Film

Michael Corleone’s rise to power and plunge into darkness is on the verge of completion within the sequel to Mario Puzo’s The Godfather. We see the Corleone family as their empire expands to Nevada and begins to thrive off of the casinos they own.

The film also takes us back prior to the first film and shows us the rise to power of the young Vito Corleone (played by Robert De Niro), which was part of the storyline cut out of the first Godfather script. Both tales are weaved together to form the continuation of the Corleone saga.

The sequel is often considered to be more of an extension of the first film, whereas The Godfather III is considered to be an epilogue. The film is sometimes edited with the timelines of Godfather I & II in chronological order, showing the strong relationship these films have.

The Sapphire Series version of The Godfather II, however is the original theatrical cut and does not contain some of the deleted scenes that appeared on previous releases of the film. We get to enjoy the film as the original audiences enjoyed it. If you’re disappointed by the fact that there are missing scenes of the film, please note that sometimes the edited down version of Francis Ford Coppola is the better version… Case-in-point: Apocalypse Now Redux!

The Godfather II is one of the few sequels that is as beloved as the original film and considering the fact that The Godfather is one of the most beloved films of all time… That says a lot! The film’s dark and noir tones really suit the content and with Paino giving a great performance once again as Michael Corleone, we get to truly see how the rise to power has so many consequences.

De Niro’s performance as the young Vito Corleone is definitely my favourite part as he captures the spirit that filled Marlon Brando’s iconic performance and gives us some backstory about what it takes to become the Don.

The film contains just as many thrills as the first and has just as many, if not more, emotional moments that make you both loathe and somewhat respect the characters you watch. Without giving anything away to those who may not have had the opportunity to see this great film, it’s an essential watch.

Video

Godfather II ‘s video is in 1080p and uses the AVC MPEG-4 codec to display the 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The film overall is very clean considering the age and the concern surrounding whether or not the original prints would last. There are a few shots that are subject to noise and grain overloads, but they’re few and far between… The transfer is definitely well done.

The film’s dark and moody lighting definitely give the film a signature look; from the chiaroscuro style lighting that was a marquee of noir filmmaking and German expressionism within art, to the candlelit scenes where our characters spend more time dwelling on their thoughts than expressing them through dialogue. It definitely says a lot about a movie when characters spend a lot of time in silence and yet the way the actor is displayed speaks louder than words could… A scene that comes to mind is the great two-face moment where Al Pacino’s face is lit from one side leaving the other side of his face in darkness, representing that great battle of duality within. It brought back to memory a similar shot from Citizen Kane.

It was definitely a treat watching this film with my projector and it definitely stood up to being projected to 100” so it will look even more remarkable on an HDTV!

Audio 

The Godfather II’s sound comes at us in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Dolby Digital Mono in English only, there are also English and Portuguese subtitles.

It never comes as a shock to me that when I’m faced with a great transfer of an older film, that the time was really spent cranking out a stunning image while the audio is lower on the priorities. The sound lacks dynamic fidelity and really doesn’t take advantage of the surround presence that makes TrueHD one of my favourite audio codecs. I’d imagine that a new mix wouldn’t be too hard to get a go ahead for considering the importance of these films, but nonetheless we are presented with a less than great audio source to go along with The Godfather II. The sound definitely isn’t bad, it carries over that great seventies tone that came with the equipment and although the overall mix is a little quieter it definitely stpood up to being cranked through my speakers.

The dialogue is handled very well and comes through crisp and clear while maintaining the warmth in the vocals. The foley was done quite well, some of the gunshots and fireworks (Vito timeline scene) were mixed a little louder, making me want to reach for the remote after turning up the volume to hear the dialogue, but it wasn’t that bad at all.

The epic and famous score comes at us beautifully, giving you goosebumps when you first hear it as it recalls all the memories from the first Godfather.
Although I wasn’t as impressed with the sound as much as the video, it’s definitely not a deal breaker.

Special Features

To hear that there is only one special feature within Paramount’s Sapphire Series, which Paramount considers their version of the Criterion Collection, is a bit of a disappointment. However the commentary by Francis Ford Coppola is definitely one of the best I’ve heard and considering the length of the film, is an achievement in itself… Can you imagine going on about a film for three and half hours while trying to be insightful and keeping the audience interested? Considering this is Francid ford Coppola, let’s just say he did it.

Final Thoughts 

The film is a classic and I believe the whole trilogy is a must-have… yes, even the third one. These films are some of the most important pieces of cinematic history and having them on Blu-ray is simply allowing you the ability to watch them in the best possible way. Although the Sapphire Series version of The Godfather II is practically barebones, whereas the Coppola Restoration Trilogy set has an entire disc dedicated to special features, most of the features are regarding the first Godfather film.

