UHD Review A Few Words About A few words about...™ -The Godfather(s) 50th Anniversary Restoration -- in 4k UHD (3 Viewers)

[trajan007]

Watched THE GODFATHER last night. Outstanding transfer. Definitely worth upgrade to 4K.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Watched THE GODFATHER last night. Outstanding transfer. Definitely worth upgrade to 4K.

Thank you so much for letting us know. Really pumped to watch this, but waiting for a price drop before I buy.

 

[Jeffrey D]

Thank you so much for letting us know. Really pumped to watch this, but waiting for a price drop before I buy.

My box o’ junk edition is coming at some point from Amazon. I watched the first film with the commentary playing last week, and I’ll definitely be looking at how the UHD/HDR affects the wedding scene.

 

[TonyD]

Thank you so much for letting us know. Really pumped to watch this, but waiting for a price drop before I buy.

Me too. Cancelled my Amazon order since it didn’t go very low and will stick with the digital versions unless there’s a significant price reduction.

 

[owen35]

IMO, best LD side break was for "Raiders of the Lost Ark".

While digging to find the Well of Souls, Indy goes "that's it" and the movie stops!

Unless my memory is faulty, wasn't there a LD break in GFII when Micheal returns from Cuba and Tom is updating him on the news and Michael goes "What? What is it?" - Side break.

 

[Robert Harris]

Yes Robert, some films I saw many times I know where the reels end, but Godfather films I only saw a few times in the cinemas, and I have completely forgotten how the reels were structured. Cue marks on past transfers (if one exist) can help point out how each reel ends.
It could be fascinating to review The Godfather from this point of view and offer another perspective on these masterpieces.

Here are your reel ends:

1. Shot 120 12-9 MS Int. Day - Brando looks through blinds - turns to Duvall L - walks to FG R

2. Shot 106 3-4 MCU Duvall

3. Shot 151 6-4 MS Duvall

4. Shot 147 123-3 MLS Duvall - Caan seated R - Duvall turns - pan L to inc Castellano FG - Pacino seated

5. Shot 145 166-12 - Optical dupe beginning with newspapers being dropped, ending with VLS Ext. Day - Photographers gather around ambulance

6. Shot 154 10-9 LS Bodyguards and Caan walk to car

7. Shot 106 15-12 LS car in flames - 4 foot fade out

8. Shot 146 28-3 MLS Ext. Day - The Don's garden - Brando seated - Pacino seated FG L BTC

9. Shot 154 9-2 MS Duvall through leaded glass window - turns AFC - walks off L

10. End of film

 

[DVDvision]

You Robert, are a King.

 

[Robert Harris]

You Robert, are a King.

No. Only a general…

 

[ghostwind]

Having now received the Blu-ray variant, everything I was seeing in the 4k tracks as one would expect in HD, without the changes affected by HDR.

The most interesting difference between the 2008 and the 2022 in HD resolution, aside from the newly imagined color and density palette, and re-imagined grain structure, is the difference between 2008 and 2022 compression.

If the 2008 were to be handled with new tech, it would look amazing even at HD level.

While I still prefer the original look and textures of the more technical 2007 restoration, there’s a place for the new one for those grain and gold averse among new viewers.

One more variant could now be issued.

A proper BD / 4k set of the 2007 Technical restoration, for those who would like to re-create the original 1972/1974 theatrical experience, and honor the true miracle of Mr. Willis’ brilliance as a cinematographer.

Having watched the first film all the way through and skimmed around II and III while directly A/B'ing them with the 2008 & 2020 BDs (via two identical players hooked up to different inputs on the same display), I think there was a missed opportunity here, as I can't imagine they will release another 4K set of the 2007 restoration, however much I would want it.

While I can appreciate the work that went into this restoration and the look of the 4K HDR, I can't understand why it was deemed necessary to change the overall white balance/tint to a much more neutral white and move away from Mr. Willis' original intentions. Was it to appear "newer"? Perhaps. That and the somewhat reduced/managed grain are the biggest reservations I have with this new release/restoration. Sure I have my 2008 BDs, but man, how beautiful they could have been in 4K, 10bit color, and a much better encode/compression maintaining the original color balance and grain. To me, it's a shame.

 

[Chewbabka]

Having watched the first film all the way through and skimmed around II and III while directly A/B'ing them with the 2008 & 2020 BDs (via two identical players hooked up to different inputs on the same display), I think there was a missed opportunity here, as I can't imagine they will release another 4K set of the 2007 restoration, however much I would want it.

