The Godfather Trilogy 50th anniversary en 4K Ultra HD prochainement

Paramount annonce pour le 22 mars 2022, le coffret The Godfather Trilogy 50th anniversary en 4K Ultra HD. Réalisé par Francis Ford Coppola, il met en vedette Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard S. Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Cazale, Andy García, Sofia Coppola, Eli Wallac, Talia Shire et Diane Keaton.

Des pistes sonores anglaise et française seront disponibles.

Synopsis :

The Godfather (Le Parrain)

En 1945, à New York, les Corleone sont une des cinq familles de la mafia. Don Vito Corleone, « parrain » de cette famille, marie sa fille à un bookmaker. Sollozzo, » parrain » de la famille Tattaglia, propose à Don Vito une association dans le trafic de drogue, mais celui-ci refuse. Sonny, un de ses fils, y est quant à lui favorable. Afin de traiter avec Sonny, Sollozzo tente de faire tuer Don Vito, mais celui-ci en réchappe. Michael, le frère cadet de Sonny, recherche alors les commanditaires de l’attentat et tue Sollozzo et le chef de la police, en représailles. Michael part alors en Sicile, où il épouse Apollonia, mais celle-ci est assassinée à sa place. De retour à New York, Michael épouse Kay Adams et se prépare à devenir le successeur de son père…

The Godfather part II (Le parrain 2e partie)

Depuis la mort de Don Vito Corleone, son fils Michael règne sur la famille. Amené à négocier avec la mafia juive, il perd alors le soutien d’un de ses lieutenants, Frankie Pentageli. Echappant de justesse à un attentat, Michael tente de retrouver le coupable, soupçonnant Hyman Roth, le chef de la mafia juive.Vito Corleone, immigrant italien, arrive à New York au début du siècle ; très vite, il devient un des caïds du quartier, utilisant la violence comme moyen de régler toutes les affaires. Seul au départ, il bâtit peu à peu un véritable empire, origine de la fortune de la famille des Corleone.

The Godfather part III (Le parrain 3e partie)

Atteignant la soixantaine, Michael Corleone désire à la fois renouer avec les siens et se réhabiliter aux yeux de la société, surtout de l’Eglise. Il arrivera presque a ses fins, mais sa vie passée et ses anciens ennemis le rattraperont plus vite. Michael Corleone est fatigué. Il veut prendre ses distances avec les activités mafieuses de sa famille. Il veut convertir ces activités en affaires légales. Kay, son ex-femme, lui fait même accepter que leur fils devienne un chanteur d’opéra et ne reprenne pas les activités familiales. Pendant ce temps, la fille de Michael, Mary, et son neveu, le fils de Sonny, Vincent, nouent une idylle qui n’est pas la bienvenue dans la famille. Il décide d’aider le Vatican à renflouer ses caisses et reçoit en échange le contrôle d’une entreprise immobilière leur appartenant. Attisant la jalousie de ses pairs, Michael échappe de justesse à un attentat commis par l’un d’eux. Vincent se propose alors pour reprendre les affaires de la famille en main.

Voici le communiqué (en anglais) :

TORONTO, Ont. – January 13, 2022 — In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Francis Ford Coppola’s Academy Award®-winning* masterwork The Godfather, Paramount Pictures announced today that the film will have a limited theatrical release in Dolby Vision beginning February 25, 2022 exclusively in Dolby Cinema at AMC Theatres in the U.S., as well as in international territories around the world. All three films in the epic trilogy have been meticulously restored under the direction of Coppola and will be made available on 4K Ultra HD for the first time ever on March 22, 2022.

“I am very proud of The Godfather, which certainly defined the first third of my creative life,” said Francis Ford Coppola. “With this 50th anniversary tribute, I’m especially proud Mario Puzo’s THE GODFATHER, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone is included, as it captures Mario and my original vision in definitively concluding our epic trilogy. It’s also gratifying to celebrate this milestone with Paramount alongside the wonderful fans who’ve loved it for decades, younger generations who still find it relevant today, and those who will discover it for the first time.”

Coppola’s masterful film adaptation of Mario Puzo’s novel chronicles the rise and fall of the Corleone family and the film trilogy is rightfully viewed as one of the greatest in cinematic history. In preparation for the 50th anniversary of the first film’s original release on March 24, 1972, Paramount and Coppola’s production company American Zoetrope undertook a painstaking restoration of all three films over the course of three years.

