Sergio Leone‘s “Once Upon a Time in America” is a sprawling epic that spans several decades in the lives of Jewish gangsters in New York City. The film’s journey to its definitive version is one of the most dramatic in cinema history, with the2012 extended director’s cut finally realizing Leone’s original vision nearly three decades after the film’s initial release.

When “Once Upon a Time in America” was first released in 1984, it was infamously butchered by the studio for its American release. Leone’s original cut ran for269 minutes (about 4.5 hours), but the studio demanded that it be cut down to139 minutes for U.S. theaters. Even worse, the studio rearranged the film’s complex, non-linear narrative into chronological order, destroying the intricate structure Leone had crafted.

This American theatrical cut was a critical and commercial disaster. It rendered the plot nearly incomprehensible and stripped away much of the film’s emotional depth. Leone, who considered “Once Upon a Time in America” his masterpiece, was devastated by this mutilation of his work. He never made another film and died in 1989.

However, a229-minute version of the film, closer to Leone’s original vision, was released in Europe and later made available worldwide. This version restored much of the film’s non-linear structure and many important scenes. It was this cut that built the film’s reputation as a masterpiece of crime cinema over the years.

In 2012, an extended director’s cut was released, running for 251 minutes. This version, created with the support of Leone’s children and the film’s original sound editor, Fausto Ancillai, restored an additional 22 minutes of footage that had been thought lost.

The extended director’s cut enhances the film in several crucial ways. Firstly, it restores Leone’s complete vision for the film’s complex, time-jumping structure. The narrative moves between three main time periods – the 1920s, the 1930s, and the 1960s – with dream-like fluidity. This non-linear approach is crucial to the film’s themes of memory, regret, and the passage of time.

The additional footage also allows for greater character development, particularly for the film’s protagonist, Noodles (played by Robert De Niro). We see more of Noodles’ time in prison, his relationship with Deborah (Elizabeth McGovern), and his interactions with his gang. These scenes add depth to Noodles’ character and make his actions and motivations more understandable.

One of the most significant additions is a scene set in a cemetery in the 1960s timeline. This sequence provides crucial information about the fate of the characters and adds another layer to the film’s already complex narrative. It also enhances the film’s themes of guilt, betrayal, and the inescapability of the past.

The extended cut also restores more of composer Ennio Morricone’s haunting score. Morricone’s music is integral to the film’s dreamy, elegiac tone, and the additional music in this cut further enhances the film’s emotional impact.

Visually, the extended director’s cut benefits from extensive restoration work. The film’s cinematography, with its rich period detail and expressive lighting, is presented in stunning clarity. This visual enhancement makes the film’s time jumps even more effective, as the distinct look of each era is more sharply defined.

The pacing of the extended cut, despite its longer runtime, is often praised as an improvement over shorter versions. The additional scenes allow the film to breathe, creating a more immersive experience. The languid pace matches the film’s themes of memory and reflection, inviting viewers to lose themselves in its richly detailed world.

Thematically, the extended director’s cut offers a more complete exploration of the film’s central ideas. The non-linear structure becomes a reflection of how memory works, with past and present blurring together. The film’s meditation on friendship, betrayal, and the corrosive effects of time and guilt is more fully realized with the restored footage.

Critics who have reviewed the extended director’s cut have often described it as a revelation. Many argue that this version elevates “Once Upon a Time in America” from a great film to one of the greatest films ever made.