Once Upon a Time in the West (Newly-Restored) (1 Viewer)

Old Guardian Article
Once upon a time in the archive | | guardian.co.uk Arts

From 'The Film Foundation' Hompage

So, it's time for a 40th Anniversary Edition on DVD and Blu-ray.

Are we sure the existing DVD isn't using this newly restored print? Because it looks about brand damn new.

It looks damn good so I expect the next time I buy this title again on any video format it will be on a BRD.

well the original Paramount release is from 2003, and to borrow a statement from the article

Leone, who died in 1989, considered the film, starring Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale and Charles Bronson, to have been his masterpiece. Margaret Bodde, executive director of the US-based Film Foundation set up by Scorsese and others, says the American director, who knew Leone, had the idea of getting the movie restored after watching the DVD released in the US. "The colour was really not correct and the quality not up to what it should be," she says.

so maybe ther is hope

The new restoration allegedly includes the scene where the sheriff played by Keenan Wynn and his men beat up Harmonica so the answer's no.

In regards to the color: when I saw a print of the previous 1985 restoration/rerelease, the colors weren't any different from Lowry's dvd restoration so is it possible that Leone elected to reject the golden tones from the itallian version (as seen on their dvd) for more reddish brown ones when preparing the international cut in '69?

Unless there is at least 10+ minutes of additional film added to this new version, I'll probably pass. The current DVD of the film, is one of the best in terms of quality and extras, that I own...

The current DVD release is remarkable and I would also hope
that the next version to be released makes its way to Blu-ray.

I kind of wonder how much money we can expect to see spent on remastering this movie to DVD or Blu-Ray. The current DVD is a bargain bin disc that Amazon is selling for $6.99. I've been seeing it in bargain bins for years (I think I paid $14.99 for the pre-order). I'd like to see a new and improved version, but it does not look a property that will give a good return on the investment.

I have noticed that Paramount dumps DVDs like this when a new edition is in the works (i.e. To Catch a Thief).

On the other hand, Paramount does seem to be clearing out a lot of its catalog titles recently.

maybe when MGM does is Leones in Bluray, Paramount can release at same time

Well, it's true the disc has been priced at 5 to 7 bucks for quite a while and it's the biggest steal on dvd in my opinion. I would certainly love to see a new dvd released of this restoration and I think it's well worth the double dip being that current disc can be had so cheap. It really is Leone's best work so let's see that new disc!

I would upgrade to Blu Ray if this happens.

What an amazing movie though.

Classic entrance from Henry Fonda

I'm at a loss how to interpret the quote from Margaret Bodde in post 5. I applaud a Festival that's willing to invest in preservation, but she does not specify what is wrong with the color or the image. I saw ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST repeatedly when it was new, and I've been to a number of repertory screenings over the years. To my eye Paramount's Special Collector's Edition looks exactly right. It's one of the best standard DVD's that I've seen. Although I dislike spaghetti westerns as a rule, this spaghetti western is the exception. Tthe imagery, sound and music of Leone's masterpiece is to be savored. I can't imagine ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST looking any better than it does now.

Can someone who saw the restoration last October, and who is knowledgeable about the film, comment on the differences?

Paramount's DVD is great, but the R1 has a lot of edge enhancement that's not on the identical R2 DVD (which uses the same excellent Lowry Digital Image digital cleanup). LDI also used a duplicate negative as the image source instead of the camera negative, so there is improvement to be accomplished for a BluRay.

This is my personal favourite of Leone's films, so i'll double dip for better colour timing and, of course, HD.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST is a masterpiece that needs to be on Blu-ray, let's hope it will be an early offering from Paramount.

Even if it was a dupe element the current SD still looks far better than the old laserdisc. Looks far better that noisy mess that MGM foistered on us in the shape of their "restoration" of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly too.

Also has anyone considered the possibility that Criterion might reissue this?

Yeah, GBU looked fantastic when I saw a 35mm print of the restoration. Looked better than most Super-35 films of today.

Ditto here