Sergio Leones letzter (und meiner Meinung nach bester) Film “Es war einmal in Amerika / Once Upon a Time in America” [I / USA 1984] wird von Warner Bros. in den USA am 11. Januar 2011 auf Blu-ray veröffentlicht. Bisher ist bekannt, dass der Film auf einer Disc vorliegen wird und diese als Bonus einen Audiokommentar und ein Making Of enthält. Demnach wird wohl das Bonusmaterial der “2-Disc Special Edition”-DVD verwendet. Dies bestand nämlich aus einem Audiokommentar des Filmhistorikers Richard Schickel und aus einem 20-minütigen Auszug der bedeutend längeren Dokumentation “Once Upon a Time: Sergio Leone”.

Die unschöne Filmunterbrechung der DVD wird es auf der Blu-ray zum Glück nicht mehr geben. Der Film wurde innerhalb des 2-DVD-Sets nämlich auf beide Discs aufgeteilt, allerdings fand die Unterbrechung nicht bei der originalen “Intermission” in der 160. Minute des fast 4-stündigen Films statt, sondern ca. 40 Minuten früher mitten in einer Sequenz. Bei der DVD wurde so vorgegangen, um die Datenrate für Bild und Ton auf beiden Discs gleich hoch halten zu können.

Von einer Veröffentlichung in Deutschland ist bisher nichts bekannt. Allerdings wird man wohl davon ausgehen können, dass die US-Disc eine deutsche Tonspur aufweisen wird. Dies ist bei den Katalog-Titeln, bei denen Warner auch die deutschen Rechte hält, in den meisten Fällen so. Interessant wird dann jedoch noch die Frage, ob die Blu-ray die originale Kino-Synchronisation enthalten wird, oder die neue Synchro der DVD-Auflage.

 
UPDATE 23. September 2010
Mittlerweile ist die Pressemitteilung veröffentlicht worden:

“May be the definitive gangster picture. Rarely equaled.”
– David N. Meyer, THE NEW YORK TIMES

Robert De Niro and James Woods Star in Sergio Leone’s Critically Acclaimed Masterpiece

Once Upon A Time In America

Highly Anticipated Debut on Blu-ray Disc™ and Two-Disc Special Edition DVD
Available January 11 from Warner Home Video

Burbank, Calif., September 22, 2010 – Considered to be Sergio Leone’s masterpiece and one of the finest works within the gangster genre, Once Upon A Time In America (1984) debuts for the first time on Blu-ray Disc and as a two-disc Special Edition on January 11 from Warner Home Video. Recognized by director Martin Scorsese as a major influence on his career, the film features a star-studded cast of Oscar® winners including, Robert De Niro (“Goodfellas,” “The Godfather ll,” “Little Fokkers”), Joe Pesci (“Goodfellas,” “Casino,” “My Cousin Vinny”) and Oscar® nominee James Woods (“Ghosts of Mississippi,” “Salvador”). The film will be offered in its full length – three hours and forty-nine minutes – and will feature four hours of bonus content including commentary by noted film historian Richard Schickel, a making-of documentary and theatrical trailers. Orders are due December 7 (Blu-ray Disc SRP $24.98 / two-disc Special Edition DVD SRP $19.97).

“Once Upon A Time In America” received two Golden Globe® nominations for Best Director and Best Original Score; won the British Academy of Film and Theater Arts (BAFTA) Award for Best Score and Best Costume Design; and earned Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, and Best Cinematography nominations for Tuesday Weld, Sergio Leone and Tonino Delli Colli. Composer Ennio Morricone’s haunting score won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award.

ABOUT THE FILM
Sergio Leone, the Italian filmmaker whose artistic sensibilities created new interpretations of the American western with his landmark productions of “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly,” “A Fistful of Dollars” and “For A Few Dollars More,” and who brought international stardom to Clint Eastwood, crafts an unparalleled saga about two friends and the complex urban underworld in which they live.

Starring Robert De Niro (“Little Fockers,” “Machete,” “Goodfellas,” “The Godfather ll,”) as David “Noodles” Aaronson and James Woods (“Ghosts of Mississippi,” “Salvador”) as Max, the boyhood cohort with whom his life becomes inextricably meshed, Once Upon A Time In America chronicles the ruthless ambitions that drive them. The compelling story embraces a world of gritty realities, raw emotions, secret longings, explosive conflicts, and the volatile passions that destroy them and those who love them. Directed by Sergio Leone, the film follows Noodles and Max and their cadre of Jewish gangsters in New York from their early 1900’s childhood, through the glory years of prohibition and their subsequent reunion 35 years later.

Once Upon A Time In America features a stellar cast of well-known and respected actors, including the debut of Academy Award® winner Jennifer Connelly (“He’s Just Not That Into You,” “Inkheart,” “Blood Diamond,” “A Beautiful Mind”), and such stars as Elizabeth McGovern (“Clash of the Titans,” “Kick-Ass”), Treat Williams (“What Happens in Vegas” “Everwood” TV series, “Prince of the City”), Tuesday Weld (“Feeling Minnesota”) and Joe Pesci (“Goodfellas,” “Casino,” “My Cousin Vinny”) play roles exquisitely interpreted in Leone’s masterpiece.

With a haunting score by Ennio Morricone, Once Upon A Time In America marks a milestone in cinema history as the ultimate saga about the life of early urban gangsters and lasts in memory long after the last frame.

Special features include:

• Commentary by film historian and critic Richard Schickel
• Making-of documentary: “Once Upon a Time: Sergio Leone”
• Photographic Memories: Still Gallery with 96 images
• Theatrical trailers

*special features listed above are subject to change.
 
ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (1984)
Rating: R
Run Time: 229 mins
Order Date: 12/7/10
Street Date: 1/11/11
Languages: English
DVD UPC / CAT#: 1000170042 / 883929158300
BD UPC / CAT#: 1000170419 / 883929158713
DVD SE / BD MSRP: $19.97/$24.98