Lifestyle > Sports & Entertainment
Once Upon A Time In America question
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:
--- Quote from: JohnnyL on April 06, 2011, 06:14:28 AM --- 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.
--- End quote ---
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:
--- Quote from: OG Will_B on April 06, 2011, 08:37:26 AM ---
--- Quote from: JohnnyL on April 06, 2011, 06:14:28 AM --- 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.
--- End quote ---
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...
--- End quote ---
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.
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