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Amazon.co.uk Review
Once Upon a Time in America has a chequered history, having been chopped from its original 229-minute director's cut to 139 minutes for its theatrical release. The longer edition presented here benefits from having the complete story (the short version has huge gaps) about turn-of-the-century Jewish immigrants in America finding their way into lives of crime, as told in flashback by an ageing Jewish gangster named Noodles (Robert De Niro). On the other hand, it's almost four hours long, and this sometimes-indulgent Sergio Leone film is no Godfather. Still, it is notable for the contrast between Leone's elegiac take on the gangster film and his occasional explosive action, as well as for the mix of the stoic, inexpressive De Niro and the hyperactive James Woods as his lifelong friend and rival. --Marshall Fine
Special Features
Two boyhood friends grow up to become the kingpins of a prohibition-era criminal empire until their own greed and ambition cause their downfall. Based on Larry Grey's novel, "The Hoods."
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51 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray review,
By alek (Poland) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Once Upon a Time in America [Blu-ray] [1984][Region Free] (Blu-ray)
THE FILM
There's not much to say that hasn't been said already. 'Once Upon a Time in America' is without a doubt one of the best films of all time. A grand tale of nostalgia and regret directed by a legendary filmmaker. Robert De Niro, James Woods and the rest of the cast all give great performances. Ennio Morricone's score is simply beautiful. No film buff should miss it. THE DISC The transfer looks quite good. There are no distracting compression artifacts or other anomalies. There is no excessive DNR and the image looks natural. It might not be a demo-worthy material but it is truthful to the original look of the film and a significant improvement over the DVD release. The DTS-HD Master Audio track, while not spectacular, is very clear and precise. There's not much happening in the surround channels but it is an accurate representation of the original, almost 30-year-old soundtrack. All in all, this Blu-ray release is the best the film has ever looked on home video and truthful to the original theatrical presentation. Highly recommended. Available audio tracks: English (DTS-MA), Spanish, Czech, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish (all DD 5.1) Available subtitles: English, Brazilian Portuguese, Bulgarian, Spanish, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Korean, Latin Spanish, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sergio Leone Classic Blu Ray delight,
By
This review is from: Once Upon a Time in America [Blu-ray] [1984][Region Free] (Blu-ray)
I have just finished watching my American Blu Ray version, which should be identical to the forthcoming UK release, I am happy to say that Once upon a Time in America looks fabulous in HD, the picture is sharp, colour pallet is excellent, the flashbacks to their childhood still hold the sepia hue as intended, the extras are exactly the same as on the 2 disc SE which is a shame would have been nice to have a new documentary. The whole uncut film is on one disc, I love this film and have always held it in high regard since I first saw a copy on VHS in my teens.
Is the upgrade to HD worth it for those that have the 2 disc DVD, without a shadow of a doubt, this film has never looked so good, it may not knock your socks off like Avatar or LOTR but then it wasn't expected to. I still think this is one of the best gangster movies out there and worth having in everyone's collection, yes it can be slow at times, yes it is quite violent and can have some unsettling scenes but Sergio is in a class of his own (even though i am not keen on Fistful of Dynamite). Many have speculated over the film is it a drug induced dream etc, I have always had a couple of nagging doubts about a few things set in the 60's so it may have been, after all if Max was the senitor wouldn't his picture have been in the press or on TV and wouldn't noodles have spotted it at least once? I know fat moe states he hasn't seen his sister in a while but as she became a big stage star surley he would have know who she married and wouldn't there have been a few pictures of the happy couple doing the rounds.............but apart from these I have and will always champion this movie. Do I think anyone interested in this film should upgrade, yes without hesitation.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Utterly brilliant - but be sure you buy the correct version,
By
This review is from: Once Upon a Time in America [Blu-ray] [1984][Region Free] (Blu-ray)
This film is one of my 10 favourites of all time. It is utterly brilliant. There are plenty of other five-star reviews on this site that you can read for details of why it is so brilliant. I'm not going to repeat what other reviewers have said, so I will just offer one VERY IMPORTANT piece of advice:
Make sure you buy the longest version you can find. A European lab is currently (May, 2011) restoring the original 269 minute version, which is likely to premiere at Cannes in 2012. Leone's European version ran 229 minutes, and it appears that this Blu-ray product is that version. The 229 minute European version is the one that is currently considered to be a classic. I've seen it two or three times, and I love every minute of it. When this film was released in the United States, distributors insisted that it be cut further. The film was slashed to 139 incomprehensible minutes, and the numerous flashback scenes were shifted into chronological order. The result was a disaster, and this is why there are still some poor reviews for the film floating around the 'net (all from American critics). I saw this version once myself, and it was indeed rubbish. So there you are. Buy this version - which is the best currently available - and you will not be disappointed.
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