I recently watched the first two Godfather movies, and after a quick search I found out about the Godfather Saga (the 7-hour chronological cut). In your opinion, which way is the best to watch the first two Godfather movies? Do you prefer the 7-hour version with the additional scenes, or would you rather watch both movies separately? I found the Godfather Saga online, but unfortunately the quality is not that good… I’m still planning on watching it because who doesn’t like deleted scenes?
The chronological cut was a much-hyped “special television event” spread over two nights, and that’s what I first saw from a friend who taped it on VHS.
Some years later, when I saw the original theatrical releases, I preferred them much more, as the De Niro/young Vito sequences work better in smaller segments, going back and forth to Michael in the 1950s and back, to put it all consecutively drags the pace from the very get-go.
Also, the trip to Corleone, Sicily to exact revenge on don Ciccio works best as a parallel coda to the whole Fredo, Frankie “Five Angels” and Hyman Roth outcomes. The pacing just works that way.
I agree with all. I’ve only ever watched the originals in succession not this Chronicles of Godfather stuff. I think the theatrical release is the only way to watch.