They were showing I on the big screen at the Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto yesterday. The sound quality was great as was the picture. It was amusing for the few people in the audience who hadn't seen the movie because when the tool booth collector fumbles for the change and the machine guns are raised you heard those people go "OH NO."

Still, you notice a ton of things when you see it on the big screen.

1) Salvatore Corsitto does a great job as Bonasera especially at the beginning of the film. Never appreciated him until last night.

2) The way they film Bonasera doing the opening monologue and then when Michael starts to explain how he will kill McCluskey and Solozzo. It's hard to explain, but the way the camera zooms out and the way (especially Pacino) is methodically planning this out is great.

3) You get a better appreciation for the Silician scenes on the big screen especially the beauty of the landscape.

Well, that's the great thing about GF--youalways notice more nuances, more details, when you see an enhanced version, whether it's on the big screen, or when you crank up the DVD vs VHS, or Blu-Ray vs. DVD.

I always thought that the fade to light of the opening GF scene showing Bonasera's face should have been taken place much more slowly. I though it happened too fast. A slower fade would have represented how perfectly moral people can slowly descend into immorality.

I still cringe when I realise that of my 5 favourite films of all time, I've only seen two on the big screen (2001: A Space Odyssey & Star Wars).
The Godfather, Chinatown & Yojimbo - best I've seen is DVD, and for years it was just good old fashioned nasty pan & scan VHS.

Says a lot for the films that their brilliance can still shine through when displayed in such a mangled format.

Sad thing is, over 20 years ago, a Sydney cinema had a GFI + GFII double on (Part III was about to be released, I think, or was just out), but I couldn't go - the R rating in Australia meant no one under 18 could go in, even with a parent (I was only 15).
Back then, The Godfather still had an R-rating in Australia, the equivalent of a US NC-17, although Part II had an M-rating (sort of halfway between the US PG-13 & R).
My folks were happy to get the videos for me from the store (and watch them with me), but a seven-hour cinema sitting was always going to be a big ask, so I didn't bother.

The movie I'm sorry I missed on the big screen was "Blade Runner." It got panned when it was first released in '82, then became a cult item. An enhanced version was briefly re-released to theaters in '93, but I missed it.

I was lucky to see it in the theater in 1997 during the 25th Anniversary re-screening. It was only a couple of months after I had seen the movies for the first time.

Cinemark Theaters are showing The Godfather tomorrow (March 1st) to celebrate the 40th anniversary. Click here for more information. Locally, the screenings are at 2:00 and 7:00.

Due to a prior engagement, I'll be unable to catch it. However, I will make sure to catch their showing of Part II on April 5th.