This Originally Panned Sergio Leone Epic is Now Hailed as an All Timer

The useful part

Maestro Sergio Leone's final film, Once Upon a Time in America, was originally panned nearly into oblivion in 1984 upon its initial release. However, within the past fifteen years, it has been starkly re-evaluated and is now often cited as one of the greatest films of all time. Let's talk about the long journey this film has been on, and why it's much more complicated than your average gangster epic.

How it works

• Pre-Release Sabotage On May 20, 1984, the film premiered in its entirety at the Cannes Film Festival, where it received a 15-minute standing ovation.
• When it came time to test the film for American audiences, the film had to be slightly trimmed to secure an R-rating.
• 2 graphic scenes of assault had to be trimmed, and some miscellaneous moments of violence had to be cut to achieve this.
• This version of the film had mixed test audience reactions across North America.
• Upon release in American theaters, many critics were sympathetic to the situation Leone was facing, but still were not very kind to the cut of the film.

What to take from it

Chicago film critic duo Roger Ebert and Siskel Ebert were particularly vocal in their disdain of the film, citing the incomprehensible changes to the structure, eventually calling it the worst movie of 1984. Leone sadly died five years later, before the film was to be given its proper flowers.