It looks like fans of director Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 film The Godfather will soon be able to see the film on the big screen. Paramount Pictures has released a new trailer for the film's upcoming limited theatrical release, as well as the trilogy's restoration for home media.
The trailer shows classic scenes of the film featuring Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone and Al Pacino as Michael Corleone. It also showcases how the film has been remastered in 4K. It touts the film being considered one of the best movies ever made, as well as its Academy Award for Best Picture. The film will have a limited theatrical release in Dolby Vision at AMC Theatres on February 25th.
Paramount spent thousands of hours restoring the trilogy, making sure it remained true to the original look and feel of the films. "We felt priviledged to restore these films and a little in awe every day we worked on them," said Andrea Kalas, Paramount Archive's senior vice president. "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."
The last restoration for the trilogy was done back in 2007. All of the work done in restoring the film was overseen by Coppola. The crew went through over 300 cartons of film to find the best possible resolution for every frame. Over 4,000 hours were spent repairing film stains, tears, and other anomalies in the negatives. Additionally, over 1,000 hours were spent on color correction. The restoration also brings back the original mono tracks for the first film, as well as its 1974 sequel The Godfather Part II. The restoration was done over the course of three years.
"I am very proud of The Godfather, which certainly defined the first third of my creative career," said Coppola. "It's also very gratifying to celebrate this milestone with Paramount alongside the wonderful fans who've loved it for decades, younger generations who still find it relevant today, and those who will discover it for the first time." Coppola co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, who wrote the 1969 novel that the film is based on. The film also stars James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, and Diane Keaton.
The Godfather will have a limited theatrical release in Dolby Vision at AMC Theatres in Dolby Vision. The restoration of the trilogy will also be available on home media on March 22. Fan can currently watch the trailer below: