Once Upon A Time In The West Home Video History (1985-2024) NO VERSION IS CORRECT DUE TO PARAMOUNT

#onceuponatimeinthewest #sergioleone #homevideohistory #physicalmedia
I give an overview of all the home video releases and Paramount masters for ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, which sadly like all of Sergio Leone's filmography is cursed with edits, issues and other problems dating all the way back to the original 1968 release. Paramount has performed multiple restorations and to this day errors persist, the audio is unrestored, footage is still missing and a scene is included that was removed by the director and was not in any 1968 release version.
This is made even more frustrating by the absolute crap effort of the new "Paramount Presents" 4K UHD release of the film where destructive usage of DNR, extreme over-compression and sticking to their edit of the film has only insulted the film and the consumer.
00:00 Introduction
03:14 Basic description of longstanding issues never fixed-no video release represents the film as intended!
13:06 Home video major debut-1985 pan and scan release on VHS, Beta and Laserdisc of 1984 version
18:53 1994 remaster-pan and scan VHS and letterbox Laserdisc of 1984 version
21:44 2003 Special Collector's Edition DVD
27:55 2011 Blu-ray release, new restoration and some restored footage
34:08 2024 4K UHD and Blu-ray, new restoration and same problems, Paramount Presents A Piece of Crap
47:28 CVC Italian PAL Region 2 DVD of 1990's Italian Extended version
50:14 Final Summary-THERE IS NO PROPER UNCUT FULLY RESTORED VERSION BECAUSE PARAMOUNT DOESN'T CARE TO DO THINGS ACCURATELY OR CORRECTLY

[@movietv20249]

This guy is starting to save my money more and more as time goes on. Thank you for your hard work.

[@Eva01-jy2qu7pu9r]

The 4K release just gave me more incentive to keep my 2003 DVD on hand. Thank you for doing what you do best Crusader and keeping physical media preservation alive

[@_wave___]

these home release history videos are my favorites. excellent breakdown as always. great video sir

[@bulletsforteeth5029]

#RetroBlasting brought me here and recommends this channel. Sub'd! 😁👍

[@EnterTheSoundscape]

I LOVE these videos! So enlightening.

[@CinemaniacSeventy7]

Excellent in-depth video, my friend. I have to track down that Italian DVD.

[@1dbanner]

Paramount's treatment of this should be known as Once Upon a Dumpster Fire...

[@Jaso839]

Really authoritative review. Makes you wonder if we'll ever see the proper version.

[@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader]

Thank you! Sadly with it being Paramount I highly doubt it.

[@dr.impossibleofcounterpunc1984]

Thank you for the video essay on Once Upon a Time in the West. It gives clarity where their wasn't clarity and a better understanding of the past. Often, for me, they are grey areas that need expanding and context. All I can say is.... Thank God you exist on YT. I've learnt some interesting background that otherwise would've never been revealed. Great video last night. The opening certainly brought a rye smile to my face. Leone deserved far better from Paramount. It's shameful and degrading that a powerful corporate entity shits all over a definitive film and leaves physical media collectors high and dry with an inferior 4K. The good thing is.... there is a growing movement out there that knows differently.

[@neilsmoviechannel3199]

Interesting comments, Spencer and well done for the time and effort put into this video. I just have the DVD and the blu ray and had no intention of getting the 4K but it’s interesting to hear of the elements that are missing in all versions

[@Llanishenlad]

Amazing video! A lot I didn't know about here and the steep incline of intensity when you hit the 4k uhd was just pure entertainment and mde me glad I missed the limited UK edition and shall stick to the bluey

[@TroyUlysses]

23:20 I could be wrong but the thic DVD R1 cases (which never really happened in the UK unless being used for Tv shows with 4 discs), seemed to be used in the US when the UK equivalent of a particular release was in a wider digipak. Google the first release in the OUaTitW UK SCE, and you'll see how nice the packaging is.

[@AlSumait]

There has to be a re-release for this movie on 4K. It cannot stay like this and be accepted. Same thing goes with The Godfather trilogy. Completely unacceptable!

[@garymoviefan4294]

Great presentation Spence...Thanks!

[@marcofreitas3844]

Sencer, thanks for yojur wonderful video.

[@tankndg26]

Half KZbin reviewers say its not worth it...sad, its my all time favorite western

[@tankndg26]

Wow, great Insight!!!! Thanks

[@thejustifier5566]

It’s a damn shame that the only current good home video release of a Leone film is the kino uhd of The Good the Bad and the Ugly. From a 10 year old sdr master as well.

[@philipcoghill4648]

The first version of the film I ever owned was a triple feature DVD that also came with Shane and the original True Grit. It was essentially the disc 1 from the special edition DVD, and many Region 2 releases it only included the remixed audio.

[@Manco654]

I’ll keep my 5€ Blu-ray! 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@NickLaslett]

Does the Leone Film Group Blu-ray release in Italy have the correct ending music?

[@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader]

Not that I know of I believe it also uses the Paramount master and it’s also gone through several different pressings so there may be one that has gotten the infamously bad color grading applied to it.

[@prismsmoviecavern]

Was the film re-rated? I noticed the laserdisc had "PG" and the 2 disc DVD had a "PG-13"?

[@anthonykimball7463]

An amazing movie, in my personal "Top 100" list. You would think that, after so many home video releases, there would FINALLY be a definitive, perfect (or very nearly so) edition but apparently and unfortunately that's still not the case.

