I've seen this movie before a long time ago on VHS but that was the stupid excised 139 version for American audience - cut back from the original Italian 229 min theatrical release.
The version I watched tonight is the full 251 min film originally envisioned by director Sergio Leone in 1983, which was recreated in 2011 using previously cut scenes.
It was shown at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival and subsequently released in September 2014 by Warner Bros on a special 2-Disc Blu-Ray set.
Now that I've seen this full version, the story makes more sense and the movie itself is in turn sadder and at the same time more powerful than ever before.
It's very unfortunate this film did not receive the full version release in America in 1984 which caused it to blasted by the critics and shunned at the box office.
Otherwise, it may had very likely received Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best Photography and Best Musical Score.
This was Sergio Leone's final film in an illustrious 20 year career that begin with the Spaghetti Westerns which elevated Clint Eastwood to an International Superstar.
Damn the studios and the American censors for disrespecting him by cutting his original cut of this film to pieces.
