Has anyone here bought the Godfather BRD trilogy? I have the trilogy 4-set DVD (the originals, not the new individually sold boxes), but I'm wondering if anyone has the BRD edition. I've been blown away by blu-ray on my HDTV, but I'm hesitant to replace some of my DVD sets, mostly because a.) they were expensive and b.) my BRD player does a great job upscaling.

With regards to the GF BRD's, however, I'm wondering if anyone can comment about content (vs. the DVD's) and overall picture quality?

Incidentally, I'm wondering because it's on sale for $50 at Amazon right now...

http://www.amazon.com/Godfather-Coppola-...8691&sr=8-1

I bought the Blu-Ray set a couple of months ago. I always thought the video on the 2001 DVD boxed set was too dark. The Blu-Ray set's color is more vivid, but it doesn't knock your socks off. Professional reviewers have commented that the BR version is truer to the theatrical releases, and were not intended as "spectaculars" to take full advantage of high definition.

The box says of the BR version, "In addition to the 2001 DVD Bonus Materials and provocative director's commentaries, this Godfather release contains these all-new Blu-Ray disc supplements:
Godfather World HD. The Masterpiece that almost wasn't HD. When the shooting stopped HD. Emulsional Rescue Revealing The Godfather HD. The Godfather on the Red Carpet HD. Four Short Films on The Godfather HD."

I haven't viewed any of these additions.

Thanks, TB. From what I've been reading, it doesn't sound as if the BRD collection is enough to warrant upgrading from the DVD's at this point...

I agree, unless those BR-only extras are good. Your thread has piqued my interest. I'll try to post if I view them.

I'd really appreciate it. I'm not usually a fan of extras unless they are in-depth documentaries (something akin to a TCM interview with an actor/actress, for example), and most of the time extras are pure filler.

It is a bit strange to say this, but I do wish that the Godfather would get a sort of Lucas-ian treatment for the DVD's. I too prefer the Godfather Saga, so it would have been nice/would be nice to see a dual pack released that featured the films in either theatrical or chronological order. I know it's not exactly the same as the Star Wars releases, but I think it's relatively analogous.

Well, I bet they are holding off on a "Saga" or "Epic" Blu-Ray release until sales of this release fall off and they can get us to buy yet another version.

If that's the case though, why did they never release the Saga/Epic on DVD? It seemed like the Trilogy box set was around forever.

I went from the 2001 DVD set, to the Coppola Restoration DVD set...

And now I HAD to buy the Blu-Ray set of The Godfather because The Godfather films don't deserve to be seen in anything else.

I finally viewed all of the "new" commentaries, extras, etc., that have been added to the Blu-Ray version of the Trilogy boxed set. They're pretty minor--more paens to the Trilogy, by well-known actors (Jon Turturro, Joe Mantegna, etc.). The commentary is pleasant and erudite, especially in making the point that the Trilogy is about a family, not about the Mafia per se, which I've always believed. In "the movie that almost wasn't," FFC and others review jumping through hoops with Charles Bluhdorn, then chairman of Gulf+Western, which owned Paramount. Familiar stuff. "Four Short Films on the Godfather" is what it says--trivial, although one has some good GF dialog done by actors imitating it, another with FFC explaining that "until the point that I actually put a black armband on Michael V. Gazzo [at Anthony's party], I was still negotiating with Richie [Castellano]." FFC says the dealbreaker wasn't money--it was Ardell Sheridan's insistance on writing Castellano's dialog.
The extras disc also contains all the extras from the DVD version, including the much better "Making" film(s).

All in all: the video and audio of the three movies are somewhat better than the DVD, and the Blu-Ray-only extras are interesting to a diehard Trilogy fan. But they don't necessarily justify the price if you already have the DVD version.

I'm awaiting the 'Saga' to be released.

The Fry's add this Friday, July 27th has the Blu-Ray GF Collection on Sale for $27.99.