app has a free month trial but I would like to be able to record it too.



Wasn't there some thought that the "Epic" and the "saga" are two different entities?


I'm actually very excited about this.


According to a godfather wiki the Epic is 386 minutes and the Saga is 434 minutes.

This airing is a 430 minute slot......

 

[Dee Zee]

Hadn't seen anybody else post this, so I will. HBO will begin airing The Godfather Saga in HD this weekend. It is the unedited (unlike AMC) 424-minute version. Haven't seen this for 25 years, so I'll be DVRing. Thanks to The Digital Bits for the heads-up.

Thanks for the heads up. Just switch to FIOS and able to record this on the larger DVRs they offer.

 

[Raul Marquez]

In the LaserDisc days "The Godfather Trilogy 1901-1980" was released with all 3 films in chronological order. Running time (with added scenes) is 583 min! (9 hours 43 min)


I don't know if this was ever released on any other format than laserdisc.


Raul

 

[Charles Smith]

i have that LD box set but have never watched it. (Got it for a song just a few years ago.)

 

[Reed Grele]

This is a curiosity. Yes, I admit to watching the VHS, Laserdisc, and "event for TV versions" of the "saga", or whatever one wishes to call them. And while it doesn't really hurt parts I and III, it completely destroys the flow of part II.


Other than a mild interest in the additional footage, which can just as easily be included, and enjoyed as an extra feature on physical media releases, these "versions" only exist because Mr. Coppola needed $$$$.


It would be the equivalent of Quentin Tarantino making a "special edition" of Pulp Fiction, told in linear time. It just isn't the same.


They got these right the first time. And those are the versions I prefer to watch.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

The first time I saw the Godfather I and II was in the chronological order. I've seen it many more times since in the original theatrical versions. The thing for me is that I find the rise of DeNiro's Vito to be far more entertaining than the fall of Pacino's Michael, so the DeNiro sections completely work for me in chronological order, and tell a compelling story, but watching the Michael parts in order ends up dragging. This is probably heresy but the perfect version of Godfather for me would be the DeNiro sections of Part II followed by all of Part I, and then I'm good to stop.

 

[JoHud]

The thing is Coppola's involvement, monetary or not, gives some legitimacy to this. Perhaps Coppola did want to make the first two movies more chronological, but couldn't because he had to adapt from the book for the first film. Though I doubt this because seeing the rise of Vito Corleone from child to Godfather right off erases much of the mystique about him and his family that the first film gave, and such a situation would have never arisen without getting Coppola to adapt the book in the first place.


However, I speak more in retrospect as I think watching something like the Saga/Epic (full length) works better when you have already experienced the films and perhaps Coppola had interest in experimenting on a chronological Corleone presentation. Sure, the money was also a big motivator, but didn't he technically agree to do The Godfather for the money to start with?

 

[bujaki]

It's an alternate vision, imo, but no longer the masterpieces that THE GODFATHER Part I and Part II are.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

The thing is Coppola's involvement, monetary or not, gives some legitimacy to this.

I agree, it's a legitimate version of the film. It may not be Coppola's preferred version, but he did work on it, and it got an official release. My father has (had?) a beautiful deluxe VHS release that came on three tapes in a nice sturdy box, with a beautiful program and liner notes from Coppola. Doesn't get more legitimate than that

 

[Peter Neski]

Not sure what version HBO is showing sunday ,but they say its the Uncut Epic ,not sure if this is the "Novel for Television "longer cut,or that cut thing they released on home Video ,Maybe hope for a BR