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Cloverfield [BLU-RAY] (Paramount Home Entertainment, 6.3.2008) Disguised under deliberately goofy, yet deliciously edible-sounding, aliases such as Cheese and Slusho, Matt Reeves' Cloverfield was produced and rushed into theaters under an equally appetizing shroud of secrecy. From last year's incredibly elusive Super Bowl ad to the film's viral marketing campaign, Cloverfield had everybody scratching their heads and drooling in anticipation. Aside from the as-yet untitled title and the Blair Witch-ian visual style, the film's biggest appeal was the enigmatic creature who was last (un)seen hurling the decapitated head of the Statue of Liberty onto the crowded streets of New York City. All we knew about the mysterious beast was that it was big and angry. Now that the highy-anticipated project has come and gone, one question has fortunately been answered: Cloverfield was a major success. (continued)

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Restored Godfather

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I'm late acknowledging that Peter Bart ran a 6.23 story about the restoring of the Godfather negatives, and particularly two docs by Kim Aubry about (a) the making of the 1972 film and (b) the restoration project. Curiously, Bart didn't mention that the guy who handled the delicate work was none other restoration guru Robert Harris, the sharpest eye and most exacting perfectionist in the business, and known for having restored Lawrence of Arabia, Spartacus, Rear Window, My Fair Lady, Vertigo, etc.

Harris has been forbidden from discussing the project for many, many moons. I saw a digital projection of Harris's restored Godfather on the WB lot last November and was told I couldn't mention it. An official press release about the Godfather restoration is going out on Monday morning, at which point he'll be free to discuss it with whomever. The DVDs and Blu-ray discs of the restored films will be available sometime in late September. The project involved the labor of some 12 to 15 people, Harris says.

I told Harris today that most people probably won't appreciate the differences between the currently available DVDs of the first two Godfather films and the versions he's worked on. I think the first two films look pretty good, I told him. People don't know what they're looking at, he said. He also allowed that most people probably won't be able to appreciate the improvements unless they see them in Blu-ray on a very large screen, or if the restored films are projected in a movie theatre of some size. Will the films be given a limited theatrical release? Uhhm...no comment.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on June 27, 2008 at 7:24 PM

comment #1

joncro says ...

I bought this DVD set here in London last week.

Emulsional Rescue - the doc about the restoration, is very interesting. Shows before and afters which are hard to believe....

Posted by joncro at June 27, 2008 8:19 PM

comment #2

erniesouchak says ...

You're wrong. Harris did quite a detailed interview with American Cinematographer about the restoration in the May issue. Gordon Willis was interviewed as well.

Posted by erniesouchak at June 27, 2008 9:22 PM

comment #3

erniesouchak says ...

i think this is the link:

http://www.ascmag.com/magazine_dynamic/May2008/PostFocus/page1.php

Posted by erniesouchak at June 27, 2008 9:29 PM

comment #4

lazespud says ...

So who did the restoration for the limited theatrical run around 96 or 97? Was that Harris? My recollection is that it was cleaned up quite a bit and I remember seeing it in the theater and being blown away by the deep shades of brown in that opening scene of brando receiving visitors in his study during his kid's wedding.

Is this a new restoration?

Posted by lazespud at June 27, 2008 10:28 PM

comment #5

MilkMan says ...

Speaking of important Italian-Americans (take a bow Pacino, De Niro, and Caan [he was named an honorary Italian at the San Genarro festival in 1992]), let's see what some of the other paisanos are up to:

Geno Rotella is about to be a father. Again. Sure, things didn't work out so well with his first family (that wife was a maniac), and he hasn't seen his kids in over a decade, but that's no reason to be negative. The noodles are cooking. Geno likes it al dente.

Peter Facianelli stopped by the Atlantic Theatre in New York City during a recent press junket for Finding Amadna, gifting the theatre company with a heavy deavy endowment. "Everything I know about acting I learned from these people," he said. "They gave me the tools." Facianelli, who attended acting classes at the theatre for several weeks back in the winter of 1992, was given a lifetime free pass to attend any and all shows.

Vito Antifuermo still wants to kick my ass for what I said about his friend. I forgot who his friend was, and what it was that I said, but the anger is still there, so it must have been a real doozy.

Posted by MilkMan at June 28, 2008 2:29 AM

comment #6