Runtime: I saw the 251
minute version
Directed by: Sergio Leone
Starring: Robert De Niro,
James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, William Forsythe, Tuesday Weld
From: Warner Bros.
Truly Gheorghe Zamfir's finest hour.
To clarify, last night I viewed the 2012 Extended Director's Cut of this movie, at 251 minutes. Sergio Leone envisaged this movie at 269 minutes but various cuts were made throughout the years, whether at his behest or not. For legal reasons that I believe still aren't cleared up, they could only use some of the discovered “lost” footage; said footage is at noticeably lesser quality but there is a notice at the beginning of the Blu-ray explaining why this was the case.
This was an epic tale covering three different time periods in the lives of various Jewish people and their associates who live in New York City and they either get into the organized crime business or the periphery of it. “Noodles” leaves NYC in 1933 after a very bloody night, only returning in 1968 after getting a mysterious invitation. As Noodles attempts to discover what ghosts from the past have brought him back, the movie masterfully bounces back and forth in time to the gang as teenagers and also them as young adults in the years before that fateful night.
It is a shame the movie got butchered and a 139 minute version in chronological order was the one released in the United States, as not only would characters become much more obtuse-this is just an assumption as this cut has never been seen by me-but the poetry of the movie is its nonlinear structure and how the story expands little by little as the plot is unveiled. The movie takes its time yet was never dull to me. There are plenty of rich characters and the cast, both male (Robert De Niro and James Woods, for example) and female (Elizabeth McGovern and Tuesday Weld) do a great job. Those female characters aren't always treated well-to say the least... there are some really bad moments with them, as a matter of fact-although those that committed those acts are punished by fate.
Of course, Leone was tremendous as a director and the movie is simply beautiful to look at throughout no matter the locations shown. No matter the time period in the 20th century, the sets all look authentic to those particular time periods; in addition, it is also no surprise that Ennio Morricone's score is tremendous, always fitting the mood of each scene. The 60's scenes are full of melancholy as all the characters-not just Noodles-wistfully regrets what happened in the 30's that changed everyone forever. A few scenes the music is pan flute played by Romanian musician Gheorghe Zamfir. If you are able to remember the early 90's and lived in the United States, perhaps you'll be like me and remember the mail-order commercials for albums of Zamfir's music.
Leone's final film and one he fought for years to bring to the big screen, this is a classic gangster tale that is a must for all fans of the genre. The Extended Director's Cut that is on Blu (at the moment, it's real cheap on Amazon in the United States) is the way to own and view the movie; the 251 minute cut is better than the one at 229 minutes as the added footage helps explain some character motivation-especially concerning the big scene at the end-expands the plot and there's even a Louise Fletcher cameo.
To clarify, last night I viewed the 2012 Extended Director's Cut of this movie, at 251 minutes. Sergio Leone envisaged this movie at 269 minutes but various cuts were made throughout the years, whether at his behest or not. For legal reasons that I believe still aren't cleared up, they could only use some of the discovered “lost” footage; said footage is at noticeably lesser quality but there is a notice at the beginning of the Blu-ray explaining why this was the case.
This was an epic tale covering three different time periods in the lives of various Jewish people and their associates who live in New York City and they either get into the organized crime business or the periphery of it. “Noodles” leaves NYC in 1933 after a very bloody night, only returning in 1968 after getting a mysterious invitation. As Noodles attempts to discover what ghosts from the past have brought him back, the movie masterfully bounces back and forth in time to the gang as teenagers and also them as young adults in the years before that fateful night.
It is a shame the movie got butchered and a 139 minute version in chronological order was the one released in the United States, as not only would characters become much more obtuse-this is just an assumption as this cut has never been seen by me-but the poetry of the movie is its nonlinear structure and how the story expands little by little as the plot is unveiled. The movie takes its time yet was never dull to me. There are plenty of rich characters and the cast, both male (Robert De Niro and James Woods, for example) and female (Elizabeth McGovern and Tuesday Weld) do a great job. Those female characters aren't always treated well-to say the least... there are some really bad moments with them, as a matter of fact-although those that committed those acts are punished by fate.
Of course, Leone was tremendous as a director and the movie is simply beautiful to look at throughout no matter the locations shown. No matter the time period in the 20th century, the sets all look authentic to those particular time periods; in addition, it is also no surprise that Ennio Morricone's score is tremendous, always fitting the mood of each scene. The 60's scenes are full of melancholy as all the characters-not just Noodles-wistfully regrets what happened in the 30's that changed everyone forever. A few scenes the music is pan flute played by Romanian musician Gheorghe Zamfir. If you are able to remember the early 90's and lived in the United States, perhaps you'll be like me and remember the mail-order commercials for albums of Zamfir's music.
Leone's final film and one he fought for years to bring to the big screen, this is a classic gangster tale that is a must for all fans of the genre. The Extended Director's Cut that is on Blu (at the moment, it's real cheap on Amazon in the United States) is the way to own and view the movie; the 251 minute cut is better than the one at 229 minutes as the added footage helps explain some character motivation-especially concerning the big scene at the end-expands the plot and there's even a Louise Fletcher cameo.
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