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 - Not the best versionThe film is great, really great, but these discs don't do it justice. The extras are pretty non-existent, only an excerpt from a longer documentary about Leone. They should have at least put on the whole thing. The reviewers are right about the annoying break between the discs. I believe it was done for the inclusion of the commentary, but the commentary isn't up to the standard of Sir Christopher Frayling on the "Dollars" films, so they needn't have bothered really. Rating:  - Once Upon a Time in AmericaOne grows weary of American complaints about "glacial" pacing, "turgidness" and questions like "Does it really need to be this slow?" Too many of us have no patience for the development of character and story. We seem to say, "Don't show me what these people are all about, just tell me and get on with it." In the process we grow more shallow day by day. I suppose that's why so many people these days have no patience for Marcel Proust. They have no idea what they are missing. And so it seems to be with some viewers of "Once Upon a Time in America." Well, I say baloney. This is a beautiful piece with a gorgeous soundtrack and it draws you in gradually, bit by bit, until you are entirely engulfed in the progress of the film and the development of the characters. It is, in a way, like a beautifully-formed choreography. Choreography rushed is not beautiful. So, when and if you watch this film, sit back, relax, and enjoy the dance. Glacial? Bah, humbug. Rating: - Great Story Beautifully ExecutedGreat Story Beautifully Executed: Once Upon A Time In America relates the story of the socalled "Jewish Mafia" in New York. The story's great, the acting and direction are superb, including the sensitive rendition of the color spectrum. I recommend it highly. Rating:  - Gangster movie of a different kindPlease do not get bogged down when you see that the running time in 229 minutes. You will understand the whole work only after you watch the full movie. Its a gangster movie, but of a different kind. It just does not concentrate on the brutal activities, but explores the characters over several decades which passes by at a moderate pace. It observes the proceeding in great detail, which runs with the risk of being termed slow, but, its not really slow. It develops the characters and the life they will live gradually through a series of incidents at different points of their life - through a brilliant set of flash-backs and flash-forwards. Its difficult to say exactly whether this was first of its kind of story telling in 1982, but definitely smart and intelligent. Yes, it makes the job to assimilate the story more difficult (I could follow the story much better on second viewing), but once you understand it, you will appreciate its innovativeness. What I also liked was the use of color in the movie. Throughout the movie, we can observe the omnipresence of the color of dead leaves... when the leaves (of memory!) are fallen on grounds by winter... we are bound to think of a time that has passed long back with a sigh of melancholy. Another asset of this movie is the music. Ennio Morricone is simply a genius to write such a score. The music reaches to the very bottom of heart. I am looking for the audio CD. Rating: - a classichis is an epic, episodic tale of the lives of a small group of New York City Jewish gangsters spanning over 40 years. The movie centers on David 'Noodles' Aaronson (Robert De Niro) and his lifelong partners in crime, Max (James Woods), Cockeye (William Forsythe) and Patsy (James Hayden) and their friends, who all grew up in New York's Lower East Side in the 1920s-1930s. In the late 1960s, an elderly Noodles returns to New York after many years in hiding to look into the past. Told mostly in flashbacks and flash-forwards, this film is a classic that has us discover great actors, including Jennifer Connelly and Brian Bloom. It features a great cast, like Danny Aiello and Joe Pesci. One of the masterpieces in film history worth watching. If you have 4 hours to spare, take your time to watch it. It's worth it - at least once in your lifetime - for the cinematography, the acting, the music, and the directing.
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