And here it is again: on HBO and retitled The Godfather Epic. Coppola signed off on this cut, as the resulting profits from airing these movies as a television event allowed him to keep production on Apocalypse Now alive. A slightly shorter version of The Godfather Saga was released on home video in 1981 and the whole thing aired on TV on AMC in 2012.
In 1977, NBC aired The Godfather Saga, a chronological cut of both films presented over four consecutive nights. Here is HBO's trailer for this presentation:Īlthough the 'Epic' title is new, this is not the first time these movies have been presented like this. Both films are padded out with deleted scenes, which the real draw here. Thankfully, The Godfather Part III is nowhere to be found. The Godfather Epic blends both movies into one seven-and-a-half-hour marathon, presenting those 1917 scenes first and concluding in late '50s.