[@tinypurplefishes2903]

I personally can’t wait for the upcoming 2038 release on an 8k OmegaHD disc. Since Scorsese will have likely passed since then, I vote we get James Cameron to come in and finally get rid of that pesky Techniscope film grain. While at it, hopefully he can give us a Dolby Atmos mix of the film where we can finally hear Cheyanne’s theme as it always should have been

[@delboy3k1]

Where I am enjoying the videos, I am concerned with the term bothered as I wonder sometimes if paramount did bother but could not comply due to external restrictions such as licence. Cost. State of interposutive condition or agreement with the Leone family on what can or can't be put back in. Just my own consideration here and not a backup of what paramount did or have done.

[@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader]

That could be a possibility sometimes, but not in this case since Paramount has worldwide rights and all video releases come from their master in every country. As far as I’m aware, there’s no reason why they couldn’t use other elements if they wanted to. It’s not a case like a fistful of dollars where MGM and United artists before them only had interpositives as they had limited rights and the negative was kept in Italy.

[@delboy3k1]

@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader agreed....but the question of state of the interposutuve amongst other angles I could mention are not known. Unless you have an insider you can't assume the negative for the missing shots are good enough to restore....would you want such poor shots inserted ? Agreed though that an extra on the disk would prove that 1 point. But I will state no one other than the Leone residence and paramount know the legal agreement on what can be done or can't be done after the directors death no matter what you think as an opinion. Good stuff though and thoughtful :-)

[@krisjs1767]

Sadly, I find color of the 1994 LD to make it almost unwatchable.

[@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader]

Yeah it definitely has more of a yellow push and some of the traditional NTSC red push to it. My Sony HDCRT has a built-in monitor mode to defeat the red push of NTSC video which does help a lot so it’s definitely possible to make the LD a bit more watchable, but it does underline how even at that time there were a lot of color variations when they were just making copies of the 1984 print on video. But if you don’t like the look of the 1994 LD don’t try the original pan and scan 80s version because it’s really rough.

[@krisjs1767]

@@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader We gotta figure out a way to get you to a larger audience. I still favor hosting on TCM.

[@CalypsothePoisonFrog]

Wow Paramount is such a dumb company with no care to properly archive their catalog. I love your videos a lot (one is in my Important Videos playlist) and I come with an unusual question: Could I get permission from you to make my own cover of “DNR Around the Reels” from the intro goof to the review of the atrocious American Graffiti 4K Desecration? I frequently sing that to myself and I’d love to make a music video of it, with credit to you of course.

[@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader]

Yeah, Paramount is pretty much the worst in terms of overall catalog handling. Ha ha, sure go for it! I have a random penchant for coming up with not only riffs on film scenes but coming up with weird goofy songs about video problems.🤪

[@uguud]

As I was viewing this video, I observed a red box with a gold leaf border around the edge labeled ALFRED. What is that?

[@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader]

It’s the 2005 Hitchcock masterpiece collection dvd set in the red velvet box. The dvd of Vertigo in this set still has the best sounding mono track of any release.

[@notmytruthTHEtruth]

Haven't seen this in years and was planning to show it to my girlfriend I just don't know which version is best for her first viewing. Was hoping you could help steer me in the right direction.

[@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader]

Of the currently available options, I’d say probably the 2011 Blu-ray is still your best bet. It definitely has issues of its own, but with the mono option and having a few extra seconds put back in without having the ridiculous over processing of the 4K master it’s about the best you can do short of trying to make your own fan reconstruction.

[@notmytruthTHEtruth]

@@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader thank you for always being helpful. I can't believe I paid $36 for this movie on 4K praying they finally did it right after so many decades. Oh well at least Pat Garrett is getting a Criterion 4K soon.

[@matthewgaudet4064]

Are there any good prints. There must be an IB tech out there somewhere.

[@Geeoh19]

There are plenty of prints out there. Paramount has no interest in restoring this to Leone's specifications.

[@filmNoirInc]

Lets rename the movie: "Once Upon A Time In The Past" ~ Yes, Once Upon A Time there was a print that was as the director produced it, but not anymore!

[@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader]

Haha sadly yes. If you saw the film in 1968 in the first week or so in major cities it was the directors version, or if you saw it in Europe in 1968 it was the directors version…aaaaaaand that’s about it.

[@Thecatdrums3]

So I should upgrade from my dvd?

[@movietv20249]

2011 Blu-Ray is the one to get. Do not buy the 2024 4K UHD.

[@TheVid54]

This 2024 restoration of ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST is too splashy and colorful. I would imagine the Dolby Vision touch would only make it look more garish. I'm satisfied with the 2011 blu-ray, which looks de-saturated and brownish like I remember seeing it in the theatre. It appears that a so-called true Leone version is just not in the cards, although you never know. I'm still waiting for Fox to release Joe Mankiewicz' original two-part version of CLEOPATRA in Todd-AO on 4k (or any Todd-AO roadshow for that matter). Good luck to both of us! P.S. I could never go back to the old mono soundtracks for any of the Leone westerns, since the Morricone scores are the best thing about them for me. Sorry, but I've never considered Italian westerns as masterpieces when compared to the American variety.

[@matthewgaudet4064]

Wish MGM hadn't let the elements decompose on The Alamo I'd love the Roadshow in 4K. I have the Laserdisc but a film level restoration should have been done.

[@TheVid54]

@@matthewgaudet4064 Oh yes, I have that laserdisc box set still - the AC-3 version. Such a wonderfully mastered sound track, and one of the best scores Dimitri Tiomkin ever composed. It's such a shame that many 70mm roadshow elements have been lost to time. I guess we're never going to see pristine 4K restorations of films like THE ALAMO, EL CID, FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, RAINTREE COUNTY or the Preminger version of PORGY AND BESS (unless elements for all of them are in hiding somewhere).

[@tom_reagan]

I was THIS CLOSE 🤏🏻 to opening my 4K package and watching it today or tomorrow!… but after your review, I just returned it and (re)ordered the 2011 (?) Blu-ray. Thank you for your service. 🫡