VIDEO 'NOT ENOUGH TIME, MICHAEL' INVOLVING, JAM-PACKED DVDS OF 'THE GODFATHER' TRILOGY, 'SNOW WHITE' HIT THE STORES.

Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor

``Don Quixote,'' ``Moby Dick,'' ``War and Peace,'' James Joyce's ``Ulysses'' - all are classics, and all require a fair investment of time to enjoy. The same can be said for the new DVD versions of two film classics - ``The Godfather'' trilogy and Disney's ``Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.'' Both treatments contain a ton of fascinating extras that will keep film fans busy for hours.

Unless you've been living on another planet, you can't have missed ``The Godfather'' (1972), writer-director Francis Ford Coppola's adaption of Mario Puzo's novel of a Mafia family, the Corleones. And the film was a family affair for Coppola, too. Most people are aware that he used his sister, actress Talia Shire, to play Connie Corleone, and his father, Carmine, composed music on ``The Godfather Part II'' (1974) and ``The Godfather Part III'' (1990). But did you know that the baby shown in the baptism scene that was intercut with the climactic bloodbath of the first film was the director's daughter, Sofia? She and Coppola's son, Roman, would also turn up (uncredited) in ``Part II.''

``Home movies'' is the way Coppola describes it, when taking about using his family. Of course, Sofia would show up as Mary, the daughter of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), in ``Part III.'' While Sofia - a last-minute replacement for Winona Ryder - wasn't ready for her big close-up as an actress, she has turned out to be an interesting director (``The Virgin Suicides'').

When Coppola signed on for the first ``Godfather,'' he was more known for his writing than directing, having won an Oscar for his screenplay for ``Patton'' (1970), but none of the few movies he had helmed did well at the box office. As ``The Godfather'' became more successful as a novel, however, the studio - sensing a blockbuster - became increasingly nervous about putting the project in the hands of a young director, especially about his casting choices.

Nobody wanted Pacino, who was mostly known as a stage actor, his only major role having been in ``The Panic in Needle Park'' (1971), where he played a junkie. Numerous actors tested for it, including Martin Sheen and James Caan, who already was cast as Sonny Corleone, but Coppola kept steering the tests back to Pacino. Clips of these tests (including Sheen's) and rehearsals are part of the DVD's extras. One actor who tested for Sonny didn't get the role, but Coppola kept Robert De Niro in mind when he cast for the young Vito Corleone in ``Part II.'' Watching his test, you have to believe that Coppola made the right choice, as odd as that may seem, considering how great an actor De Niro is.

But part of the brilliance of ``The Godfather'' is the chemistry of the cast. And the most daring choice was Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone. ``Marlon Brando will never do this movie,'' a studio executive told Coppola, echoing the line in the movie - ``Johnny Fontane never gets that movie!'' In that case, it was a film producer talking about a singer-actor who happened to be a friend of Don Corleone. By 1970, Brando was considered box-office poison, but Coppola persisted, and Brando won the Oscar for best actor.

Another fascinating part of this five-disc DVD box set are the deleted scenes from ``The Godfather'' trilogy. Most of the scenes were cut because of slight redundancy or for time. Practically all of them, though, are well-crafted. Coppola surely didn't edit them out because they weren't good.

And if that wasn't enough, there are three great films - ``Part III'' may come up a bit short, but taken with the other two, we'll call it great. Watching Coppola as he works on the script or with the actors on ``Part III'' is a bit eerie. When he has the older Michael reflecting on his life and talking about redeeming himself, you almost get the feeling that Coppola is referring to his own career, which despite some major successes (``Apocalypse Now'') also had some abject failures (``One From the Heart''). Many observers feel that the director has never lived up to his promise.

``Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back again,'' screams Michael during one emotional scene.

``There's more Michael in Francis than there is in me,'' notes Pacino. And there's plenty on this DVD set - which features some of the best works ever in America cinema - to treasure.

And unlike ``Ulysses,'' which presupposes a knowledge of Irish lore, ``The Godfather'' has been instrumental in teaching us mob lore. Also note the use of ``forgetaboutit'' in the first ``Godfather'' long before ``The Sopranos.'' When a package containing a dead fish arrives for Sonny (also in the first film), the meaning is explained to him. ``It's a Sicilian message. It means, 'Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes.' ''

As Tom Hanks' character in ``You've Got Mail'' explains, `` 'The Godfather' answers all of life's questions. What to pack for a trip? 'Leave the gun; take the cannolis.' ''

Did you know that one of the first films Walt Disney ever saw was a 1916 live-action version of ``Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs''? The experience evidently stayed with him because he chose the story for the first full-length animated feature ever made. He originally wanted to do ``Alice in Wonderland,'' but when a live-action version came out in 1933, he switched.

It took him four years to bring ``Snow White'' to the screen. It premiered on Dec. 21, 1937, costing nearly $1.5 million and almost bankrupting his studio. But Disney more than made up the cost. In the 62 years since, the film has been re-released eight times.

The wonderful new two-disc DVD of the film examines the evolution of this landmark piece of animation, including naming and designing the dwarfs. (At one point, there were ``Jumpy'' and ``Baldy.'') The new digitally restored version includes extras such as deleted scenes (Disney was a ``ruthless'' editor, notes film historian John Canemaker), lots of interactive programs (for adults and kids), and rare, behind-the-scenes footage. It's an impressive package, but ``Snow White'' changed the landscape of filmmaking and animation, which until that point had been considered only for short subjects.

The film has a number of firsts associated with it, including:

The first musical to use music to push the narrative (unlike musicals of the time, which were more like stage revues).

The first to have its own soundtrack recording (25 songs were written for ``Snow White'' and eight were used).

The first to have movie-related merchandise available the day of the release.

While all of that is covered on the DVD, the most interesting thing is hearing Walt Disney himself. There is footage of him acting out parts of the story for his animators, and there were enough archival tapes of Disney talking about ``Snow White'' for him, along with Canemaker, to do commentary on the film.

What comes across is how innovative Disney, who would have turned 100 on Dec. 5, was. People who dislike the media giant that the Disney studio has become, may see it as propaganda, but there is no denying the man's incredible creativity and ``Snow White'' and this DVD is a testament to that.

``The Godfather DVD Collection'' (Paramount) is $105.90 and includes ``The Godfather Family: A Look Inside,'' a making-of documentary of the first film; deleted footage; ``Francis Coppola's Notebook''; production stills and storyboards; segments on Gordon Willis' cinematography; Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola's music; locations and screenplays; rehearsal footage; a Corleone family tree; ``Godfather'' timeline; and Academy Award acceptance speeches.

``Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' (Disney) is $29.99. It includes ``Some Day My Prince Will Come''(Barbra Streisand performs a newly recorded rendition of the song presented over an animated montage of highlights from the film); ``Still the Fairest of Them All: The Making of Snow White''; ``Heigh-Ho Sing-Along'' (with an option to hear the vocals from the film or perform your own, karaoke-style); ``The Goddess of Spring'' (a ``Silly Symphony'' animated short, which served as a test for the character of Snow White); audio commentary gathered from dozens of hours of rare archival recordings of Walt Disney himself, hosted by film historian John Canemaker; highlights of Walt Disney's life and career; the Brothers Grimm original version of ``Snow White''; and numerous other extras.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) Al Pacino, seated, as Michael, takes over the ``family business' from his father, Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), in the first ``Godfather.''

(2) A sketch from a deleted scene details ``Building a Bed'' in ``Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.''