One Upon A Time In America (1 Viewer)

[Paul Wheeler]

Is there any news of a region one version or should i go for the region zero. Does anyone know how good is the region zero is

 

[JohnJB]

If you're talking about the Argentinian version I beleive it's 4:3 and since OUATIA is 2:35 the only reason to buy this is if you don't expect to live past the next few months.

I watched it for a couple of mins recently being broadcast 4:3 on TV and I dont beleive even Kevin Smith could come up with a strong enough expletive to describe how awful it looked like that.

I suggest you wait, I rememeber an HTF studio discussion from a couple of years back mentioned that they were investigating restoration necessity and how they would split it couse it's long, long, long!

 

[Jay E]

If you have only seen this film 4:3 then you have never seen this film.

Paramount is supposedly working on this film and I suspect that it will be released on DVD at the end of this year or in 2003 (My fingers are tightly crossed)

 

[Randall Dorr]

It's Warner, not Paramount. In the last chat, they said it should be out in 2003.

 

[Jay E]

It's Warner, not Paramount

This is a Paramount owned film not Warner.

 

[Michael Reuben]

Quote:

Once again, that's true of West, but not America. It was produced by Warner, released by Warner, and previous home video versions were issued by Warner (including the widescreen LD, which I'm looking at right now).
M.

 

[Larry Geller]

This is a Paramount owned film not Warner.

The widescreen, restored laserdisc from, I believe, 1993 was on Warner, so when did Paramount get control of it?

 

[Anthony Thorne]

Warner (not Paramount, but I guess that's clear by now) said in their last HTF chat that AMERICA would be coming out in a restored form on DVD in 2003, with (it's rumoured) a cut possibly longer than the 'uncut' Euro version, and some supplements. Producer Arnon Milchan is involved with the preparation of the DVD. Unless you intend to buy the movie twice, I wouldn't bother with the fullscreen disc at all.

 

[Jay E]

Boy, what a idiot I am.:b I can't believe I made that mistake. Yes, I thought it was West. Gotta read title threads more slowly.
My apologies to Randall, it is a Warner title and it's 1:85:1. I have the Widescreen laser, but I would love to see Warner release a DVD of this soon.

 

[Jo_C]

For the record, guys,

OUATIA was not produced by Warner. It was a production of Arnon Milchan's company and what was then known as PSO International (Producers Sales Organization). PSO today is known as Artisan Entertainment. Warners (via The Ladd Company) only has domestic distribution rights, while the International rights lie with Artisan.

Warner, I believe, also has domestic home video rights. Of course, the reason for the delay, I suspect, is rights issues betweem WB and Artisan.

Paramount produced "Once Upon A Time In The West", which was the prequel to "...America".

I think I've said it all here.

hips

 

[Matthew Chmiel]

Paramount produced "Once Upon A Time In The West", which was the prequel to "...America".

Last time I checked, the two films have nothing to do with each other except that both were directed by Sergio Leone. How can a movie that deals with gangsters in 1920's - 1950's be a prequel to a film that takes place in the old west?

 

[Tom-G]

Matt is correct. The only thing the two movies have in common is that they were directed by Sergio Leone.

 

[Henry Gale]

Matt may be correct, but he mis-quoted ("How can a movie that deals with gangsters in 1920's - 1950's be a prequel to a film that takes place in the old west?") Joe_C.

West may well be a distant prequel to America.

Jim

 

[Patrick Mirza]

Yes, I remember a story a year and a half ago where Leone's family is working with the producers to restore the film to an even longer cut than the "Euro" version.

 

[Mattias_ka]

I'm pleased with my widescreen laserdisc so I don't care
if there is a dvd or not...

 

[SteveGon]

I just wish they'd hurry up with it! Oh well, hopefully they'll do it justice when it is released.

 

[Dharmesh C]

Leone shot it for 1.85:1 exhibition because he was unhappy with the severe cropping of his previous films for home video and television.

This one really deserved 2.35:1

 

[JohnJB]

So that's Kubrick, Leone & Spielberg amongs others all choosing ratio's partly based on how badly the tv networks and video distributors would crop them, so nothing to worry about with Fox issueing pan & scan to sit alongside w/creens versions then ???

 

[Anthony Thorne]

There's a school of thought among a number of critics that holds Leone's final three movies (ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, A FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE aka DUCK YOU SUCKER, and ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA) as his second unofficial trilogy of films. DYNAMITE was released in a couple of territories as ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE REVOLUTION, and they do have some thematic links in common. A quick quote from Howard Hughes recent 'Spaghetti Westerns' guide:

"DYNAMITE is obviously the second part of Leone's next trilogy, a 'Birth Of A Nation' scenario that spans the coming of the railroads, the emergence of big business, the death of the cowboy and the appearance of gangsters".

You can take this as loosely as you want, but I've read a number of good critiques that follow this thematic outline quite rewardingly. Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing AMERICA, WEST and DYNAMITE on DVD, hopefully over the next year or two.

 

[Jussi Tarvainen]

Last I heard, Francis Ford Coppola was working on a new chronological cut of Once Upon A Time In America and its prequel Once Upon A Time In The West. It's going to be called Once Upon A Complete Epic.