For acclaimed actress Talia Shire, "The Godfather" movie saga is about everything. As a performer, it's about business; and as the sister of director, writer and producer Francis Ford Coppola and the lifelong friendships forged with her co-stars during the making of the films, it's personal because they're her family.

Shire, who played the pivotal role of Connie Corleone in the film saga, is celebrating the classic film trilogy once again Tuesday as "The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration" makes its debut on DVD and Blu-ray (Paramount Home Entertainment). Shire starred in all three "Godfather" films, and earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for "The Godfather: Part II" in 1975.

In an @ The Movies interview Monday, Shire said that a screening of the restored version of "The Godfather" two months ago was her first in several years, and was a whole new "pristine" visual experience. But perhaps most importantly to Shire -- who followed Connie with her Oscar-nominated portrayal of Adrian in "Rocky" -- the film didn't feel dated in any sense. In fact, it captivated the same sort of emotions as it did when released in theaters in 1972, and more.

"To tell you the truth -- and I know Francis is my brother -- but I really feel that it's a work of art, and most works of art, for some reason hold up. They simply do," Shire said. "You find some new thing in it that you hadn't seen before, that you had not realized before, that relates to you now in ways that are profound. Francis modeled the first one after Julius Caesar, the second one was more Greek and the third one was moving into 'King Lear.' When you go back to the films, you find some new things in those relationships."

Slideshow: 'The Godfather' Stars -- Then & Now

"The Godfather" stars Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone, an Italian immigrant who rises to power in 1940s as the head of New York's most powerful crime families. Al Pacino plays Vito's son, Michael, a World War II hero who returns home to eventually become the Don, with the hopes of someday making the family "business" legitimate amid a bloody war with the Corleone's rivals.

One of the themes of "The Godfather" is the gray area between what is business and what is personal to those involved. In the case of Connie, a business decision of a deeply personal nature causes a seismic shift in her and her brother Michael's relationship.

"She's an interesting character because she's so sacrificed," Shire said of the role. "You see her emerge in the most negative way."

Fortunately, the relationship between Shire and her real brother is exactly the opposite. Not only did they have (and still) have a great relationship as a sister and brother, when it comes to professional collaboration, they're spot on.

"Our traditions in our family were about theater -- putting on the show," Shire said. "We're very much like a circus family. We work very, very hard, we love what we do, we're very educated in the business and we trust each other."

A Continuing Appreciation

Shire said that the first "The Godfather" film, in particular, has become more important to her with age, not only because of the film itself, but because of the difficult achievement of getting the film made in the first place: one of the subjects examined in the "Restoration" DVD set's documentaries.

But despite being "fraught with complexities and problems," Shire said, she views the experience now like a marriage that's worked out wonderfully, for better or worse.

"Now that I can sit back after all of these years and look at it, for me, it's like being married to someone for 30 years. You just love them more," she said.

Among those affected by the film's difficulties early on were Shire, Pacino and even Brando, who were met with resistance early in the casting process. But one thing that wasn't in dispute once the pieces fell into place and the camera started rolling was the incredible presence of Brando on the set. Shire said that she and her fellow cast mates where in the presence of greatness, and weren't about to squander the opportunity to watch history in the making.

"We were all pretty young actors, so we would sneak onto that set to watch Marlon Brando work," Shire said. "He was a great, professional actor and we saw things that were amazing in terms of his craft. It impacted all of us. Not only did we get a chance to make a great movie, we also had a chance to be inspired."

And perhaps the figurehead that Brando was to the actors was good omen of things to come for Coppola, Shire and company. In addition to winning its Best Picture Oscar in 1973, "The Godfather" is still considered by many to be one of the greatest films, if not the greatest film of all time: All roads, no matter how smooth or bumpy along the way, led to movie houses where everything clicked with audiences.

"It's a perfect movie on all levels," Shire said. "You're acting on a set, which is extraordinary within itself. Then comes the costumes, then comes the editing, then music and then comes the distribution and so on. On any one of those levels on a movie could fall apart. But this one just got better."

These days, Shire still acts and doubly keeps herself busy as a mom and supporter of her sons, actors Jason Schwartzman ("Rushmore," "The Darjeeling Limited") and Robert Schwartzman ("The Princess Diaries"), her children with late producer Jack Schwartzman. But with the release of "The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration" on the forefront of people's minds now, Shire said that she is more than happy to revisit the past.

"You live your every life, but it's important to be reminded of that because I truly love drama whether it's in theater or on film," Shire said. "It's a wonderful feeling. I have an enormous sense of honor and pride."