The story of this film – and the botched edited version that was released to the public – is legendary. Everybody knows about what was done to that movie – and everybody regrets it. I have wanted to see the REAL version of this movie ever since I read Ebert’s review back in 1984 when I was 16 years old or however old I was. I felt a sense of loss. I felt betrayed. I don’t WANT to see the botched version that the executives deemed was appropriate for me, the dumb American audience member. I want to see what Sergio Leone wanted me to see! Roger Ebert saw the original version at Cannes – and his review tells the tale. He refers to it as a “murdered movie”. Great review, by the way. I read it when I was in high school, and I still remember some of the lines of that review by heart. He pulls no punches.
I have never seen the director’s cut, actually – just the botched version which … you just can tell it has been decapitated, you can FEEL it in the film … and although nothing can restore all of that which has been lost – the director’s cut which they finally released a while back is, indeed, closer to the original intent of the movie and Leone … before the unimaginative nitwits in suits tried to “straighten” it all out. And in so doing, removing all the poetry.
So. February 22nd. Film Forum. Director’s Cut of Once Upon a Time in America.
Heart palpitations. Cannot WAIT.
Why oh why can’t the nitwits leave the artists alone?
Total nitwits – I am so glad that Ebert wrote that piece long ago – and so glad that it has generally been acknowledged that the Once Upon a Time in America available to the American public was a travesty.
Sometimes a movie isn’t MEANT for a huge general public – sometimes a movie isn’t MEANT to be watered down so that everybody could get it – or be a part of it. But also: sometimes the public is a helluva lot smarter than those jagoffs give them credit for.
I can’t wait to see the movie – surrounded by insane (and most of them are insane – in the best way!!) Sergio Leone fans.
Steve,
One word: money. Okay, more than one word: they think movie-going audiences are stupid and that they know better what people can or cannot digest.
ditto.
And this is one of those beautiful moments of revenge. It doesn’t happen often – but when it does, I just revel in it.
Hahaha. We posted at the same time…I basically could have just written “ibid” after your comment…
Ha! I know – I wrote “ditto”. Might as well have been “ibid”.
Yeah … what SHE said, basically.
And like Ebert said: ironically, in trying to make the movie “clearer”, these assholes completely obliterated clarity. Sometimes there is MORE clarity in a non-chronological approach – which Tarantino explored in Pulp Fiction – deliberately twisting around the timeline- and everyone hailed him as a genius. HA. Leone did it way back when and the money men chopped it up and put it back together to form a linear timeline. Ruining the movie.
So anyway. Justice has been served, so I’ll do my best to let it go.
OH – and speaking of restored and unmurdered movies, I can’t wait to get my grubby mitts on a copy of this, either. Up, up, and away!
Yeah, money, that’s always the bottom line, ain’t it? But geez, you bankroll Sergio Leone. He shoots and constructs his film and delivers it to you. Why not bring both brain cells into play and sell it as an epic with a big fat intermission (a la Lawrence of Arabia)? I’m like you know all into this because I’m beginning to watch the 50 Janus Essential Art House Films, and a lot of these guys had bad Hollywood experiences. (I shot my entertainment budget for six months to buy this stuff, and I already got my money’s worth after Alexander Nevsky (Eisenstein makes art while pleasing Joe Stalin, a neat trick) and Ashes and Diamonds (touted rightfully as starring the Polish ‘James Dean’, Zbigniew Cybulski)
Nightfly – Oh yes!!! I totally agree!
steve – ha, love your comment about eisenstein.
And I’m totally with you on all scores. It’s just nuts!! Sergio Leone, man!
I will certainly report back on the wonderful experience of seeing it on the big screen with a bunch of other Leone freakazoids.