Lankan cinemas join global release of ‘The Godfather 50 years’ today

• The original classic of Francis Ford Coppola’s cinematic masterpiece in theatres for a limited time

Nine Sri Lankan cinemas will join the global release of ‘The Godfather 50 years’ today.

The cinemas are Colombo City Centre, Liberty By Scope, PVR – Colombo, KCC – Kandy, Majestic – Colombo, Savoy 3D – Colombo, Maxx Lite – Moratuwa, Vista Lite – Ja Ela and Amity Maharagama.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Francis Ford Coppola’s Academy award-winning masterwork The Godfather, Paramount Pictures has announced that the film will have a limited theatrical release in Dolby Vision.

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 on 25 February.

The Godfather is regarded as one of the best American films ever by the American Film Institute, and Francis Ford Coppola’s epic masterpiece features Marlon Brando in perhaps his most memorable (and Oscar-winning) role as the patriarch of the Corleone family. The Godfather is a violent and chilling portrait of this Sicilian family’s struggle to stay in power in a post-war America of corruption, deceit and betrayal. 

Coppola begins his legendary trilogy, masterfully balancing the story of the Corleone’s family life and the ugly crime business in which they are engaged. Based on Mario Puzo’s best-selling novel and featuring career-making performances by Al Pacino, James Caan and Robert Duvall, this searing and brilliant film garnered 10 Academy Award nominations, and won three including Best Picture of 1972.

“I am very proud of The Godfather, which certainly defined the first third of my creative life,” said Francis Ford Coppola. “With this 50th anniversary tribute, I’m especially proud Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone is included, as it captures Mario and my original vision in definitively concluding our epic trilogy. It’s also 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’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 24 March, 1972, Paramount and Coppola’s production company American Zoetrope undertook a painstaking restoration of all three films over the course of three years.

Every effort was made to create the finest possible presentation for today’s audiences who can watch the films using technology that has advanced dramatically since 2007 when the last restoration was completed by eminent film historian and preservationist Robert Harris. Using that work as a blueprint, the team spent thousands of hours to ensure that every frame was evaluated to create the most pristine presentation while remaining true to the original look and feel of the films.

“We felt privileged to restore these films and a little in awe every day we worked on them,” said Andrea Kalas, senior vice president, Paramount Archives. “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 honour all of the filmmakers’ exceptional work.”