Once Upon a Time in America Blu-ray AVForums Review

Casimir Harlow

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Fantastic movie - one of my all time favourites.
An epic in every sense !!
 
Superb review Cas of a criminally underrated movie .I have this on my purchase list and will look forward to watching it after a gap of at least 10 years . Strangely enough I remember most if it ,such was the impression it made ,great soundtrack as well ,the harmonica moments with the youngest of the gang being especially poignant .

Interested in seeing the scenes that have been added in ,criterions version of its a mad mad mad world is the benchmark for restored antics , crazy what they did .

One word though for the cover , awful ,looks like an exec has let his pet dog loose with ms paint and an airbrush .
 
great soundtrack as well ,the harmonica moments with the youngest of the gang being especially poignant .
I think its the only movie that after i watched it, i went out and picked up the soundtrack on cd.
Was somehow haunting and beautiful....i was mesmerised.
 
Cas, have you actually got the 229 minute disc to compare it to? The colour and contrast is markedly different between both discs, even in the footage that's common to both versions.

This latest edition is based off of a new 4K transfer, they haven't just taken the old master and slugged in the deleted scenes. Also, the movie is framed at 1.78 on this edition and not 1.85, this is par for the course for Warners (unlike their Italian Blu-ray of the longer cut which actually is in 1.85).
 
Cas, have you actually got the 229 minute disc to compare it to? The colour and contrast is markedly different between both discs, even in the footage that's common to both versions.

This latest edition is based off of a new 4K transfer, they haven't just taken the old master and slugged in the deleted scenes. Also, the movie is framed at 1.78 on this edition and not 1.85, this is par for the course for Warners (unlike their Italian Blu-ray of the longer cut which actually is in 1.85).

Haven't had the chance to do a comparison mate. I knew it was remastered for the celebrations (last year I think) but didn't know they'd changed the colour timing. The biggest thing I was trying to focus on was the extra footage - perhaps they did the colour change to make the new footage fit in better?
 
My favorite film but I would have liked to see a 4K restoration of the 229 minute version as well.
 
Great review cas, strange that I only have the dvd version in my collection. I will have to buy this film now on bluray lol.
 
Just to confirm: this new scan was done at 4K by Warners' MPI division and then digitally restored by L'immagine Ritrovita in Bologna, Italy.
 
Still not sure whether to get this or not. Ive got the existing blu-ray but I still remain unconvinced by reviews of this new one. Ill probably succumb in the end though!

Mate, you shouldn't be put off. Just wait until it's a lil cheaper but defo get it.

What fans deserved - and what the film deserved - was a two-disc special edition with a 4K restoration of the 229 min cut on one disc, with the commentary and all the extras, and the extended cut on the second disc. But it's never going to happen. This is it. And we can't turn our noses up at that - it's a great film and well deserves a viewing in its attempted original version. Owning just the old 229 min cut isn't enough, you need this, it's just a question of at what price really.
 
Mate, you shouldn't be put off. Just wait until it's a lil cheaper but defo get it.

What fans deserved - and what the film deserved - was a two-disc special edition with a 4K restoration of the 229 min cut on one disc, with the commentary and all the extras, and the extended cut on the second disc. But it's never going to happen. This is it. And we can't turn our noses up at that - it's a great film and well deserves a viewing in its attempted original version. Owning just the old 229 min cut isn't enough, you need this, it's just a question of at what price really.

OK you convinced me ;). It is yet another Leone masterpiece after all but one I find difficult to fit time in to watch down the years - and that's the existing cut never mind this longer version! Ill wait till my back catalogue of blu's to watch has dropped a bit and with Xmas coming up, it might get even worse...
 
so nice an fantastic movie one of my favourite move
 
Great film and one of my all time fave OSTs. Morricone at his best. Only thing that I didn't like about this film was the naf ageing make up which looks even worse in HD. Hollywood still can't get this right!
De Niro and Woods are actually at that age now!
 
Great film and one of my all time fave OSTs. Morricone at his best. Only thing that I didn't like about this film was the naf ageing make up which looks even worse in HD. Hollywood still can't get this right!
De Niro and Woods are actually at that age now!

You forgot possibly the worst example of this as can be seen in Downton Abbey of course - Elizabeth McGovern.
 
You forgot possibly the worst example of this as can be seen in Downton Abbey of course - Elizabeth McGovern.

Of course, how could i forget! Forgot about her. Only saw her the other night in DA!
Also Jennifer Connelly as a younger Deborah
 
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Is the 'Collector's Edition' with booklet released in the UK? I'm having trouble finding it anywhere.
 
After having this sat on my shelf for ages, I finally found four hours free to watch it all in one sitting.

No real need for me to do a general review of how amazing this film is, so I'll just comment on this edition... it's cleaned up nicely and not overdone, definitely the best that it's ever looked.

Now, onto the newly found scenes, and I suspect some will disagree, but...
Totally unnecessary.

A couple of them stand out like a sore thumb (the Louise Fletcher mausoleum scene in particular), and in my opinion, add nothing.

The conversation with the chauffeur sets up the unpleasant scene in the back of the car, but again it's not really needed, looks awful and the audio is so muffled it's painful to watch.

I thought the ageing mentioned above was pretty well done, De Niro does indeed look pretty much like he looks now.
 
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Very odd this went OOP so quick and I missed out faffing about. Amazon.es had loads but they disappeared too -but just bagged one for €40 shipped.

If you're after one keep an eye on their link

Just like Amazon.it with Arrow's Videodrome LE these stores stock imported stuff.
 
— As an Amazon Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases —
It went OOP because the distribution deal between Warners and Regency has come to an end, those titles have shifted to Fox. It'll be back on the market soon enough...
 
Thanks, wow, that's unexpected, Warner have also lost Mann's Heat and Hanson's L.A. Confidential.

Forever Warner in my mind.

Looks like Fox wanted them more though.
 
Same with JFK, that'll always be a Warners movie to me, but the Fox Blu-ray looks better so I went with that one. :D
 

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