Having announced last month that Francis Ford Coppola’s has recut The Godfather: Part III in line with his original vision for the movie, Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment has now revealed that the film – titled Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone – is set for a Blu-ray release and digital release on December 8th; check out the cover artwork and details here…
“Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone is an acknowledgement of Mario’s and my preferred title and our original intentions for what became The Godfather: Part III,” said Coppola. “For this version of the finale, I created a new beginning and ending, and rearranged some scenes, shots, and music cues. With these changes and the restored footage and sound, to me, it is a more appropriate conclusion to The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II and I’m thankful to Jim Gianopulos and Paramount for allowing me to revisit it.”
Just in time for the 30th anniversary of The Godfather: Part III, director/screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola has re-edited the final film in his epic Godfather trilogy. This new version, entitled Mario Puzo’s THE GODFATHER, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, achieves Coppola and screenwriter Puzo’s original vision for the finale, which has been meticulously restored for the finest presentation of the Corleone saga’s last chapter.
Coppola and his production company American Zoetrope worked from a 4K scan of the original negative to undertake a painstaking, frame-by-frame restoration of both the new Mario Puzo’s THE GODFATHER, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone and the original The Godfather: Part III. In order to create the best presentation possible, Zoetrope and Paramount’s restoration team began by searching for over 50 original takes to replace lower resolution opticals in the original negative. This process took more than six months and involved sifting through 300 cartons of negative. American Zoetrope worked diligently to repair scratches, stains, and other anomalies that could not be addressed previously due to technology constraints, while enhancements were made to the original 5.1 audio mix.
The Blu-ray presentation will include the newly restored and re-edited film, an exclusive introduction by Coppola, and access to a Digital copy of the film.
Are you looking forward to Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone? Do you think Coppola can deliver a finale worthy of the first two movies? Let us know on our social channels @flickeringmyth…
