Godfather: Don Vito's Opus, The

Many years ago I had seen a chronological fan edit with my friends, in SD quality. I remember loving it but also thinking that it was amateurish compared to the original trilogy - sorta okay HD-ish quality most of the time, variable audio quality, decent-enough-but-still-jarring transitions from mainline HD footage to a deleted scene ripped from a VHS. It was decently put together, the best that could be expected from footage cobbled together with consumer editing software, but it wasn't really an immersive experience in the way that the OT was.

Then two years ago I heard that there was an updated chronological fan edit, THE definitive edit with more footage and a professional patina. Seeing it became sort of a bucket list item, and I finally got around to seeing it not too long ago. What I heard was right. This is THE definitive edit indeed. It genuinely feels like something you would see in a theater, not a curiosity scraped from the internet of yesteryear. I still think the first time anyone sees The Godfather should be the original cut (to get the juxtaposition between Michael and Vito), but this cut plus 75 minutes of additional footage is absolutely required viewing if you consider yourself a Godfather fan.

I can't recommend this edit highly enough. I loved seeing the additional material in HD and watching the movies in a chronological order gave me a whole new level of enjoyment. My kids and I usually get together and watch The Godfather Movies every year for Thanksgiving break and I can't wait to show them the Wraith edits so they can experience the movies in a whole new way.

A much more epic and full version of the story, that does lose some of its more visually potent editing moments due to its linear storytelling. However, if you've already seen the original film and want to see it in a new light I think this cut is absolutely spectacular, as it really does feel like an entirely different experience! While I can't say I particularly liked it better than the original version of the film, I certainly appreciated what the extra scenes added and found the more direct approach to be a super unique way to view the story.

Starting with Vito's backstory did make the story feel more sprawling, but at the same time it made the pacing feel a tad slower. Going back and watching this chronologically, I never realized how much heavy lifting the editing does in the second film. The Michael portion of the story is so damn tense and fast-paced that the film feels like a breeze, and when we switch to Vito, it just feels like a welcome breather that plays and foils nicely with Michael's section. However, this cut portrays the story in a much grander sense as we have to sit and wait for the Corleone's to grow and become the cutthroat killers we know them as. It's great for seeing how stark the difference is between Vito, Sonny, and Michael's rein as Godfather, but it also makes each section feel very defined and separated from one another. Some of the extra stuff felt super necessary to the characters and/or certain storylines, particularly some of the flairs they added to Carlo's abusive and hateful treatment towards Connie. However, I strangely found the recut itself to be more jarring and eye-opening than some of the newly added scenes!

This version keeps the story straightforward for those who were confused by the time jumps, but it also takes away some of the experimental depth of comparing and contrasting the three Godfathers in the way Coppola intended. It's well worth the time for avid fans of the series, but newcomers will likely want to check out the original version before seeing this one so you don't miss some of the visual storytelling done in the editing that's lost in this version. If you're curious about seeing the TV Mini-Series version of the film like I was, however, this is easily the best version to watch due to how definitive and well-researched every addition is, not to mention that it's uncensored.

I love the original trilogy, but Don Vito's Opus adds a lot more context with its deleted scenes, especially during Michael's visit to Sicily.

Also, the chronological layout and the inclusion of a few extra scenes made me empathize with Vito more than I did in the original versions, where he seemed colder (at least to me).

Thanks to Wraith and I highly recommend watching this.

I watched The Godfather Saga on TV many years ago and I always thought this was a great experience after having watched the movies individually. I waited for an official release but unfortunately it was never released. Alas, I found this edit and I can say that it is the best way to watch the saga in my opinion.

I sincerely appreciate the effort and love put into making something like this, so that we can enjoy the experience. For that, many thanks to the creator and everyone that helped creating this version.