While I can appreciate the work that went into this restoration and the look of the 4K HDR, I can't understand why it was deemed necessary to change the overall white balance/tint to a much more neutral white and move away from Mr. Willis' original intentions. Was it to appear "newer"? Perhaps. That and the somewhat reduced/managed grain are the biggest reservations I have with this new release/restoration. Sure I have my 2008 BDs, but man, how beautiful they could have been in 4K, 10bit color, and a much better encode/compression maintaining the original color balance and grain. To me, it's a shame.

Is the grain actually reduced/managed relative to the BD, or is it just more accurately (i.e., finely) rendered due to the added realoution and 14 years of progress in video compression? A film need not look like a swarm of mosquitos to have accurate grain.

 

[Vincent_P]

Yeah, I'm definitely seeing real film grain here, but it's very finely resolved. Watching THE GODFATHER right now and it looks gorgeous IMO.

Vincent

 

[sbjork]

Yeah, I'm definitely seeing real film grain here, but it's very finely resolved. Watching THE GODFATHER right now and it looks gorgeous IMO.

Vincent

Ah, but are you enjoying it?

/ducks

 

[Robert Harris]

Important points that should not be lost in this discussion.

My introduction to the films was in 1972 and 1974, via dye transfer prints projected on large screens.

Mr. Willis’ cinematographic design and intent, in concert with Mr. Coppola’s vision were intense, obvious and magnificent. The grain structure and amount of filtration, especially in the old New York sequences, created imagery among the most beautiful ever to hit the silver sheet.

50 years later, with different audiences attuned to different programming, that original look might have viewers wondering if something is wrong, as opposed to understanding the art of the cinema.

My objective in 2007, under the supervision of Mr. Willis, and with Mr. Daviau seated beside me, was to accurately translate the appearance of metal dyes into digital dyes.

We succeeded.

But it must also be understood that motion pictures (art aside) are a business, and business must be willing to bend to the current desires of the public if it to be financially successful.

Personally, while my preference (and heart) remain with the original look (color as well as grain structure), I also want new audiences to experience and appreciate these films - and if it takes a certain neutralization of the palette and digital adaptation of grain to bring in those audiences, then it is something against which we cannot argue.

Bottom line - a few digital anomalies aside - the new look and texture is not only easily accepted by many older viewers, but will go completely beneath the radar for new viewers.

And most important - it has been approved by Mr. Coppola.

 

[ghostwind]

Is the grain actually reduced/managed relative to the BD, or is it just more accurately (i.e., finely) rendered due to the added realoution and 14 years of progress in video compression? A film need not look like a swarm of mosquitos to have accurate grain.

A bit of both. Mr. Harris' reply touches above touches on this, that, and the other.

 

[Robert Harris]

Is the grain actually reduced/managed relative to the BD, or is it just more accurately (i.e., finely) rendered due to the added realoution and 14 years of progress in video compression? A film need not look like a swarm of mosquitos to have accurate grain.

Grain is accurately rendered on the 2008 Blu-ray.

 

[Kyle_D]

My objective in 2007, under the supervision of Mr. Willis, and with Mr. Daviau seated beside me, was to accurately translate the appearance of metal dyes into digital dyes.

We succeeded.

But it must also be understood that motion pictures (art aside) are a business, and business must be willing to bend to the current desires of the public if it to be financially successful.

This raises all sorts of interesting conversations about how aesthetics in art are an alchemy of:

1. Deliberate artistic decisions (and the hierarchy of decision-making authority among artistic collaborators)
2. The strengths, features, and limitations of available technology
3. Economic and other practical realities, including audience expectations

We tend to focus entirely on 1., without considering how 1. can be influenced by 2. and 3., and vice versa.

 

[Reed Grele]

Very happy to report that If you are one of the fans that stay in your seat watching the credits and enjoying the sumptuous musical score all the way to the very end, you'll be happy to learn that the missing (since the 2008 BD) 10 second music chord at the very end of The Godfather Part II has been reinstated.

 

[Chewbabka]

Grain is accurately rendered on the 2008 Blu-ray.

Please don’t think I was calling the 2008 BD a swarm of mosquitos. I have no recollection of what the grain looks like there… it’s just some internet people assume that if it’s not overtly and coarsely grainy, it’s “wrong.”

Merely asking ghostwind what was so different about this release, as I’ve not heard anything about the grain being “wrong” on this release and saw nothing untoward in the theater the other week.

 

[Britton]

"This is the business we've chosen." - Robert A. Harris

 

[John Gilmore]

The jaded and pessimistic part of me thinks that studios make these slight changes to color, etc, so they can re-sell it to us for the 60th Anniversary with "Original Color Grading Restored"