The Godfather transfer (1 Viewer)

[Nate Anderson]

Personally, I feel that The Godfather 2 has the best transfer of all...very, very nice.
They look the best they ever have though.
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[Carlo_M]

Thank you for your opinion on the discs. As I posted in other threads, I too felt that the presentation was pretty darned good. Of course not perfect, but far from the "THIS IS TERRIBLE" outcries that rang out as soon (and even before) this disc streeted!

 

[ErichH]

I have no problem with the overall quality of the films . I always have a lot of tollarance for old films . I do have to crank up the brightness though - Some chapters are just BLACK - the overall transfer looks as though it would fare better on a really big rear projection screen , where blacks are harder to deal with . My 43 sony looks like I just turned the picture & brightness all the way down .
Guess I'm such a big fan of the Godfather series , that I feel lucky to have them on DVD in ANY form .
I agree , Zeotrope mixed the color for effect , and that's OK .
Eric

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

quote: My 43 sony looks like I just turned the picture & brightness all the way down.[/quote]I know that there is an adjustment you can make in the service menu of some of the tube Sony's (such as WEGAs) that improves the black level retention and helps a lot with dimly lit scenes. You may want to ask around in the TVs and projectors area if this is an issue with your TV and if so, how it can be adjusted. Then again, for all I know, you've had your (projection, I assume) TV ISF calibrated and optimized, but it made a world of difference on my WEGA, so I thought I would mention it.
Regards,
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Ken McAlinden
Livonia, MI USA
[Edited last by Ken_McAlinden on October 13, 2001 at 11:58 PM]

 

[Romier S]

I have to chime in and say that if you can actually sit there and say you were able to pay attention to the tranfer.....YOUR NUTS! It's been almost 3 years since I have seen The Godfather and let me tell you what they have only gotten that much better with time. I was so caught up in the emotion and the story that the transfer could have looked like S*&%T and I wouldnt have given a damn!
That said I went though a couple of chapters for all three movies taking a close look at the transfer (After first watching all three movies

) and I dont know what anyone is complaining about. This is the absolute best these movies have ever looked. My only complaint is that the transfer can be very dark at times which forced me to bump my brightness up but besides that....Paramount has done an exceptional job here. Part 3 certainly seems to have the worst transfer. It seems very soft to my eyes. As stated above 2 does seem to benefit from the best transfer of the bunch (especially the daylight Florida and Cuba scenes). Again I can't understand what people are complaining about. These films look wonderful!
[Edited last by Romier S on October 13, 2001 at 11:21 PM]
[Edited last by Romier S on October 13, 2001 at 11:22 PM]

 

[ErichH]

Guess I should have mentioned that my TV looks just fine with everything else in my collection .
Blacks are as good as they can be with the set . Again , I'm pleased to have the GF movies in my
collection , but I've seen them many times on Broadcast / Satelite , and never noticed the interior
scenes getting so dark that the actors look like shadows . It happened a few times in GF 2 . I didn't
notice anything wrong with GF 1 .
No one has mentioned the possibility of bad runs of these films , and I've had 1 or 2 ocassions when
I returned a DVD and my second copy acted fine . It is possible , you know . I have in my possesion , a
DVD that Was factory sealed(supposedly) a DTS Private Ryan and inside it's a normal DD disk / also
a DVD - The Big Chill , again sealed and proper printing on the keep case & Disk , and when you hit
play - supprise !!! , it's The Mask Of Zorro ....???? Stuff happens , so I take these thoughts into
consideration when I judge . Perhaps I'll exchange my copy of the GFC and see what happens .
Eric

 

[Rob W]

Everyone here should get a copy of the wonderful documentary VISIONS OF LIGHT and you can see Gordon Willis himself - referred to as "The Prince of Darkness" - talking about the cinematography of THE GODFATHER and allowing how maybe he underlit a little too much in certain scenes. Said scenes are used in this documentary too ( carefully transferred ) and they ARE too dark.
Seems to me he has the final say on this one.....

 

[Stephen Straub]

What I want to know is what's wrong with the audio on GF I. The dialog gets so harsh at times you can hear it crack. At first I thought my center speaker had blown; had to check it with another DVD. Is this the best they can do with the audio?

 

[Ernest]

Robert Harris is right on the transfers for all three (3) DVD's are excellent. These are dark murky movies that are shot almost entirely indoors. Capolla did a masterful job of creating the dark murky images which add so much to the movie.

 

[Michael Reuben]

Everyone here should get a copy of the wonderful documentary VISIONS OF LIGHT and you can see Gordon Willis himself - referred to as "The Prince of Darkness" - talking about the cinematography of THE GODFATHER and allowing how maybe he underlit a little too much in certain scenes.

