Once Upon A Time In America question

[Get It Off Ya Chest]

Does anyone know if the 8 or so hour long version of this film is floating around anywhere? Or even the 6 or so hour verson? I've got the 3hr 49mins version on DVD, but would love to see the full version, or at least just one of the longer versions.

[JohnnyL]

 Interesting question.  I haven't seen this brought up in a while.  According to wikipedia, a full, uncut version of the film was released on dvd in Brazil but it is currently out of print.  The dvd did feature an English language track as well as English subtitles.  However, Brazil uses Region 4 DVDs as well as PAL-M which is apparently even different from PAL-N, so then you get into that whole thing.  So it sounds as though if you live in North America, even if you were to find an out-of-print copy from Brazil, it would still be a major pain in the ass to try to watch it.  Why they didn't just release the full, uncut version a few years ago over here when they did that "Special Edition" version, I don't know.

[Get It Off Ya Chest]

Thanks for all that. I'm actually in Scotland, so I'd need a Region 2 DVD. Doesn't really help though

I agree it's quite weird they didn't release the full, uncut one. I am, though, pleased that we can get at least the 3hr 49min version, I heard the original release which was cut down to 1hr something was absolutely awful. Understandable, when it was meant to be 7 or 8 hours longer

[JohnnyL]

Thanks for all that. I'm actually in Scotland, so I'd need a Region 2 DVD. Doesn't really help though

I agree it's quite weird they didn't release the full, uncut one. I am, though, pleased that we can get at least the 3hr 49min version, I heard the original release which was cut down to 1hr something was absolutely awful. Understandable, when it was meant to be 7 or 8 hours longer

 No problem.  To be honest, I had forgotten about the longer cut of the film until you brought it up in this thread.  I'd also love to see it.  Because it seems like Brazil had the only uncut version I'm surprised that it hasn't been bootlegged and put on a region-free disc.  There are tons of unlicensed discs like that made in China, but it appears they may not have got to that one.  As a matter of fact the copy I have is a Chinese, region-free copy, but it's just the 229 minute version.  Hopefully someone releases the full version down the road. 
  Yeah.  That weird 134 minute cut originally shown in the U.S. is so hated, I doubt that version will ever get released again.  Interestingly, the Wikipedia article also mentions a Russian cut of the movie that was shown theatrically as two movies.  It featured all of the footage from the uncut version, but it was re-edited so everything in the movie happens in chronological order.  I believe it said that that was available on dvd in PAL format, although where you'd find it, I have no idea.  There was no listing for it on Amazon.com or Ebay.

[Get It Off Ya Chest]

You would think if it's available in one country, it'd be all over the Internet. Know of any Brazilian members on this site that could help us out? lol
That's interesting about the Russian version. Although why you'd want to edit it to chronological order makes no sense to me - 1) you have all the footage, why change the way it was made? and 2) one of the best things about the film is they way the story pans out, i.e. De Niro's character as an old man looking back, then as a kid/young man, then as the old man again. Baffles me
But yeah, we need to get our hands on that Brazilian copy

[JohnnyL]

You would think if it's available in one country, it'd be all over the Internet. Know of any Brazilian members on this site that could help us out? lol
That's interesting about the Russian version. Although why you'd want to edit it to chronological order makes no sense to me - 1) you have all the footage, why change the way it was made? and 2) one of the best things about the film is they way the story pans out, i.e. De Niro's character as an old man looking back, then as a kid/young man, then as the old man again. Baffles me
But yeah, we need to get our hands on that Brazilian copy

  Yeah, the whole chronological order thing seems silly to me.  Coppola did the same thing years ago with "The Godfather Saga," a version of "The Godfather" and "The Godfather Part II" that aired on television (and later was released on video) in which the two movies were combined and re-edited together to show the events in chronological order.  So basically, all the flashback stuff from "Godfather II" was shown first, and so on.  A version of this which also added "The Godfather Part III" was available as recently as 1992.
  But like "Once Upon a Time in America" the whole idea of putting everything in chronological order seems pointless.  Those movies are perfectly fine the way they are.  I'm not sure why the decision was made to release "Once Upon a Time in America" that way.  Very strange and I doubt Leone would have liked it either.
  Also, I agree with you about the Brazilian version of the film.  You would think that with copies out there, it would have made it's way onto the internet.  I wouldn't be surprised if it was out there somewhere.

[Get It Off Ya Chest]

I know what you mean. About Leone not liking it, I saw on the wee documentary that came as a bonus with the DVD that he really really didn't like the version that was released at 1st, the short one in chronological order. He said at the time something like "They've ripped the essence out of it", or "they've ripped the soul out of it", or something like that

[LooN3y]

is this the movie with deniro? there was an 8 hour long version? but only in brazlian with english subtitles?

[Sikotic™]

The 4 hour version was already long enough for me. I couldn't imagine the movie being twice as long and worth watching.

