Once Upon a Time in America (Two-Disc Special Edition)
by Sergio Leone
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Elizabeth McGovern, James Woods, Robert De Niro, Treat Williams, Tuesday WeldDirector: Sergio Leone
Brand: Warner Brothers
Writer: Enrico Medioli
Writer: Ernesto Gastaldi
Writer: Franco Arcalli
Writer: Franco Ferrini
Writer: Harry Grey
Writer: Leonardo Benvenuti
Writer: Piero De Bernardi
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 229 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-06-10
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Movie Reviews of Once Upon a Time in America (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Movie Review: Leone's "Godfather" Version, And About As Good
Summary: 5 Stars
This Godfather-type film was done by Sergio Leone, of spaghetti-western fame, so you know you will see and experience several of his trademarks. Namely: (1) a lot of facial closeups; (2) some slow-motion or slow-moving dramatic scenes; (3) good overall photography and (4) a unique soundtrack.
The period sets here are magnificent. You get a real feel of the time, whether it's 1910, 1933 or 1967. The colors are awash in blacks, browns and grays and the DVD brings all these out very well, especially considering the film is 25 years old. Now the next step is a Blu-Ray version.
This is a fascinating film to watch for the story, too. There are numerous memorable scenes, some of them involving some downright shocking violence, even for today's movies. However, the amount of violence is less than what you often see today in crime films.
The movie also sports an interesting twist near the end involving the two major characters, played by Robert De Niro and James Woods. The story is not always clear, either, so be prepared to be possibly confused about a few things....at least on the first viewing. Intense actors such as the two men just mentioned, along with Elizabeth McGovern, Tuesday Weld, Joe Pecsi, Burt Young, Treat Williams and more, just add to the five-star rating of this movie.
The child actors in here take up almost half the movie and are excellent. What an injustice they don't receive any publicity for their acting, especially the kids who played De Niro and Woods as youngsters. One of the girls has become a famous adult actress: Jennifer Connelly. She was 12 years old in this film and was already alluring.
This is Godfather-type crime movie that ranks right up there with that famous film, not taking a back seat to it at all.
Summary of Once Upon a Time in America (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Ten years in planning Sergio Leone's epic Once upon a Time in America portrays 50 years of riveting underworld history and offers rich roles to a remarkable cast. Robert De Niro and James Woods play lifelong Lower East Side pals whose wary partnership unravels in death and mystery. Strong support comes from Tuesday Weld Joe Pesci Jennifer Connelly Elizabeth McGovern and the young actors playing the central characters as ghetto kids. To see this film (offered for the first time in the full version 1984 Cannes Film Festival audiences cheered) is "to be swept away by the assurance and vitality of a great director making his final statement in a medium he adored" (Kenneth Turan Los Angeles Times).Running Time: 229 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre:?DRAMA Rating:?R UPC:?085393190927 Manufacturer No:?31909This movie has a checkered history, having been chopped from its original 227-minute director's cut to 139 minutes for its U.S. release. This longer edition 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 aging 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
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