RIP Al
Martino
Singer
Al Martino dies at 82
By
Erik Pedersen � Wed Oct 14, 2009
LOS
ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) � Al Martino, a crooner who had several
pop hits spanning more than 20 years and played Johnny Fontane in
the 1970s "Godfather" movies, died Tuesday at his childhood home in
Springfield, Pa. He was 82.
He
was born Alfred Cini on October 7, 1927, in South Philadelphia. Encouraged
by his boyhood friend Mario Lanza, Martino began his singing career
in the late 1940s. His single "Here in My Heart" hit No. 1 in the
U.K. in 1952 and stayed on top for a record nine weeks. He performed
for Queen Elizabeth at the London Palladium that year. Martino's publicist,
Sandy Friedman, said the singer planned to return for an anniversary
performance at the Palladium next year.
Martino
had a run of chart singles through 1953, but his career stalled with
the advent of rock 'n' roll. He caught fire again in 1963 with the
Top 5 hit "I Love You Because." It was the first of six consecutive
top 40 singles in less than two years, including "I Love You More
and More Every Day," which peaked at No. 9 in 1964.
The
string of hits propelled a pair of Martino's albums -- "I Love You
Because" and "Painted, Tainted Rose" -- into the top 10 in 1963. He
also scored a top-10 disc with "A Merry Christmas," which made Billboard's
holiday chart for four consecutive years. His last top 10 album was
"Spanish Eyes" in 1966, his only certified gold record.
The
Italian-American Martino continued to hit the pop charts through the
mid-'70s, reaching the top 20 with "To the Door of the Sun (Alle Porte
del Sole)" in 1974. But a new audience got to know him as the coddled
-- and connected -- heartthrob singer and would-be actor Johnny Fontane,
godson of Don Vito Corleone, in the best picture Oscar winners "The
Godfather" (1972) and "The Godfather Part II" (1974). He sang "I Have
but One Heart (O Marenariello)" during the first film's wedding scene
and on its score album "The Love Theme From 'The Godfather.'"
A
longtime resident of Beverly Hills, Martino is survived by his wife,
Judi; a daughter, Allison; a son, Alfred; a brother, Frank; two grandchildren
and three great-grandchildren. Services are pending.
(Editing
by SheriLinden at Reuters)
THE
GODFATHER: THE COPPOLA RESTORATION (2008)
Now
officially announced by Paramount!
DIRECTOR
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA'S EPIC TRILOGY
DEBUTS ON DVD AND BLU-RAY IN ALL
NEWLY-REMASTERED VERSIONS
THE
GODFATHER: THE COPPOLA RESTORATION
Cinematic
Classics Return to their Original Pristine Glory with All-New Special
Features
Must-Own
Collections Arrive September 23, 2008
HOLLYWOOD,
Calif. (June 30, 2008) - More than three decades after they won the
Academy Award® for Best Picture, director Francis Ford Coppola's
classic films The Godfather and The Godfather, Part II will once again
be enjoyed by audiences as they originally were meant to be seen,
thanks to a meticulous restoration by Paramount Pictures, overseen
by Coppola himself. On September 23, 2008, both fully restored films
will debut on DVD and Blu-ray, along with a newly remastered version
of The Godfather Part III, to be included as part of The Godfather:
The Coppola Restoration Collection. All three films will be available
individually or in a five-DVD collection or four-disc Blu-ray collection,
which are loaded with a host of all-new special features.
The
Godfather and The Godfather, Part II underwent extensive frame-by-frame
examination and restoration utilizing state-of-the-art digital technology
in this historic preservation effort, which required more than a year
to complete. Robert A. Harris of the Film Preserve supervised the
restoration under the direction of Coppola and cinematographer, Gordon
Willis. Harris' restoration credits include Lawrence of Arabia, Spartacus,
Vertigo and Rear Window among others.
