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DVD SCANS

'Godfather' finds a new way to keep dragging us back in

rrodriguez@MiamiHerald.com

The 11-minute Godfather World consists of clips from other movies and TV shows that reference the trilogy, everything from The Sopranos (hilarious) to The Simpsons, You've Got Mail to a TV commercial for Audi autos. The fascinating Emulsional Rescue: Revealing the Godfather is a 20-minute featurette detailing the complex restoration process the first two films underwent, which was kick-started by a memo Spielberg sent to Paramount chief Brad Grey after that studio became the home of DreamWorks Pictures.

When the Shooting Stopped is a 15-minute look at the post-production process of the trilogy. Editing consultant Walter Murch recalls how producer Robert Evans vetoed the original plan to have an intermission in the middle of The Godfather (right after the Sollozzo shooting) because he ''didn't want to let the audience off the hook'' by giving them time to catch their breath. Murch also talks about the tweaking of the musical cue leading up to the horse-head scene and shows you both the original and the final versions, for comparison's sake.

Murch also discusses why Pacino's scream at the end of Part III was rendered silent, while Coppola reveals that his first cut of Part II was liked by no one, because he shifted back and forth between the story's two timelines too often, damaging the pacing of the movie. Once he minimized the chronological interruptions, the picture fell into place. The disc also includes a two-minute featurette in which Coppola finally shares the details behind the death of wiseguy Peter Clemenza, which was brushed off with a fleeting reference in Part II and no explanation (Coppola tried until the last minute to convince actor Richard S. Castellano to reprise the role in Part II, but Castellano would only agree if his girlfriend got to write all his dialogue).

Also included in the set is the 2001 DVD Archive, which features all of the supplements found on the previous release of the trilogy, including the feature-length documentary The Godfather Family, a vaguely promotional look at the making of the trilogy (shot during the making of Part III), an hour's worth of deleted and extended scenes from all three movies and footage from the Oscar telecasts in which the first two movies won the Best Picture award. The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration Giftset isn't just a monumental release for fans of the trilogy: It may also be the DVD of the year.

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