Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1092 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-06-23
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Box set, Dubbed, PAL, Special Edition, Widescreen
• Original language: English, French, Italian
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 220 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Once Upon a Time in America has a chequered history, having been chopped from its original 229-minute director's cut to 139 minutes for its theatrical release. The longer edition presented here benefits from having the complete story (the short version has huge gaps) about turn-of-the-century Jewish immigrants in America finding their way into lives of crime, as told in flashback by an ageing Jewish gangster named Noodles (Robert De Niro). On the other hand, it's almost four hours long, and this sometimes-indulgent Sergio Leone film is no Godfather. Still, it is notable for the contrast between Leone's elegiac take on the gangster film and his occasional explosive action, as well as for the mix of the stoic, inexpressive De Niro and the hyperactive James Woods as his lifelong friend and rival. --Marshall Fine

Special Features
229-minute version
Feature-length commentary by Film Critic/Historian Richard Schickel
Revealing Once Upon a Time: Sergio Leone documentary
Filmographies
Photo gallery
Theatrical Trailer
1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Dolby Digital 5.1 English, French
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Special Features

• 229-minute version
  
• Feature-length commentary by Film Critic/Historian Richard Schickel
  
• Revealing Once Upon a Time: Sergio Leone documentary
  
• Filmographies
  
• Photo gallery
  
• Theatrical Trailer

DVD Technical Information:

• 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
  
• Dolby Digital 5.1 English, French
  
• Languages: English, French
  
• Subtitles: English, French, Arabic, Dutch

Customer Reviews

Over-rated epic
I was rather disappointed with a film that went on far too long (during the last hour I was continually fast forwarding the action). It is always a good idea to enable the viewer to empathise with the main characters - in this film there was actually nothing to like about any of the main characters. At times the dialogue plodded along and I was waiting for something of note to happen - it very rarely did! Boring and not a patch on the Godfather or Goodfellas.

Worst gangster Film you will ever see-- garanteed.
Before i get a slashing for my review, i would just like to say i love most films especially gangster ones!

This movie is possibily the WORST gangster film ever made, and in my view also the worst movie ever made. A lot of effort was put into it and a lot of amazing cast for what? -- a painfully bad film .

I seen the good reviews it got from the masses and thought id give it a 2nd try so i watched it again-- horrible waste of time. I thought maybe i didnt have taste -- now i have realised that all of you cheer leaders that have given it 5 stars have none-- or maybe you dont understand what a good film is?

This is not a masterpiece, this is not a classic , classics are films like the godfather or scarface or goodfellas -- This film is a pile of nonsense -- period. Im not going to go into details because there are just too many flaws -- what was the director thinking? -- even a 5 year old kid with no cinema experience could of made a better film with the resources sergio had.


It really annoyed me a lot because i love de niro and James woods

Overrated
'Once Upon A Time In America' is hailed by many as a masterpiece. The 'Godfather I and II' are hailed by many as classics. The latter lives up to its claim, whereas the former falls way short. And here's why:

Both the Godfather/s and 'Once Upon A Time In America' display impressive cinematography, but that is where the similarities end. The narrative in 'Once Upon A Time In America' is fragmented and ultimately ambiguous. The protagonists, despite reasonable performances from Robert De Niro and James Woods, evoke little concern as to what will become of them. They are hollow and heartless criminals devoid of any redeeming feature that may have endeared them to the audience in some small way. This is a very important point, especially since I found myself genuinely sympathizing at times with Michael and Vito Corleone in the Godfather I and II, and Daniel Plainview in the recent film 'There Will Be Blood', all of whom are sinister megalomaniacs. Noodles (De Niro) and Max (Woods) on the other hand failed completely to stir any such feelings within me. The more of the film I saw, the less I cared about the characters.

Furthermore, I have some gripes with the soundtrack. The music in itself isn't bad, but it is poorly executed and incongruous with the mood of some scenes. Alas, the quintessential film making depicted in Leone's spaghetti westerns are not apparent in this film.