No need! That portion of Visions of Light is included on disc 4 of The Godfather set.
(Not that I'd want to discourage anyone from seeking out the whole documentary. It's an essential resource for every film enthusiast.)
M.

 

[Jerry Gracia]

The last time I watched the GODFATHER films was about 6 years ago on VHS.
When I watched THE GODFATHER on DVD, I was totally engrossed in this film. What a piece of film making THE GODFATHER is...I have more appreciation for these fims than ever.
The transer was quite good givin the films age.
Some of us want PERFECT all of the time...how do you guys get through life with that attitude.
...and to complain over DVD packaging!?
I have learned to just ignore ridiculous threads/posts here lately.
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LuvLBX

 

[Zack Scott]

I have now compleated my Godfather Odyssey and I gotta say this is the best these films have looked in quite some time. I used to have the first two on VHS and oh my god they were terrible. These tranfers are better that I've ever seen the Godfather.
If you have any doubt about these tranfers...take a look at the Documentary included with the DVD's "The Godfather: A look inside". In that Documentary is what The first two films looked like circa 1990. ANd you know what they looked like...crap.
This tranfer is great and I'm extramly happy that my DVD collection is soon to be coming to a close.

 

[Dave H]

So many of us - particulary myself - are expecting reference quality transfers on every movie, regardless of other factors.
While one should always strive for best or ideal transfer, obviously it's not always going to happen and it's not always possible to obtain A+ quality.
I really don't see a good reason not to be happy with Godfather after looking at it from this angle.

 

[PatrickM]

I, just like any other HTF member, wants a great transfer and perfect sound. I have to admit that I am guilty of purchasing DVD's which were bad movies but were excellent transfers and audio (Driven for example).
But, in cases like this when a film is so incredibly good, I can overlook minor issues. Its not like the Godfather is Starship Troopers. We'd have reason to be pissed if Troopers had a bad transfer and sound but when your watching the likes of GF 1 and 2 you should be so engrossed in the dialogue and performances that minor blemishes shouldn't even be noticed.
Just my opinion,
Patrick
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My DVD Collection
Patrick The 69th most popular name for boys according to the Social Security Administration.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

I wasn't alive when the original Godfathers were released, so all I have to go by is the VHS copies I've seen. All I can say is that the DVD's are significant improvement over them. I'm sure a happy camper now that I've gotten this set

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[Ken_McAlinden]

Can you imagine what people will be saying about McCabe and Mrs. Miller if it ever gets a DVD release? Damn Grain! Damn Washed out Color!

Also, I am surprised we have not seen more "My O Brother Where Art Thou Looks too Brown" threads.

Regards,
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Ken McAlinden
Livonia, MI USA

 

[Matt Perkins]

Without a professional appreciation for the mortality of film, it is probably impossible for any of us to understand the "magic" necessary to make the Godfather films look as wonderful as they do on DVD. Thank you, Mr. Harris, for continually coming back to give us this perspective. I was terrified to watch the discs for the first time this weekend, after the dismal words on this forum.
... and I was AMAZED at how perfect it looked! It looked just like in the theater, just like film (i.e., colors were subtle and dark, blues & reds weren't "pumped up", edges weren't edges at all but just changes of texture), and just BREATHTAKING. That anyone could be dissatisfied with this, specks/scratches or not, baffles me.
Film is mortal, folks. You people who own this set have a permanent, portable archive of these films like the world has never seen. Appreciate it, will ya?
The fact that a vocal and stubborn few don't quite "get it" is, well, kinda like everything else in life.

 

[Matt Butler]

I havent recieved my GF set yet. I will this week (my b-day present :bg so I havent seen the set yet but Im not too worried about it. I do feel that people bitch WAY TOO MUCH when it comes to DVD releases.
Thanks to RAH for setting the record straight regarding this issue and the Mad World issue as well. Im sure im not the only one who appreciates his presence here.

 

[Matt Butler]

I havent recieved my GF set yet. I will this week (my b-day present

) so I havent seen the set yet but Im not too worried about it. I do feel that people bitch WAY TOO MUCH when it comes to DVD releases.
Thanks to RAH for setting the record straight regarding this issue and the Mad World issue as well. Im sure im not the only one who appreciates his presence here.

 

[Steven K]

Well, I made it a Godfather weekend... watched the entire trilogy on DVD. I'm impressed with the transfers overall. There were some moments in part 3 that I thought could have been done a little better, but overall, the transfers are very well done. Now I cant wait to check out the supplemental disc...