'THE GODFATHER 1902-1959:
The Complete Epic'
(Out of Print Boxed Set version of The Saga)

introduction - behind-the-scenes
synopsis - additional footage

HBO has started to screen an illusive cut of The Godfather that adds a new dimension to the craze of binge TV; it is seven-and-a-half hours long without. The Godfather Epic is made up of The. Hey welcome to another episode of the Movie Monkey.Today we're gonna check out the 7 hour extended version of The Godfather is it worth watching?

The following behind-the-scenes and synopsis text were taken from the program guide from the out-of-print 'The Complete Epic' boxed set

'I always thought of THE GODFATHER as the story of a great king with three sons. The oldest was given his sweet nature and childlike qualities; the second, his passion and aggressiveness; and the third, his cunning and coolness.' [sic.]

—FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA
(Note: This quote was corrected in The Trilogy!)

This quote from the director describes the mythical quality inherent in the story of the Corleone family. Paramount Home Video is proud to present this collector's edition created especially for home video.

Warm and loving. Brutally violent. Stark. Flowing. A compassionate portrayal of family ritual and honor. A shocking inside look at the chieftains of crime.

Such contrasts are part of the fascination of the classic motion pictures THE GODFATHER and THE GODFATHER PART II.

These two brilliant films achieved a fullness of storytelling and characterization seldom matched in the art of cinema. The masterful balance of intense family relationships and the grim business of crime is compelling in its contradictions.

Now the complete uncensored story is available in THE GODFATHER 1902-1959, THE COMPLETE EPIC. Presented especially for the home video audience by Paramount Home Video. It contains all of the footage from the original theatrical productions including scenes never seen on television. Riveting in its fifty-seven year scope, THE GODFATHER 1902-1959, THE COMPLETE EPIC is a very special videocassette program.

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BEHIND THE SCENES

The landmark films The Godfather and The Godfather Part II brought the world a unprecedented chronicle of a Sicilian family's ascension into gangland dominance. Characterized by Time Magazine as having 'the dynastic sweep of an Italian-American 'Gone With the Wind',' the two films stand in motion picture history as masterful evocations of mood, character and story.

Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather was a best-seller many times over when filming began in 1971. Controversy and turmoil surrounded the announcement of the project; protests were lodged by the Italian-American Civil Rights League and by Senators, Congressmen and New York State legislators. Bomb threats and actual intimidation took place. But meetings were held and negotiations reassured many of the querulous, who were convinced to participate in the making of the movie.

It was the task of producer Albert S. Ruddy and director Francis Ford Coppola to assemble the brilliant cast. Marlon Brando was one of the many distinguished actors being considered for the role of Don Vito Corleone, but the feeling for him was not uniformly positive. So eager was Brando for the part that he improvised props and makeup, darkening the shadows under his eyes with shoe polish and stuffing his cheeks with Kleenex, and filmed a private screen test. His classic characterization is one of moviedom's most memorable.

Glamorous and renowned contenders for the crucial supporting roles of the sons were ruled out in favor of lesser-known, more authentic-looking actors: James Caan, John Cazale and young Al Pacino, who skyrocketed to fame with his portrayal of Michael Corleone. Later in PART II, surprise choice Robert De Niro turned in an Oscar-winning performance as the young Vito Corleone. Robert Duvall, Talia Shire, Diane Keaton, Lee Strasberg, Morgana King and many others etched their portraits with great skill to contribute to the epic films. This care in casting extended to the smaller roles and even the extras, all of whom were coached in the atmosphere, mannerisms and attitudes of the times being filmed.

The entire cast inspired each other and plays as a team. Residents of the locales used for filming -- New York's Little Italy, sumptuous Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas, Sicily -- were hired as extras.

Meticulous attention to details of setting, place and time period made both films models of depth and subtle atmosphere. To evoke the texture and variety of each locale, great care was taken to obtain correct costumes, props, cars and even properly-dated posters and handbills.

'It was my intention,' says director-producer-screenwriter Coppola, 'to make this an authentic piece of film about gangsters who were Italian, how they lived, how they behaved, the way they treated their families, celebrated their rituals.' Coppola and Puzo collaborated on the two films' scripts, faithfully maintaining the spirit and complexity of THE GODFATHER.

The rhythm of the film is called by Coppola 'legato, rather than staccato,' easily flowing and building as the stories are developed. This cohesiveness is no small accomplishment, as the chronicle deals with almost three generations, encompassing literally hundreds of characters and complicated story lines.

THE GODFATHER was nominated for ten Academy Awards, winning 'Best Picture of 1972,' and garnered an Oscar for Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo for their screenplay. THE GODFATHER PART II won twelve Academy Award nominations, and was named 'Best Picture of 1974' by the Academy, while Robert De Niro captured the Oscar as 'Best Supporting Actor.'

Francis Ford Coppola's vision paid off. Not only is he the proud possessor of three Oscars, but he created two theatrical feature films that are a permanent part of that rare space reserved in history for true classics.

And now, with this totally unique and uncensored chronological retelling, THE EPIC, Coppola has expanded his horizons and boldly stepped into the exciting, new, intimate world of home video.

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THE STORY

There is the family and there is The Family, and The Godfather is the story of both. Inseparably, it is the story of the rise to power of the Corleone family through the Mafia; and it is the story of the love, pride and honor of those people in their private lives.

It begins with the young Vito (Oreste Baldini), smuggled into New York's Little Italy [in 1901, not 1902!] as an eighth-year-old child, the only survivor of a vendetta against his family in their native Sicily. While a young man learning the various gangland businesses in New York, Vito (De Niro) falls victim to an extortionist, and kills him.

As Vito be

'THE GODFATHER 1902-1959: The Complete Epic' (Out of Print Boxed Set version of The Saga)

'I always thought of THE GODFATHER as the story of a great king with three sons. The oldest was given his sweet nature and childlike qualities; the second, his passion and aggressiveness; and the third, his cunning and coolness.' [sic.]

BEHIND THE SCENES

THE STORY

'THE GODFATHER 1902-1959:
The Complete Epic'
(Out of Print Boxed Set version of The Saga)

The Godfather Epic Hbo