The Godfather

A pair of groovy albums from Ray Conniff – both with a wonderful 70s vibe! "Alone Again Naturally" takes its title from the leadoff version of the great Gilbert O'Sullivan tune – and Ray conducts his group with a surprisingly bouncy vibe at times – mostly a sing-song mode that has the voices of the Conniff Singers hitting all their best bright modes. "Theme From The Godfather" has Ray Conniff taking on a host of mellow tunes from the mid 70s – mixing his full arrangements with a few electric touches, and really using the Ray Conniff Singers to their best effect! The whole thing has that subtle sensual quality that easy listening was hitting during the sexual revolution – quite a change from the Conniff groove of a generation before, and one that seems an even better fit for the vocals.

La-La Land Records, Paramount Pictures and Geffen Records proudly present a remastered and expanded Limited Edition 2-CD release of acclaimed composer Nino Rota’s (8 1/2, LA DOLCE VITA, THE GODFATHER) Oscar-winning original motion picture score to the 1974 masterpiece THE GODFATHER PART II starring Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton and Robert DeNiro, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. This deluxe release of Nino Rota’s brilliant score marks the 50th Anniversary of the classic second film in THE GODFATHER saga - arguably the greatest sequel of all time - and its iconic music, both of which have cemented themselves into our culture for eternity. Beyond the composer’s artful reprisals and interpretations of first film’s legendary waltz and love themes, the music of PART II soars further with Rota’s emotional new themes and explorations that enrich the film’s epic nature. And the Academy took note - among the film’s eleven Oscars, including Best Picture, the composer won for Best Original Score.

Popularly viewed as one of the best American films ever made, the multi-generational crime saga The Godfather is a touchstone of cinema: one of the most widely imitated, quoted, and lampooned movies of all time. Marlon Brando and Al Pacino star as Vito Corleone and his youngest son, Michael, respectively. It is the late 1940s in New York and Corleone is, in the parlance of organized crime, a "godfather" or "don," the head of a Mafia family. Michael, a free thinker who defied his father by enlisting in the Marines to fight in World War II, has returned a captain and a war hero. A few months later at Christmas time, the don barely survives being shot by gunmen in the employ of a drug-trafficking rival whose request for aid from the Corleones' political connections was rejected. After murdering a corrupt police captain and the drug trafficker, Michael hides out in Sicily while a gang war erupts at home. Once Michael has been groomed as the new don, he leads the family to a new era of prosperity, then launches a campaign of murderous revenge against those who once tried to wipe out the Corleones, consolidating his family's power and completing his own moral downfall. Nominated for 11 Academy Awards and winning for Best Picture, Best Actor (Marlon Brando), and Best Adapted Screenplay, The Godfather was followed by a pair of sequels.

When the aging head of a famous crime family decides to transfer his position to one of his subalterns, a series of unfortunate events start happening to the family, and a war begins between all the well-known families leading to insolence, deportation, murder and revenge, and ends with the favorable successor being finally chosen.

This Blu-ray edition of The Godfather Collection is perhaps the most impressive set ever released on home video. Sure, other collections may have offered more supplemental features, more movies, and many have offered audio and video qualities that present to viewers and listeners that "modern" high definition experience, and all of that is absolutely wonderful.