40th anniversary of "Once Upon a Time in America" - June 1st
Jun 1, 2024 3:55:54 GMT
CrepedCrusader and movielover like this
Post by ck100 on Jun 1, 2024 3:55:54 GMT
Any fans of this Sergio Leone movie starring Robert De Niro and James Woods? I haven't seen it, but I know there are two versions of it (European/Director's Cut and U.S. version), and many consider the European/Director's Cut version to be superior to the U.S. version despite being much longer.
Leonard Maltin Movie Guide Review:
Once Upon a Time in America (1984) - 3 out of 4 stars
"Long, engrossing homage to the gangster film, following the rise and fall of Jewish childhood pals on N.Y.C.'s Lower East Side. Shorn of 88m. for U.S. release, story ceases to make sense at several points, and characters appear and disappear with amazing suddenness. Even so, Leone's feel for this genre, compelling performances by De Niro and Woods, and stunning art direction make this well worth watching. Based on Harry Grey's novel The Hoods. Connelly's feature film debut. Complete 227m. version is quite a different film--and not without flaws of its own. (Even this long version is minus several minutes of violent footage--notably from a key rape sequence--which exist in European prints.) Director's cut runs 229m. Originally released in U.S. at 139m."
Leonard Maltin Movie Guide Review:
Once Upon a Time in America (1984) - 3 out of 4 stars
"Long, engrossing homage to the gangster film, following the rise and fall of Jewish childhood pals on N.Y.C.'s Lower East Side. Shorn of 88m. for U.S. release, story ceases to make sense at several points, and characters appear and disappear with amazing suddenness. Even so, Leone's feel for this genre, compelling performances by De Niro and Woods, and stunning art direction make this well worth watching. Based on Harry Grey's novel The Hoods. Connelly's feature film debut. Complete 227m. version is quite a different film--and not without flaws of its own. (Even this long version is minus several minutes of violent footage--notably from a key rape sequence--which exist in European prints.) Director's cut runs 229m. Originally released in U.S. at 139m."
