I haven't seen it yet but I want to. How is it?

Yeah, its very good. If you liked the Godfather you'll like this. Towards the end it gets a little long, but overall its a 9.5/10. Very confusing though, may take more than one watch to understand it all.

Thats a good, succinct synopsis by DSC. Its a little long in parts, but (IMHO) its worth it. Watch it when you can set aside almost four hours. Once you get "into" it, you'll be glad you did.

Sergio Leone is infamous for his seemingly overlong scenes, like the first 11 minutes of OUATITW having no dialogue.

Many DeNiro/mob movie fans have gone into "Once Upon a Time in America" and disliking or not fully appreciating it. I think someone should see some of Leone's earlier work first so they get used to some of the long scenes. Many Leone fans will love it.

Once Upon a Time In America ****
(1984/Leone/US)
In 1968, a gangster returns to New York to remember his violent rise to power with three friends during Prohibition.
Intricate, vast, violent crime drama with a poetic feel of opera. Production values are high indeed, and the music is extraordinary.

Does for the Gangster genre what Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West did for the Western. A masterpiece.

Mick

Cool, thanks for the input guys.

Santino, come're.

Whattsa matter with you? I think your brain is going soft from all that comedy your playing with that young girl. Never tell anybody outside the family what you're thinking again.

is there a special edition planned for this film? I'm thinking about getting this DVD for Christmas, but I want to make sure there'll be no special edition version coming out or planned for future release.

I believe the currently availble DVD is the special edition. It's a pretty good DVD with a couplecool extras, but it's only two dics and the movie is very very long, so there's not a ton of space for any long, in depth extras.

I don't see why everyone loved the music so much though. It seemed like the same two themes played ad infinitim. They were alright, but, at least to me, they got really old by the end of the movie.

Santino, come're.

Whattsa matter with you? I think your brain is going soft from all that comedy your playing with that young girl. Never tell anybody outside the family what you're thinking again. [/b][/quote]Hey Pop, isnt that what you're supposed to do in a thread like this?

Note to other posters: I have a sentimental weakness for my children, and I spoil them as you can see; they talk when they should listen.

Damn you, I have nothing for that!

I just rented it...WOW. Very, very good movie. The only problem I had with it was the length of the movie and the length of some scenes. Seemed to drag on at certain points. But overall, it's a great movie. DeNiro and Woods were brilliant, and the music was the best I've ever heard. Unbelievable music.

I'd give it a 9.1/10

I know that in the USA, this movie is usually underestimated, maybe because "you-Americans" ( ) know only a version cutted and deeply shorter than the European version.
I consider it one of the greatest movies of all times. You can't absolutely do any comparison beetween "Once upon a time in America" and "The Godfather", or any other gangster movie. Sergio Leone doesn't talk about gangsters, he talks about the meaning, the significance and the importance of *time* for human beings. In "Once upon a time in America" there is not a present time: all the motion picture is structered by flash-backs and flash-forwards. The movie has an intensity so high, and a philosophical meaning so deep, that we can compare it to "A la recherche du temps perdu" by Marcel Proust.
Ennio Morricone is a genius, all his soundtracks are amazing (I also went to a concert of his, in the Verona Arena! )...
I'm sorry that I can express with the correct words all my admiration for this movie.... but trust me, European critics and audience are in harmony: it's a masterpiece.

it definatly was good, i bought it last year after i got a recomendation for it in here, the only thing that i didn't like(or was slightly disturbed) was the seen where de niro's character rapes the girl he loves. i don't know if i think many people would rape someone they love. but hey maybe it was obsession.

Yeah, I didn't like that part either. I also hated it when they switched the babies around. That was stupid.

That's normal, for a film like that.
It's a movie about death, iniquities, violence, bullets, blood, fear, manly friendship and betrayals.
This journey accross America is real and fabulous, archeological and ritual.
The movie is a "fairly tale" of violent males, in which females are usually injured; sexual pulsions are linked to greediness, death, and most of all, violence.

I rented it this weekend too. I thought it was a great movie. I was also watching the special features and it is mentioned that the european version is actually the version that Leone wanted shown.

is it good? NO, its a very good movie. but be sure you can sit for almost for hours for the movie. its quite long but very much worth the watch.

GoodFella

That was his character. he had always loved her, and knew she loved him back, but was never really able to "have her". When she told him that she was going away, he saw it as his last chance. You arent supposed to like the scene, but it shows how frustrated he was that he was so close, yet couldnt truely have what he wanted.

Lol omg, I rented once upon a time in america knowing NOTHING about it --only that robert deniro is in it, longest movie i have watched in a while, and worst is that its incredibly boring, i was expecting a story of italian immigrants and start of american mafia - I get a story of jew hoodlums who have some inner issues, Im getting agitated that Deniro keeps playing non-italians in italian promenent movies it just doesnt sink in well (casino and goodfellas is exception, but still if it wasnt a true story he shouldve portrayed an italian), alot of flashbacks rotating through this movie, its quite a load

This thread inspired me to buy the movie for myself while I was out doing Xmas shopping.

I thought it was great. The length seemed to enhance the movie a lot somehow. Overall this film is easily among the best mob movies Ive seen.

Those that didnt enjoy it, Id recommend giving it another chance. Its worth it

Exactly. Time is the main character in the film; hence the flashbacks, long takes, slow pacing, grand sense of history and flawless, expansive production design.

Mick

The ending is one of those ones,where you are thinking about it for ever,dazzles you.

This film is definately one of the best. I'm glad that its available now, before the official one came out i hunted down this Brazilian copy on dvd cuz i wanted the film soo bad. =)

I found it to be too long for the story it's presenting. Also, it's a very strange film; a lot of the film follows the main characters as pre-teen kids, and I can't stand movies following kids. Especially when they're battling with a cop and keep reffering to screwing some pre-teen girl. Personally, it's near the bottom of my mob-movie list.

How many times have you seen the movie? you need to really watch the film 2-3 times to understand the plot.very good film