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(Available Feb 28)
THE GODFATHER CHRONOLOGICAL EPIC 1901-1980
Clocking in at 9 hrs and 43 minutes, The Chronological Edit of Francis Ford Coppola's classic films has finally been restored in Widescreen 16x9 DVD's.
In 1977, while trying to secure funds for APOCALYPSE NOW, Francis Ford Coppola convinced the NBC TV Network to run a new version of THE GODFATHER and THE GODFATHER PART II edited together into a chronological order called THE GODFATHER SAGA - A NOVEL FOR TELEVISION (434 minutes). To expand the length over four nights, Coppola added over 75 minutes of new scenes into the film, including several outtakes used for additional opening/ending title sequences. Due to television restrictions at the time, many scenes of violence and language were censored.
A shorter version of THE GODFATHER SAGA (386 minutes) was released on VHS tape in 1982. After the release of THE GODFATHER PART III, Coppola and editors Barry Malkin and Walter Murch constructed a new chronological edit called THE GODFATHER TRILOGY 1901-1980 (583 minutes). This version was released to VHS and LaserDisc in 1992 and is out-of-print. While many new scenes appeared in this version, several from the TV SAGA were still not included.
What kind of fanedit: TF
original film name: The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, The Godfather Part III
new film name : The Godfather Chronological Epic 1901-1980
film studio name : Paramount
Date Original Film Was Released : 1972/1974/1990
Date Edit Was Released : 2011
Original Runtime : 175m/200m/170m
New Runtime : 9hrs 43min
Amount of time Cut/Added : 45 minutes
Your intention for this fanedit:
To re-create The Godfather Chronological Saga using all available footage with the Widescreen Restoration Versions + Deleted Scenes + LaserDisc.
Why is this a FanEdit?
This Chronological Epic remains a "fanedit" due to the addition of Deleted Scenes not in the 1992 LaserDisc cut, new title cards and date title cards between the films, the inclusion of the Alternate Opening for Godfather Part III and a new Alternate Ending Montage.
This is intended to be longest and most complete chronological version of the Saga.
Cuts removed/added/extended :
--Added new title card at beginning: "The Godfather Part I"
--Added new Date Title Cards as the story progress through the years.
--Added Kay praying and lighting the candles and at end of Part I
and dissolved to Michael having his hand kissed in Part II.
--Created new musical interludes between each film.
--Added new Title Card: "The Godfather Part II"
--Used the Alternate Opening for Godfather Part III
--All Deleted Scenes from the DVD Collection were used.
--Several shots from the LaserDisc version were used.
--Added new memory montage at the end that shows each Corleone family
member with their name + birth/death date and scored using "Coda" from The Godfather Part III soundtrack (replacing "Cavalleria Rusticana")
--Added title card at end: "MICHAEL CORLEONE 1920-1997"
--Added new title card at end: The Godfather The Chronological Epic 1901-1980
--Added a mixture of End Titles from all three films.
Fanedit details:
DVD Information:
4 x NTSC - DUAL LAYER 16x9 DVD 5.1 Dolby Digital
1. Main Menu with Music
2. Play Button
Hardware and software information:
--Final Cut Pro
--DVD Studio Pro
--Encoded at 6.5 mbps
Time needed for the edition: 3 days
Persons involved: 1
Additional Comments:
--A BIG THANKS to FanFiltration and the remarkable 5 DVD LaserDisc rip with Deleted Scenes added. After watching that version, I decided to tackle a Widescreen Restored Version, since the quality of the recent DVD set is superior to the LaserDisc versions.
--Since all Deleted Scenes are presented in FULL FRAME 1.33, they have been sized to match the Widescreen 1.85 aspect ratio, adding black bars to the sides of the picture.
--To keep from abruptly cutting from Part I to Part II to Part III, a musical interlude against a black screen was added between each film, with a Title Card presenting each new chapter.
--In the TV SAGA version, Coppola incorporated deleted scenes shot for THE GODFATHER of Kay praying for Michael and lighting candles in church. However, instead of placing the scene after the evens of the first film (as in the novel, where the scene takes place), Coppola instead placed the scene at the end of PART II, running the end credits over the scene. Some Godfather fans had issues with Kay praying for Michael after the events in PART II, with the footage clearly of a younger Kay. In order to maintain the chronological edit of events, this scene has be re-placed at the end of PART I, after a short music interlude over black screen.
--Since this edit is intended to be a chronological edit, the Alternate Opening Sequence for Godfather Part III was used. Coppola had intended to open the film on the business deal with Michael and the Archbishop (notice the same zoom out shot used from Part I), but later was convinced by editor Walter Murch to open the film on family instead of business. The scene was moved to 30 minutes later in the film. By moving the scene back to the beginning, the scenes that follow with the Archbishop giving Michael the award and the behavior at the party celebrations play very differently.
--Since the quality of the Alternate Opening for Godfather Part III is in a rough workprint quality, only the first part of the Alternate Opening shot was used, then it cuts directly to the rest of the restored scene and plays as normal.
--In Godfather Part III, a dissolve was added on the flashback to Michael watching Fredo's death back to Michael receiving the award.
--About the new Alternate Ending Montage: At the end of Part III, we see a flashback montage of Michael dancing with the 3 women in his life, set to the music of "Cavalleria Rusticana" (also famous from "Raging Bull"). For Part III as a stand-alone film, this was fine, but it also seemed like a choice made out of not wanting to pay actors to re-use their images in Part III (Brando, DeNiro, Duvall, Caan). When viewing the entire Saga, at the end, it seemed appropriate to include images from members of the family who had died. A new Michael Memory Montage was created at the end that shows images of each Corleone family member (Vito, Sonny, Tom, Fredo) with their name + birth/death date and scored using "Coda" from The Godfather Part III soundtrack (replacing "Cavalleria Rusticana"). When the montage dissolves to old Michael sitting in the chair, the images of him dancing with Mary, Appolonia and Kay are seen. Then as Michael dies alone, a final title card is presented "MICHAEL CORLEONE 1920-1997" to inform the audience when Michael died and keeping with the visual theme of showing the dates the events took place.
The Godfather Chronological Epic 1901-1980