To lovers of the original saga, The Sapphire Series release of the first two Godfather films is probably the most essential Blu-ray purchase out there.

Film

There is little question at this point that Braveheart has already become a classic film in the epic action adventure film genre. While originally released in theaters in 1995, the film holds up real well 14 years later looking and sounding as fresh and engaging as it did way back when.

The film stars Mel Gibson as William Wallace, the charismatic military leader who was the spearhead of the Scottish rebellion against King Edward Longshank (Edward I) of England back in the 12th Century. The film tells the tale of Sir William’s life from a young boy up until his death and focuses on some of the major battles in the rebellion where Sir William’s bravery, guile and tactics revolutionized the battlefield.

In addition to a bravo performance as Sir William, Mel Gibson was also the director of the film, it being his directoral debut in a major motion picture (he previously had directed a small film). What a debut it was! If you are looking for an action packed film with plenty of sword wielding battle scenes, with plenty of blood and gore and all kinds of mayhem, this is the film for you. This is not a film for the squeamish as Mr. Gibson succeeded in his expressed desire to make the battle scenes look as authentic and barbaric as possible. Throw in a great script and some wonderful acting by the entire cast and you have yourself a classic. Highly recommended.

Video

Simply put, this is an incredible looking encode. The film features a very natural looking color palette with spot on skin tones and bright and bold primary colors and deep and inky blacks. The look of the Irish countryside where the film was shot (not Scotland!) is simply astonishing, with beautifully rendered shades of green.

The film features a razor sharp image with off the charts depth and detail galore. The detail in each actor’s face, the fabric of their clothing, blades of grass, bushes and bricks and stones in the background walls is simply amazing and some of the best I have yet seen on Blu-ray. Take a look at Mel Gibson’s painted blue face in the film’s first major battle sequence. You can see each fleck of paint on his face together which each skin pore and blemish and spec of dirt. Truly amazing stuff! Shadow detail is excellent as well, without a hint of video noise in the film’s more dimly lit scenes.

The clarity of the film’s image was, for the most part, present during the entire film, even in the darker more dimly lit scenes. There are a few examples of some general softness in the image during the film but these are few and far between and certainly not enough to warrant the film from being rated as anything other than a 5 star presentation. Film grain is well preserved throughout without even a hint of digital noise reduction or edge enhancement. This release has the look and fell of film and was a thrill to experience at home.

Audio

I found the Dolby True HD lossless audio track featured on this release to be equally impressive as the video. The fidelity of the audio presentation here is flawless, with a smooth, open and transparent sound. Dynamics are off the charts with some truly thunderous bass response. Just listen as the horses thunder through your room during one of the many battle sequences. The surrounds are used early, often and effectively, creating a sense of total immersion, especially during the battle sequences, placing you right smack dab in the middle of the action, with swords clashing and clanging all around you, with the sound of iron balls crushing skulls and vertebra and the sounds of arrows falling from the sky and piercing flesh. If there was ever a sound track that will make you break out in a sweat during a battle sequence, Braveheart is that film (along with the opening to Saving Private Ryan). In short, this is a flawless audio reproduction and one of the finest sounding I have yet experienced at home.

Special Features

As one would expect from a “Sapphire” edition, this release is backed with extras. The release is actually a two disc set with disc one containing the film along with a commentary with Mel Gibson. The remaining extras are included on disc 2. There are several rather long featurettes included in HD all under the heading Braveheart: A Look Back consisting of: The Company of Equals, The Sound of Laughter and The Measure of a Film all of which feature old on the set of the film footage interspersed with new interviews with the cast and crew, shot in HD. I found these to be very interesting and well worth your time.

Also included are several historical features and interactive timelines that feature a combination of video, images, text and audio detailing the history of the film’s production, the history of William Wallace and a comprehensive timeline identifying the chronological events in the film. Also included in HD Smithfield: Medieval Killing Fields which details the history of Smithfield which was regularly used for regal fanfares and games over the centuries and was where William Wallace was executed.

We also get the Battlefields of the Scottish Rebellion where two of the major battles featured in the film, Falkirk and Bannockburn, are presented in 3D models, where topography, weapons and troop movements can be accessed. I am sure that war history buffs will have a field day with this. Also included are the Tales of William Wallace and A Writer’s Journey which features screenwriter Randall Wallace.

Final Thoughts

Braveheart is an excellent film and is presented on Blu-ray with the kind of truly stellar video and audio presentations that you would expect from a release designated as part of a “Sapphire Series”. Fans of this film will be simply ecstatic over the video and audio on this release. Highly recommended.