"Godfather" trilogy to go Blu in September

Two of the best movies ever made—plus that third one from 1990—are coming to Blu-ray in just a few months, complete with brand-new transfers, lossless soundtracks, and HD extras. It's a milestone for the new format.

I'll spare you the "I'll make you an offer you can't refuse" jokes and get right to the details, courtesy of High-Def Digest.

The four-disc set is slated to arrive September 23 (the same day as the newly minted DVDs), with a disc for each "Godfather" movie plus a disc full of extra features, including several shot in HD.

The movies themselves have undergone a frame-by-frame restoration supervised by none other than Francis Ford Coppola, according to High-Def Digest.

Also, they'll all come with lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtracks (I bet Sonny's death at the tollbooth will sound impressive)—and, in a nice touch for purists, the original mono soundtrack (in Dolby Digital 1.0) will also be available for the first two Godfathers.

All three films will feature audio commentary with Coppola, although it's not clear whether they'll be the same commentary tracks from the first DVD set from 2001.

On the downside, the Godfather movies will only be available in Blu-ray as a box set—at a whopping $119.95, double the price of the equivalent DVD set. Note to the movie studios: If you really want us to start buying Blu-ray movies, cut out the price gouging. (At least you can pre-order the set on Amazon for $86.95, or 30 percent off.)

That said, the dark, delicate cinematography of Gordon Willis in the Godfather trilogy should look spectacular on Blu-ray—and these films are among the key blockbusters (like the "Star Wars," "Lord of the Rings," and "Indiana Jones" movies) that could finally give Blu-ray the momentum it needs to really take off.

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'Godfather' Coming to Blu-ray [High-Def Digest]