Once Upon a Time in America

[flyonthewall2983]

I'm just thanking my lucky stars it's all on one disc.

It is? I read on Amazon it was one-disc than another review somewhere said it was 2.

[Nothing]

Yes, how loathsome - give me a cheap fashionista romcom anyday.

I wonder why the transfer is so soft? Looks almost as if the telecine was out of focus, but I suspect a problem with the elements - was this sourced from a dupe neg? Was the original neg perhaps destroyed when they created the 2hr abortion?

[James Mills]

Hmmm, I think it looks fantastic, but I have a bad eye for these types of things.

I was just comparing it to my double disc special edition dvd of it, and they're like night and day; the blu ray looks beautiful in comparison.

[knives]

Yes, how loathsome - give me a cheap fashionista romcom anyday.

Are you referring to Dom and company? I haven't seen the movie yet, Blu near the bottom of my kevyip though, but their complaint seems reasonable. Leone's sexual politics are horrific and if the movie does go as far as Dom suggests than it really is loathsome and something one would have to with great difficulty get around to enjoy it much like the racism in Birth of a Nation.

[Robin Davies]

DVDBeaver considerately provides a Blu-ray cap of the loathsome nipple gunplay

I don't remember seeing this scene at all. Does anyone know if it was censored from the UK release?

[James Mills]

DVDBeaver considerately provides a Blu-ray cap of the loathsome nipple gunplay

I don't remember seeing this scene at all.
Does anyone know if it was censored from the UK release?

You probably don't remember it because it's so inconsequential (which is probably why so many people take offense to it, it's completely unnecessary). It's in the third scene at the beginning when they're going through the opium den looking for Noodles. One of the mobsters interrupts a couple getting it on.

I agree with the notion that it doesn't do enough contextualizing of their characters (seeing that these mobsters are only secondary placeholders and have no names or backgrounds worth caring about) to be meritorious of its degradation towards women. Still, an argument might be made that this degradation is purposely set up to emphasize the mentalities of all these characters (protagonists included) towards women, as a form of critique on the misogyny of gangsters if you will. Either way, I don't approve of the shot, but it doesn't detract from all the other sheer capacity and engagement that make Once Upon a Time in America one of my favorite films of all time.

[MoonlitKnight]

I'm just thanking my lucky stars it's all on one disc.

It is? I read on Amazon it was one-disc than another review somewhere said it was 2.

The DVDBeaver review domino posted claims it's all on one disc.

[aox]

Blu-Ray.com

[Nothing]

I haven't seen the movie yet... Leone's sexual politics are horrific.

Honestly, this is the politically correct liberal version of CAPalert, dismissing one of the greatest movies of all time for a 2 second shot of a girl and a gun...

So does anyone have any further info on why this looks so crappy? "Inherent to the source material" (Blu-Ray.com) is meaningless - the question being, what source material have they used? I'm still betting this comes from a dupe neg, or a dodgy I/P. Have seen the 4hr cut in the cinema a couple of times (release prints) and it looked better than this.

[knives]

I haven't seen the movie yet... Leone's sexual politics are horrific.

His sexual politics are horrific in all of his films(maybe excepting For a Fistful of Dollars). I think it's fair to make a judgment on a man's career after seeing two-thirds of his filmography.

[Nothing]

His sexual politics are horrific in all of his films.

If he had really introduced Claudia Cardinale with an upskirt shot in OUATITW I might have to agree with you... But her character is actually pretty progressive for the time, no? A pivotal female character who is allowed to be strong, maternal AND sexual. Other than Johnny Guitar, one struggles to think of a more memorable female character in a western. The opening rape-seduction in Gui la Testa I'll give you, perhaps, although it's a minor element in the film and Leone didn't come on to direct until the very last minute.

[Yakushima]

There is news at bluray.com that extended cut of "Once upon a time in America" is in preparation at The Bologna Cinematheque supervised by the film's original sound editor. 40 extra minutes will be integrated into the existing cut.

Has anyone heard anything about this? A dream come true after so many years of hearing of the lost "complete version" (if confirmed)

[aox]

I'll believe it when I see it.

[JMULL222]

Variety covered it, so I imagine it's legit. Still, somewhat suprised WB would release a brand new version right before this news dropped (they must've known), though maybe I'm just being optimistic and a double dip was the whole plan.

[James Mills]

I've been waiting for this extended cut for soooo long... very exciting

[aox]

I don't think I am making this up (meaning: I seem to vaguely remember reading this years ago), but I thought the big problem with any remaining footage not contained within the current cut was that the audio was lost or damaged beyond repair? So there is 40min-1 hour of fantastic footage that can go right back into the film, but the audio cannot be located.

Anyone remember something like that?

[flyonthewall2983]

I think that may have been in reference to the excised scene from Once Upon A Time In The West, of which there are only stills of very briefly on the DVD.

[flyonthewall2983]

The extended cut is happening, hitting theaters in June, Blu-Ray in August.

[Jack Phillips]

The extended cut is happening, hitting theaters in June, Blu-Ray in August.

Where did you read that in the article linked? This is what I read,

Talks are already underway for the new version to go on VOD or get a theatrical release in Italy and we're sure more territories will follow eventually, and we'd presume a fresh BluRay release will come along at some point as well.

[aox]

I thought the reason we could never get an extended cut was because the audio is missing from all extra footage? Did I make that up? And if I didn't, do we assume that it wasn't true or that they finally found it after 25 years.

[flyonthewall2983]

The extended cut is happening, hitting theaters in June, Blu-Ray in August.

Where did you read that in the article linked?

It wasn't in that article, but something I read from a related article on The Vision iPad app.

[hearthesilence]

Just to clarify, it's presumed that the additional material was footage Leone wanted to used but (at the time) couldn't because of audio issues? And that the editor et al know exactly where Leone wanted to cut these scenes into the film?

[Jack Phillips]

The extended cut is happening, hitting theaters in June, Blu-Ray in August.

Where did you read that in the article linked?

It wasn't in that article, but something I read from a related article on The Vision iPad app.

Then please tell me more: Theaters in June in Italy? An Italian Blu-ray in August?

[James Mills]

I hope so very much that this can make its way to a theatre in LA...

[flyonthewall2983]

Then please tell me more: Theaters in June in Italy? An Italian Blu-ray in August?

It didn't say, sadly.