You really do need to search for the uncut version. The short version barely makes sense, and the slower pacing is a huge part of the movie's magic (working very much like "Once Upon A Time In The West"). I may be mistaken, but I believe the uncut version is 4 hours long and the US version was about 2-1/2 hours. 1-1/2 hours is a whole lotta movie to cut. I'm sure there may have been some nudity and violence cut out, but I don't think it was cut due to America's puritanism...I think it was cut when some Hollywood execs soiled their shorts after hearing about the 4 hour running time. Corporate Hollywood generally believes that most Americans won't sit through a three or four hour movie. That's probably true where a mass audience is concerned, but most long movies tend to be more artisitic and less mass appeal anyway. "Once Upon A Time In America" would never have been a huge money maker in this country, no matter how long it was.
Once Upon A Time In...
Today the first time I'm watching the "US version" of "Once Upon A Time In America" by F Copollo and realize why it wasn't accepted by the US public. There is more than half of movie is so BRUTALLY cut. Aren't we have a mature audience here? In Europe this movie was shown uncut to young adults 16 y.o. or above and none would believe that it would initiate serious society problems. Why shouldn't We understand it right and what is our guilt to be banned from real art?
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- 18 posts total
- 18 posts total