I recently watched The Godfather on DVD and the extra scenes. I was disappointed to find the opening scenes of A Novel for Television were not present on the extras disc.

I still believe the TV version is the best. After you've seen De Niro's sequence, it's good to be able to watch Part I then Michael in Part II, leaving De Niro aside when you're really bored.

Is that the opening that features on The Epic and Trilogy? It starts with a shot of The Dons chair (as the start of GF2) and the credits role over the top...

noledge

Sorry for only replying now, noledge. Yes, the credits do roll over the Part II chair at the start.

But what I'm interested in is what follows the chair shot - that is, a series of images from the two films, juggled around, many with different camera shots of the key scenes. For example, we see Michael's face as he shuts the door on Kay, rather than Kay's face - it's from her point of view. It's good because Pacino's plays it brilliantly cold.

There are numerous other scenes, lasting about 2 minutes. Each one ends with Michael sitting alone at the compound, revealing how he has truely aged.

There is also a great scene of a very scary-looking Connie, the black widow, serving Michael tea outdoors at the Tahoe compound. Really shows that she is the only one Michael still has left.

Ohhhhhhhh.....

Me want... I really must get a copy of The Novel for Television... Pity I live in the UK. I've got a NTSC copy of The Epic which I haven't been able to watch yet as I have no Betamax player... But I had a dream where I watched it the other day...

Also, did you know that the PAL Epic is called 'The Godfather: 1901 - 1959 The Epic' wheras the NTSC version is called 'The Godfather: 1902 - 1959 The Complete Epic'? Emphasis on the 'complete' than on the 1902 mistake...

noledge

There is another grim scene of Don Michael walking alone on some sort of boardwalk around the edge of the lake. The whole scene looks cold and desolate, and there are a number of unidentified men (bodyguards?) present nearby. Sort of a later Howard Hughes-type scenario.

Yes, Don Rico, that's one of the scene-openers from the TV version. Very handsome scene, probably depicting the Tahoe estate.