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Fun Facts About the Restoration of 'The Godfather' for its 50th Anniversary

By InCinemas / 21 Feb 2022 (Monday)

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Francis Ford Coppola’s Academy Award®-winning masterwork The Godfather, Paramount Pictures announced that the film will have a limited theatrical release!

All three films in the epic trilogy have been meticulously restored under the direction of Coppola and will be made available on 4K Ultra HD for the first time ever.

Coppola’s masterful film adaptation of Mario Puzo’s novel chronicles the rise and fall of the Corleone family and the film trilogy is rightfully viewed as one of the greatest in cinematic history. In preparation for the 50th anniversary of the first film’s original release on March 24, 1972, Paramount and Coppola’s production company American Zoetrope undertook a painstaking restoration of all three films over the course of three years.

Here's what went down:

1. Over 300 cartons of film were scrutinized to find the best possible resolution for every frame of all three films.

Andrea Kalas, senior vice president, Paramount Archives said:

We were able to witness first-hand how the brilliant cinematography, score, production design, costume design, editing, performances, and, of course, screenwriting and direction became famously more than the sum of their parts. It was our commitment to honor all of the filmmakers’ exceptional work.

2. Over 4,000 hours were spent repairing film stains, tears, and other anomalies in the negatives.

3. Over 1,000 hours were spent on rigorous color correction to ensure the high dynamic range tools were respectful of the original vision of Coppola and cinematographer Gordon Willis.

4. In addition to the 5.1 audio approved by Walter Murch in 2007, the original mono tracks on The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II have been restored.

5. And most importantly – All work was overseen by Coppola.

Experience the acclaimed classic in cinemas February 24!

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Fun Facts About the Restoration of 'The Godfather' for its 50th Anniversary