Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #217019 in DVD
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English, German, Spanish
• Subtitled in: German, English, Spanish, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Turkish, Finnish, Danish

Customer Reviews

DVD lies about format size. WAS filmed in Widescreen
THIS REVIEW IS ON THE DVD, NOT ABOUT THE MOVIE ITSELF.The movie in my opinion was better than the critics gave it. I enjoyed it for a slow-paced mafia movie in the obscure Cimino style.THE DVD though, FOR THOSE WIDESCREEN LOVERS OUT THERE, STATES (on the back cover) that it "IS PRESENTED IN THE FORMAT IN WHICH THE FILM WAS SHOT OF 1:33:1. STANDARD "old fashion TV" FORMAT. I believe this is most deffintaly a lie.Why do I say this? Because, just a week ago it was on the High Definition Channel--INHD Channel, and they showed it in a TRUE ASPECT RATIO of WIDESCREEN 2:35:1, Cinnmascope. There is noway they could've shown the movie in that format if Ciminio had it filmed in standard format, AS STATED ON THE BACK COVER OF THE DVD.SO, THE DVD IS PRESENTED IN STANDARD FORMAT, while in reality IT WAS FILMED IN WIDESCREEN.SO, I give the DVD 2 stars just for decent picture quality & mediocre sound. The people who released this DVD version of the movie I believe lies when they state it was filmed in standard format when IT WAS FILMED IN WIDESCREEN.Maybe someday another company will release the orginal Widescreen version - THE WAY IT WAS SHOWN IN THEATRES.I was fortunate enough to tape it on the high def channel and get my copy of the movie in it's ORGINAL WIDESCREEN FORMAT.

Blasphemy, or For a Few Dollars More.
It is blatantly obvious that Artisan was only concerned with making a buck on this release. I advise anyone who is a fan of Cimino's work to avoid this dreck they call a DVD. For beginners the film is presented in full screen, pan and scan format. For anyone who is familiar with Cimino's films you know that they are all amazingly composed and shot in widescreen formats that vary from 65 to 70 mm. This film is no exception and moments such as the one where Terence Stamp's character looks on from his ivory tower through a telescope, just cries out for appropriate frame representation. Not only that but the film has several cameos by a group of method acting gnats or as most people would refer to it, overwhelmingly BAD graininess. Whole scenes seem washed out in terms of color and lighting and it is a true accomplishment to distinguish objects from one another in the locust storm of grain that envelopes each subsequent scene. Some would argue that that is what you get for a film as cheaply priced as this one but this is a travesty. I would rather have the film cleaned up, digitally remastered and presented in its original film ratio and pay a few dollars more. A caption on the back of the box sums up the overall stupidity and lack of quality execution on Artisan's behalf:"Formatted from its original version to fit your screen." then, directly below it states:"Presented in the original 1.33:1 format in which the film was shot." Huh? I almost got an aneurism trying to figure the logic in that. Note to Artisan:It is either formatted to fit your screen OR presented in its original format, IT CAN'T BE BOTH! Regardless, this film is a cheap, dragged through the back alley slums, popped into VHS and copied onto "digital" transfer, type DVD. ARTISAN YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED!

One of the great 1980s films, unseen until now.
I'm thrilled that the complete version of Michael Cimino's masterpiece is FINALLY going to be available in the United States! I caught this in Paris during its first week in October of 1987 and was floored by the movie. Brilliantly literate screenplay by the uncredited Gore Vidal, with Terrance Stamp as Vidal's stnad-in. Elegant mise-en-scene and a tight dramatic arc that I wouldn't have thought Cimino capable of. (I'm one of the minority that hated "The Deer Hunter" but thouht "Heaven's Gate" was brilliant.) When I got back to the United States I was shocked to find out "The Sicilian" had been released in a version cut by 25 minutes and was roundly trashed as incoherent. The rumor was also out that when Fox demanded that Cimino deliver a 120 minute version, he deliberately cut it to make no sense thinking that the studio would then have no choice but to release his complete film. But they released the deliberately sabotaged version instead. Anybody know the truth about this? Anyway, this is one of the great American-produced films of the 1980s -- if you love Scorsese and Visconti,and want something both passionate and cerebral, political and exciting, you must see this.