10 Alternative Version Of Movies You Didnt Know About
5. The Godfather Trilogy: 1901–1980 Combines The Films Into A 10-Hour Endurance Trial
Even with the third Godfather movie being demonstrably worse than its all-timer predecessors, the Godfather Saga is still one of the finest trilogies in cinema history.
With the three original theatrical releases totalling roughly nine hours in length, the prospect of combining all three into a single project seemed logistically unfeasible, and yet director Francis Ford Coppola decided to do it anyway.
After the release of The Godfather Part III, Coppola and long-time editor Walter Murch got to work compiling a 9 hour, 43 minute cut of all three movies combined, re-cut into chronological order and complete with material cut from their respective theatrical releases.
This version of the story, entitled "The Godfather Trilogy: 1901–1980," was released to VHS and LaserDisc in 1992, though sadly hasn't ever been brought forward to DVD or Blu-ray, and so remains a rare collector's item today.
A review from Time on original release lauded the gargantuan project, even if it's obviously strictly for Godfather enthusiasts.