Once Upon A Time In America DVD

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 Leone's final movie is an epic gangster story
I never was fond of director Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns which made him and actors like Clint Easwood famous years ago. But his final work is something quite different - a piece of cinematography that you very rarely come across in the world of modern movie making. Great acting from the likes of Robert De Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern and a host of other stars. To top it off, the film has a group of brilliant young actors playing the central parts of the main characters as kids in the Jewish ghetto in New York City at the turn of the century. It's a wonderfull screenplay and then you've got that original music score by Italian composer Ennio Morricone, which you can't get out of you head. What you should do is this: See Martin Scorsese's "Gangs Of New York", followed by "Once Upon A Time In America", then go on to Scorsese's crime trilogy "Mean Streets", "Goodfellas" and finally "Casino." When that is completed you'll forget all about those overblown Hollywood gangster movies like "Godfather" & "Scarface." Sergio Leone's film is a grand finale.
Submitted by a reviewer (Hvidovre, Denmark) 
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 Good, but hard to follow
This is a really good movie, but hard to follow the time lines as it skips around from youth age, prime age, and old age. The only thing that I did not like about the DVD is that on DVD-1, the movie stops at the wrong scene from what is printed in the case, and it does stop so abruptly, that I thought the DVD was defective, but it picks right back up on DVD-2.
Submitted by a reviewer (Dallas, TX) 
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 A great film that took way too long to get dvd treatment
In the early 1980's when Once Upon a Time made its theatrical premiere in the US, we were subjected to an utterly incoherent, poorly edited film. The powers that be in our country felt that audiences would not see a film that was 4 hours in lenght, so Warner Brothers cut the film down to approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes. This is what the film going public had to look forward to that summer. Once Upon a Time in America was honored in other countries by being show in the now infamous, Long Version. This made the US stand up and take notice because the film received almost universal praise from all critics and filmgoers alike. The US released the "Long Version" later in the mid 80's in art houses across the country. This is when I first saw the film that was almost never meant to be seen. Now, 18 years later, Once Upon a Time has been given its due when it was released for the first time on DVD. For those of you that have never seen it, you are in for a real treat. Be forwared!! You may have every intention of watching the film in a 2 night viewing, but I almost guarantee that most will be so captured by the film that by the time the film ends, most will wind up having to get ready for work. Forget everything you heard or remember about the "Short Version." The "Long Version" will always be remembered as a great art film that was sadly one of the last films directed by Sergio Leone. Whether you rent or buy this dvd, this one deserves a spot on any serious collectors film library.
Submitted by a reviewer (Orlando, FL, USA) 
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 Great Movie!!
This movie is such a great movie to watch. The acting is superb!!
Submitted by rpastor7 (Albuquerque, NM USA) 
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 Incredible!
Don't listen to a word the reviewer below said, they lack any form of intelligence. Watch it and see for yourself.
Submitted by Thamuz (Canada)
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