10 Alternate Versions Of Films To Watch Before The Snyder Cut
2. The 269 Minute Cut - Once Upon A Time In America
While frequently cited as one of the greatest gangster films of all time, Once Upon A Time In America also clocks in as one of the longest films of all time. It is this which has led to several different versions of the film having existed through the years, with a whopping 269 minute version being the original intended length by Sergio Leone.
Different versions have managed to recut and reorder several of the scenes, either placing them in chronological order and placing more emphasis on the action in the '30s, or in one of the Home Media releases, splitting the film in two, with the younger scenes in part one and the adult scenes in part two.
The violence presented a challenge when it came to ratings and some versions are distinctly more violent than others, with longer rape scenes and intense violence. There are alternate endings and the US wide release, which saw the film slashed down to 139 minutes.
Leone died with the original version yet to be restored. In March 2011, it was announced that his children had secured the rights to the film and were working with a lab in Italy to bring the 269 minute version to either the Cannes or Venice Film Festivals. However, even this was stalled as rights issues arose with deleted material, meaning that a 251 minute version was screened instead.
The film may never be screened in its full, unchanged version that Leone wanted but, even now, almost forty years later, it remains a masterpiece and a critical darling, whatever the version on offer.