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LONDON — A unique version of Francis Ford Coppola‘s The Godfather, starring Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, will unspool at the Royal Albert Hall in the British capital, accompanied by Nino Rota’s immortal orchestral score performed live.
Coppola’s timeless masterpiece spanning 10 years in the lives of a New York “crime family” will screen at the famous venue on Dec. 8, 2014.
The world premiere of The Godfather Live will be a celebration of a crime classic regularly cited as one of the greatest films ever made.
Royal Albert Hall COO Jasper Hope said, “We are making movie fans an offer they can’t refuse — The Godfather as it has never been seen, or heard, before.”
The Royal Albert Hall has, in recent years, become a destination venue for major movie events, with the world premiere of Skyfall and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe occupying the famous home, complete with British royalty in the audience at the traditional home to classical music.
“The Royal Albert Hall has become the place to see great films with great scores played live, and the chance to watch The Godfather with Nino Rota‘s legendary music performed on stage and in full will be a unique experience for fans,” Hope said.
Justin Freer will conduct the orchestra for The Godfather Live.
“There is little film music as instantly recognizable as Nino Rota’s opening music played on trumpet, and only a handful of films as masterfully made as The Godfather. The marriage of these two masterpieces on stage live at Royal Albert Hall will be something to remember,” Freer said.
The Godfather, released in 1972 to popular and critical acclaim, tells the story of the Corleones and their rivalry with other New York crime families between 1945 and 1955, as the title character (Brando) hands over the reins of power to his youngest son (Pacino).
Also starring James Caan, John Cazale, Robert Duvall and Diane Keaton, the film won three Academy Awards — including best picture and best actor for Brando — and cemented Coppola’s reputation as one of the exciting new breed of directors who revolutionized Hollywood from the late 1960s onward.
Rota achieved international acclaim in the 1950s and 1960s for his work with Italian directors Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti, scoring movies including White Nights, The Leopard, La Dolce Vita and 8½.
His music for The Godfather, including its immortal love theme, was ranked at fifth in the American Film Institute’s list of the greatest scores ever written.
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