Every effort was made to create the finest possible presentation for today’s audiences who can watch the films using technology that has advanced dramatically since 2007 when the last restoration was completed by eminent film historian and preservationist Robert Harris. Using that work as a blueprint, the team spent thousands of hours to ensure that every frame was evaluated to create the most pristine presentation while remaining true to the original look and feel of the films.

The monumental effort included the following:

Over 300 cartons of film were scrutinized to find the best possible resolution for every frame of all three films.
Over 4,000 hours were spent repairing film stains, tears, and other anomalies in the negatives.
Over 1,000 hours were spent on rigorous colour correction to ensure the high dynamic range tools were respectful of the original vision of Coppola and cinematographer Gordon Willis.
In addition to the 5.1 audio approved by Walter Murch in 2007, the original mono tracks on The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II have been restored.
All work was overseen by Coppola.

“We felt privileged to restore these films and a little in awe every day we worked on them,” said Andrea Kalas, senior vice president, Paramount Archives. “We were able to witness first-hand how the brilliant cinematography, score, production design, costume design, editing, performances, and, of course, screenwriting and direction became famously more than the sum of their parts. It was our commitment to honour all of the filmmakers’ exceptional work.”

Newly restored and remastered in Dolby Vision, all three films in the landmark trilogy will be released together with HDR-10 on 4K Ultra HD Digital and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray™ for the first time ever. The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray set will include The Godfather, The Godfather: Part II, and Coppola’s recently re-edited version of the final film, Mario Puzo’s THE GODFATHER, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. The disc set includes legacy commentaries by Coppola, as well as access to Digital copies of The Godfather, The Godfather: Part II and Mario Puzo’s THE GODFATHER, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone.

In addition to the widely available 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray set, a 4K Ultra HD Limited Collector’s Edition will also be released in deluxe packaging and includes a hardcover coffee table book featuring stunning photographs, as well as portrait art prints on archival paper. Both 4K Ultra HD sets include new bonus content including an introduction to The Godfather by Coppola, a featurette about the preservation process, photos by acclaimed photographer Steve Schapiro, home movie footage, and comparisons of the new restoration to earlier versions of the films. A full list of new and legacy bonus content follows:

NEW BONUS CONTENT:

Introduction to The Godfather by Francis Ford Coppola
Full Circle: Preserving The Godfather—Paramount Pictures archivists detail the incredible restoration process with archival footage showing the evolution of the film through various home entertainment incarnations as picture and audio technologies make quantum leaps over the decades.
Capturing the Corleones: Through the Lens of Photographer Steve Schapiro— In this reflective and frank discussion, special photographer Steve Schapiro shares his unique perspective and cherished memories as a witness to the making of this seminal film. Commentary on curated archival images makes for a fascinating, never-before-seen addition to the production’s history.
The Godfather: Home Movies— An assortment of 8mm home movie footage shot in 1971 offers a candid glimpse into the production of The Godfather. Shot on location at the Norton family estate on Staten Island’s Emerson Hill, this is the first time it’s been made available to the public.
Restoration Comparisons— Before and after highlights showcase extensive picture quality improvements to The Godfather.

LEGACY BONUS CONTENT:

The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn’t
Godfather World
Emulsional Rescue—Revealing The Godfather
…when the shooting stopped
The Godfather on the Red Carpet
Four Short Films on The Godfather
The Godfather vs. The Godfather: Part II
Cannoli
Riffing on the Riffing
Clemenza
The Family Tree
Crime Organization Chart
Connie and Carlo’s Wedding Album
2008 Credits
Behind the Scenes
A Look Inside
On Location
Francis Ford Coppola’s Notebook
Music of The Godfather
Nino Rota
Carmine Coppola
Coppola & Puzo on Screenwriting
Gordon Willis on Cinematography
Storyboards – The Godfather: Part II
Storyboards – The Godfather: Part III
he Godfather Behind the Scenes 1971

LEGACY BONUS CONTENT (cont’d):

Additional Scenes
Galleries
Trailers
Acclaim & Response
Additional Material
The Filmmakers
The Godfather: Part III—newly remastered and restored versions of the original theatrical cut and Coppola’s 1991 cut (note: these are exclusive to the 4K Ultra HD Collections)

Newly restored and remastered versions of The Godfather, The Godfather: Part II, and Mario Puzo’s THE GODFATHER, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone will also be available together on Blu-ray™ with access to Digital copies and the new and legacy bonus content detailed above.