I didn’t stream it — I bought the 50th anniversary 4K Godfather disc late Tuesday afternoon and watched it soon after. I can’t help but approve of the novelty aspect — it may not be anyone’s idea of a classic-looking Godfather but it certainly looks spiffier — smoother, less grainy and more vivid than ever before.
Francis Coppola’s 1972 gangster classic has been tastefully de–grained (or DNR’ed), and it certainly looks wonderful during the sunny Sicily section. Love the red neon lights of the Radio City Music Hall, Jack Dempsey’s restaurant and Louis’s restaurant in the Bronx. Diane Keaton’s red overcoat and those taxicab yellows are great also, but — here’s the downside — overall flesh tones are pale and fair and even brownish at times, thus constituting a definite argument with the 2008 Robert Harris-Gordon Willis restoration, which everyone has always approved of. And closeups of the faces look a bit waxy, which is what happens with DNR-ing.
Yes, it’s an upgrade in the sense that many scenes seem sharper, crisper and more detailed than in the 2008 version, and overall this will seem quite alluring to Average Joes and even industry guys like Larry Karaszewski but it’s NOT the film that Mr. Willis, the film’s cinematographer, shot in ‘72 and approved the restoration of 14 years ago.
I didn’t care for the opening close-up and slow zoom-out of Bonasera the undertaker— his bald head seems too brightly lighted. (It looks better on the ‘08.). And yes, the bleachy, almost pinkish color scheme used for the outdoor wedding scene has been modified, which is not a change that the late Mr.Willis would have approved of.
On the other hand I was delighted with certain details and distinctions. The textures and fabrics of various suits, ties and overcoats, for example. The soothing VistaVision clarity of those 1950s marquee signs on the Las Vegas strip. But overall the ‘22 looks a little too neutralized and pale-faced. It’s fascinating in many ways, but it’s not historically authentic.
Coppola knows the truth of this situation. He knows that the newbie is an odd gleaming bird but NOT representative of the original — not really. It is, as noted, quite the dazzler and head-turner in many respects. I kept noticing little details in the 4K that I’d never noticed before. Reducing the grain really made a difference. But if I had to choose a desert-island Godfather, I’d definitely stick with the ‘08.
If GW was with us today, he’d be vagueiy amused by the determination of the Paramount video team to create fresh Godfather revenues, but he’d also say “they can do whatever the fuck they want but this is not my Godfather…it’s a DNR’ed version that’s been slightly desaturated in some ways but made to look a lot bolder in other ways, certainly in terms of neon reds. And the faces are waxy looking. Don’t get me started. It’s a version that will delight a lot of people who don’t know any better, but it’s not the real thing…sorry.”
Last night I posted a version of this review on Facebook, and in so doing provoked the afore-mentioned Mr. Karaszewski, who called me (or more precisely my views) “insufferable”.
HE reply: Gordon Willis was a tough nut & didn’t suffer fools. Did you ever chat with him? Do you know people who knew him? I spoke with him once for a thing I was writing about an All The President’s Men Bluray. Any way you slice it the man was an ARTIST, and he gave his stamp of approval to the 2008 restoration. And the newbie, while fascinating and upgraded in certain ways, is definitely a different bird. I guess you’d better call Willis “insufferable” while you’re at it.