In honor of its 45 anniversary, Paramount released the creme de la creme of Godfather box sets.  This is a a real winner and makes the perfect gift for this holiday season.  The official title, The Godfather Trilogy: Omertà Edition is a limited edition set, so there are only 45,000 copies in existence.

The Omertà Edition comes in a box that resembles a cigar box.  Inside is a treasure trove of Godfather paraphernalia that will make a fan as happy as can be. You get a taste of a variety of Godfather items that are separately wrapped in cigar bands.  The first gift is the DVDs themselves. The four disc set unfolds in a four panel booklet. The three films (affectionately known GF1, GF2 and GF3)  are remastered in Blu-ray high definition and a fourth bonus disc of extra features.

As you dig your way down the box, you comes across the “Anatomy of a Scene,” a five panel (a little bigger than postcard size) accordion set of images and script pages of one of the most memorable scenes in cinematic history.  That scene, when Michael Corleone takes out Sollozzo and McCluskey at Louis Italian-American Restaurant gives you the opportunity to reverse the process of watching that scene. What do I mean by that?  If you are true Godfather fan, you’ve seen that scene so many times that it is embedded in your memory.  Now, you can read the script and replay the scene from memory and see the written version of the genius of Francis Ford Coppola.  The script includes crossed out lines and directions for the actor. For example, when Michael goes into the bathroom to retrieve the gun behind the urinal, he initially was suppose to use the urinal but that part of the scene was cut out and rightfully so because the tension inside the bathroom would have been totally different if Michael relieved himself before the shooting.  On the other side of the script are the still photography shots from that scene.  It’s tempting to break these images up from the panels and send to your friends or enemies but for collectability purposes, I’m keeping mine together.

The next premium item that comes out of the box are the “Quote Cards.”  This is my favorite premium in the box.  The cards are a set of 10 still images from from the film that have quotes on the back of them. One of the images is when Michael gives Fredo a kiss in GF2 in Havana and says that memorable line, “I know it was you, Fredo.”  If you are a true fan, you’ll know how to finish the rest of that line. Another image I love is of Moe Greene, who says “Do you know who I am? I’m Moe Greene. I made my bones when you were going out with Cheerleader.”  That’s great writing and if you are hanging with friends, you can use these cards as a game and continue the lines or throw a little trivia in there about slapping Fredo around because he was doing what?  Supply the answer here. You can also use these cards for teaching moments for your kids. I shared the Vito Corleone card with my teenage son with the quote, “A man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man.” He said, “Wasn’t Vito Corleone a Mobster?” I said, “Sure, but even mobsters have a heart.”

The “Magnetic Poetry” let’s you create your own inspired phrases from the dialogue you know and love.  For example, you can mash, “Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes” with “Leave the gun, take the cannoli” to form “Luca Brasi sleeps with the Cannoli.” 

If you are into trivia, The Godfather trivia cards rest at the bottom of the box.  The pack of 10 cards asks minute details of the film that even stumped myself on four of the 10 questions and I’ve always felt I knew the film inside and out.  Finally, a catalogue booklet is also included listing various Godfather swag you can order online including boardgames, an app, collectible toys and alcohol accessories.

The Godfather has been a Holiday tradition in our household for as long as I can remember.  It’s one of the best films to kick back to over the holiday break. It now, gets better with the Omertà Edition. The remastered Blu-Rays, the special features along with the promotional items will get you through at least five more years before the 50th Anniversary Edition comes out.

To purchase The Godfather Trilogy: Omertà Edition visit ParamountPictures.com.