The
new special features created by Kim Aubry, founder of Zoetrope Aubry
Productions, explores the complexities of the restoration process
and provides new insights and perspectives about how the film almost
didn't come to pass as we know it. The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't
relates the unlikely events, intrigue, allegiances and luck that put
together the unknown director with the "unwanted" cast and
contains interviews with most of the living players and many of the
film' admirers. Other featurettes include "...when the shooting
stopped" and "Godfather World", which take a look at
The Godfather's influence on popular culture today. Each film includes
a commentary by Coppola.
THE
GODFATHER: The Coppola Restoration DVD Collection
The
Godfather: The Coppola Restoration DVD Collection, enhanced for 16:9
TVs, with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround
and English Mono (The Godfather and The Godfather, Part II) and English,
French and Spanish subtitles. The DVD disc breakdown is as follows:
Disc
1:
-
The Godfather feature film
- Commentary by director Francis Ford Coppola
Disc
2:
-
The Godfather, Part II feature film
- Commentary by director Francis Ford Coppola
Disc
3:
-
The Godfather, Part III feature film
- Commentary by director Francis Ford Coppola
Disc
4: (previously released special features)
-
Making of The Godfather
- Additional Scenes
- Filming Locations
- The Corleone Family Tree
- The Music of The Godfather
- The Godfather Historical Timeline
- Profiles on the Filmmakers
- Photo Galleries and Storyboards
Disc
5: (new special features)
-
Godfather World
- The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't
- ...when the shooting stopped
- Emulsional Rescue: Revealing The Godfather
- The Godfather on the Red Carpet
- Four Short Films on The Godfather
--- The Godfather vs. The Godfather, Part II
--- Cannoli
--- Riffing on the Riffing
--- Clemenza
Order
The DVD Boxed Set!
THE
GODFATHER: The Coppola Restoration Blu-ray Collection
THE
GODFATHER: The Coppola Restoration Blu-ray four-disc set is presented
in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, French 5.1
Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Mono (except
The Godfather: Part III) and English, English SDH, French, Spanish
and Portuguese subtitles. The following special features are presented
in high definition as noted:
Disc
1:
-
The Godfather feature film
- Commentary by director Francis Ford Coppola
Disc
2:
-
The Godfather, Part II feature film
- Commentary by director Francis Ford Coppola
Disc
3:
-
The Godfather, Part III feature film
- Commentary by director Francis Ford Coppola
Disc
4:
-
Godfather World (HD)
- The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't (HD)
- ...when the shooting stopped (HD)
- Emulsional Rescue: Revealing The Godfather (HD)
- The Godfather on the Red Carpet (HD)
- Four Short Films on The Godfather
--- The Godfather vs. The Godfather, Part II (HD)
--- Cannoli (HD)
--- Riffing on the Riffing (HD)
--- Clemenza (HD)
- The Family Tree
- Crime Organization Chart
- Connie and Carlo's Wedding Album
2001
DVD Archive:
-Behind
the Scenes
-- The Godfather Family: A Look Inside
-- On Location
-- Francis Coppola's Notebook
-- The Music of the Godfather
-- Coppola & Puzo on Screenwriting
-- Gordon Willis on Cinematography
-- Storyboards from The Godfather, Part II
-- Storyboards from The Godfather, Part III
-- The Godfather: Behind the Scenes 1971
- The Filmmakers
-- Francis Ford Coppola
-- Mario Puzo
-- Gordon Willis
-- Dean Tavoularis
-- Nino Rota
-- Carmine Coppola
- Additional Scenes
- Acclaim & Response
- Trailers (HD)
- Photo Gallery
- Rogues' Gallery
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Good
News! According to The
Digital Bits Paramount's European arm has released official details
of the DVD release of the restored trilogy there. The restored boxed
set will contain all three films, 5 new featurettes, 4 short films,
plus many or all of the bonus content from the original DVD boxed
set. More details to follow about the US release, but it's curiously
planned to arrive in the UK on June 2, 2008.
See:
Post
Focus: Paramount Restores The Godfather (American Cinematographer,
May 2008)
[DISCUSS]
WOAH!
Can this
be true??! I doubt it.