(aka "Der Pate Teil II" or "El padrino parte II" or "Il Padrino parte II" or "Le Parrain 2č partie")

directed by Francis Ford Coppola
USA 1974

The Godfather (1972) had been such a box-office and critical sensation, that Paramount Studios wanted to make a follow-up quickly. Francis Ford Coppola, who had directed the first film, was not interested because the studio had nearly fired him from the first production several times. He suggested Martin Scorsese but Paramount refused. Coppola finally gave in when the studio agreed to his demands. Those demands were: "[T]hat the sequel be interconnected with the first film with the intention of later showing them together; that he be allowed to direct his own script of The Conversation (1974); that he be allowed to direct a production for the San Francisco Opera; and that he be allowed to write the screenplay for The Great Gatsby (1974) - all prior to production of the sequel for a Christmas 1974 release." Coppola later remembered, "I looked at the calendar and realized that I had three months to write a two-hundred-page screenplay for Godfather II (1974), and then go right into pre-production."

Coppola's idea for the sequel would be to "juxtapose the ascension of the family under Vito Corleone with the decline of the family under his son Michael…I had always wanted to write a screenplay that told the story of a father and a son at the same age. They were both in their thirties and I would integrate the two stories…In order not to merely make Godfather I over again, I gave Godfather II this double structure by extending the story in both the past and in the present.".

Excerpt from TCM located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: December 12th, 1974 - USA

Reviews    More Reviews  DVD Reviews

DVD Comparison:

Paramount (Coppola Restoration) - Region A Blu-ray - NTSC vs. Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC vs.  Paramount (UK) - Region 2 - PAL

Big thanks to Ole Kofoed and Gregory Meshman for the SD-DVD Screen Caps!

1) Paramount (The Coppola Restoration) - Region A - Blu-ray - LEFT

2) Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC - MIDDLE

3) Paramount - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT

 

DVD Box Covers

DVD Box Covers

Distribution

Paramount - 1080P

Region A  - Blu-ray

Paramount

Region 1  - NTSC

Paramount (UK)
Region 2 - PAL

Individual review and separate comparisons to SD-DVD:

 

Runtime 3:22:06 3:20:21 3:11:58 (PAL Speedup)
Video

1.78:1 Aspect Ratio

1080P - Dual-layered Blu-ray
Average Bitrate: 28.0 mb/s

1.78:1 Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: Disc 1: 7.60 mb/s , Disc 2: 7.57 mb/s
NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s

1.78:1 Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: Disc 1: 7.89 mb/s , Disc 2: 7.87 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

Blu-ray

NO BITRATE GRAPH FOR BLU-RAY YET

Bitrate:

Region 1


Bitrate:

 

Region 2

 


Audio English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English: Dolby Digital Mono
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English Dolby Digital 5.1, French DD 2.0 mono.

English Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles English SDH, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, none English or none English, English for the Hearing Impaired, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian Finnish or none.
Features Release Information:
Studio: Paramount

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

1080P - Dual-layered Blu-ray

Edition Details:
• Commentary by Francis Ford Coppola

DVD Release Date: September 23rd, 2008

Thick Blu-ray Case inside cardboard box
Chapters 23

Release Information:
Studio: Paramount

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1

Edition Details:
• Commentary by Francis Ford Coppola.

DVD Release Date: October 9, 2001
Chapters 30

Release Information:
Studio: Paramount (UK)

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1

Edition Details:
• Commentary by Francis Ford Coppola.

DVD Release Date: October 8, 2001

Chapters 23

Comments: NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were ripped directly from the Blu-ray disc.

 

Firstly, we intended to review this entire Blu-ray 'Coppola Restoration' package fully (as well as the supplemental 4th disc) but as interest is so high on these titles - we have also decided to compare them to the original SD releases first - as well as the SD-DVD 'Restoration' when it arrives. Stay tuned.

 

As for the middle entry in the series, the dual-layered second Blu-ray, taking up 46.6 GB for the 3+ hour feature film, has a much greater variance in color than in the first. It is significantly brighter and is a shade blue showing the older SD-DVDs to be extremely, unflatteringly (but authentic patina look?), greenish cast - looking as if it was shot through an aquarium fish tank! This restoration looks significantly improved to my eye. It shows as much - possibly even more - grain than the first entry and those anticipating dramatic detail improvement will be disappointed. The stock used will not support that look.   Leonard Norwitz has covered the entire collection with more screen captures HERE. I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that this will be the best these films can look with the extensive low-lighting and grainy-filled image. It probably looks very close to how it was meant to.

 

NOTE: I've done my best to match the captures below at the exact same frame.

 

Again in this first spin my ears didn't note a humungous difference in the TrueHD track (and the older 5.1), but more so than in The Godfather. I'll be examining this in closer detail during the week and conferring with our other Blu-ray reviewer Leonard Norwitz on his take.

 

Aside from the commentary there are no additional extras on this second Blu-ray disc. We will report more (the rest of the package) as soon as we can.

 

Sean in email says: "I just viewed your initial review/comparison of the first two Godfather Blu-rays and I wanted to chime in with my two cents. I saw The Godfather Coppola Restoration 35mm print at Film Forum in New York on Saturday and I have to say that the Blu-ray captures come closest to what I saw. Although I was never fortunate enough to see an original print in the theatre, I must assume that if Coppola restored them this way, that this is how he wants them to look, and therefore how they should look. The film I saw had clear and vibrant color that was, parodoxically, restrained. Nothing leapt off the screen at me, but everything seemed to have a sort of life on the screen that I haven't seen on the old DVD collection. I also noted an abundance of grain in the presentation, which was clearly visible in scenes using a brighter color palette."

 

NOTE: 'The Godfather and The Godfather, Part II underwent extensive frame-by-frame examination and restoration utilizing state-of-the-art digital technology in this historic preservation effort, which required more than a year to complete. Robert A. Harris of the Film Preserve supervised the restoration under the direction of Coppola and cinematographer, Gordon Willis.'

 

****

 

 

 

 - Gary Tooze.

 



DVD Menus

(
Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs.  - Paramount - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)


 

 


 

Screen Captures

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

1) Paramount (The Coppola Restoration) - Region A - Blu-ray - TOP

2) Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC - MIDDLE

3) Paramount - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM

 

 


 

1) Paramount (The Coppola Restoration) - Region A - Blu-ray - TOP

2) Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC - MIDDLE

3) Paramount - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM

 

 

 


1) Paramount (The Coppola Restoration) - Region A - Blu-ray - TOP

2) Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC - MIDDLE

3) Paramount - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM

 

 

 


1) Paramount (The Coppola Restoration) - Region A - Blu-ray - TOP

2) Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC - MIDDLE

3) Paramount - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM

 

 


1) Paramount (The Coppola Restoration) - Region A - Blu-ray - TOP

2) Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC - MIDDLE

3) Paramount - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM

 

 


 

1) Paramount (The Coppola Restoration) - Region A - Blu-ray - TOP

2) Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC - MIDDLE

3) Paramount - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM

 

 


1) Paramount (The Coppola Restoration) - Region A - Blu-ray - TOP

2) Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC - MIDDLE

3) Paramount - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM

 

 

 


 

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Distribution

Paramount - 1080P

Region A  - Blu-ray

Paramount

Region 1  - NTSC

Paramount (UK)
Region 2 - PAL

Individual review and separate comparisons to SD-DVD:

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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