"Once Upon A Time In America" Japanese Theatrical Poster
The extended version of Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America – based on his original 1984 cut - was commissioned after Leone’s children acquired Italian rights to the film, is being supervised by the film’s original sound editor and will be screened in 2012 at film festivals and possibly in theaters. The Bologna Cinematheque, through its prestigious L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory, is going to fully restore the film and add 40 minutes of original footage.
Updates: The Playlist reports that the restored cut, which features 40 additional minutes, will screen at Cannes on May 18th. On the contrary, Indiewire reports that it’s actually 25 minutes longer. So, which is it?
Indiewire.com has blogged details about the new 4K restoration of Once Upon a Time in America that ”proves the necessity of film preservation.” Beware of minor spoilers regarding the restored scenes. In addition to this one, more deleted scenes have emerged.
BREAKING NEWS: The restored Once Upon A Time In America, which played the Cannes Film Festival, has been pulled from circulation for the moment. The Guardian reports that the newly extended version is now pending further restoration work. Take your quality time folks, because this movie is worth it!