[Will_B]

The 4 hour version was already long enough for me. I couldn't imagine the movie being twice as long and worth watching.

There never was or will be an 8 hour cut!


Leone's original festival cut was 229 minutes, and is now finally out on Blu-Ray (as of Jan 2011)
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews16/once_upon_a_time_in_america_dvd_review.htm

This is what was previously out 'uncut' on poor quality on Brazilian DVD. And a censored version (edited for sexual violence) on US DVD in 2003.



However a new further extended cut is being handled by Leone's family, which will included an extra 40 minutes of film.
I'm assuming this is largely based on a longer cut that Leone had put together previously, which was apparently shown on Italian tv (but without any English dialogue...)

The new and presumably final cut will be out next year (for festival release initially).
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118033710

[JohnnyL]

 What I read said that Leone had shot 8 to 10 hours worth of footage.  With his editor, Nino Baragli, he trimmed it down to 6 hours, and originally wanted to release it as two, 3-hour movies.  The producers refused to do this because there had been another movie, Novecento, that was released this way and was a commercial failure.  This forced him to shorten the run-time to 229 minutes, which is the way it premiered at Cannes Film Festival in 1984.  However, when it first premiered in America, it had been edited even more (this time to a 139 minute version), and the movie was changed from having flashbacks to everything being presented in chronological order.  As far as the Brazillian dvd version being fully uncut, I don't know that for sure. I've never personally seen that dvd, that's just what wikipedia said about it.  However, there is a 6 hour cut of the film, it's just never been released.  There is no 8 hour cut of the film, just 8 to 10 total hours of shot footage, some of which I'm sure never would have made it into the final cut of the film.

[Will_B]

What I read said that Leone had shot 8 to 10 hours worth of footage.  With his editor, Nino Baragli, he trimmed it down to 6 hours, and originally wanted to release it as two, 3-hour movies.  The producers refused to do this because there had been another movie, Novecento, that was released this way and was a commercial failure.  This forced him to shorten the run-time to 229 minutes, which is the way it premiered at Cannes Film Festival in 1984.  However, when it first premiered in America, it had been edited even more (this time to a 139 minute version), and the movie was changed from having flashbacks to everything being presented in chronological order.  As far as the Brazillian dvd version being fully uncut, I don't know that for sure. I've never personally seen that dvd, that's just what wikipedia said about it.  However, there is a 6 hour cut of the film, it's just never been released.  There is no 8 hour cut of the film, just 8 to 10 total hours of shot footage, some of which I'm sure never would have made it into the final cut of the film.

Yeah the first 229 min approx version to come out was on Laserdisc (but that was trimmed for the sexual violence same as the newer DVD).

The Brazil DVD was the same as that but uncensored.

As I'm sure you know it's normal for Directors to shoot a large portion of footage that never gets used, and in the case of Leone (R.I.P.) you can't just go back to a 6 hour workprint and release it as a true Directors Cut (unless in the unlikely chance he ever had the time to fulfilled the 3 x 2 hour film concept).

But the longer 269min finished version he was working on will be released..


Maybe one day that 6 hour workprint will be restored/reconstructed if it still exists, and get a release in a boxset or something...

[JohnnyL]

What I read said that Leone had shot 8 to 10 hours worth of footage.  With his editor, Nino Baragli, he trimmed it down to 6 hours, and originally wanted to release it as two, 3-hour movies.  The producers refused to do this because there had been another movie, Novecento, that was released this way and was a commercial failure.  This forced him to shorten the run-time to 229 minutes, which is the way it premiered at Cannes Film Festival in 1984.  However, when it first premiered in America, it had been edited even more (this time to a 139 minute version), and the movie was changed from having flashbacks to everything being presented in chronological order.  As far as the Brazillian dvd version being fully uncut, I don't know that for sure. I've never personally seen that dvd, that's just what wikipedia said about it.  However, there is a 6 hour cut of the film, it's just never been released.  There is no 8 hour cut of the film, just 8 to 10 total hours of shot footage, some of which I'm sure never would have made it into the final cut of the film.

Yeah the first 229 min approx version to come out was on Laserdisc (but that was trimmed for the sexual violence same as the newer DVD).

The Brazil DVD was the same as that but uncensored.

As I'm sure you know it's normal for Directors to shoot a large portion of footage that never gets used, and in the case of Leone (R.I.P.) you can't just go back to a 6 hour workprint and release it as a true Directors Cut (unless in the unlikely chance he ever had the time to fulfilled the 3 x 2 hour film concept).

But the longer 269min finished version he was working on will be released..


Maybe one day that 6 hour workprint will be restored/reconstructed if it still exists, and get a release in a boxset or something...

I'll probably buy that 269 minute version if it gets released in North America, because who knows if or when a more complete version than that will be made available.