OVERALL: Draw

Extended Edition:
The Italian release is currently the only release we have specs for. Note there are no extras and the additional scenes are taken from a different source of inferior quality.

Director's Cut:
The 2-disc releases, with only minor language differences.


Also note the Italian DVD is more than 2min longer than its Blu-ray counterpart (after APL conversion). This discrepancy is currently unexplained.

GENERAL NOTES ABOUT THE RUNTIME:
There is quite a lot of debate regarding the complete runtime for this film. The following versions of the movie are known:
- The first Sergio Leone version (~269min),
- The original Italian version (~236min),
- The Director's cut (~229min),
- The censored US laserdisc version (~227min),
- The censored Brazilian version (~226min),
- The US TV version (~192min),
- The US theatrical version (~139min),
- The Extended edition (~256min).

*The Director's cut, theatrically released in Europe, was trimmed down by Sergio Leone himself from his first version.
*The censored US laserdisc version is based on the DC, but slightly trimmed to secure an 'R' rating: cuts were made to the two rape scenes and to some of the violence at the beginning. The final flashback montage of Max and Noodles as children was also eliminated from their final scene.
*The censored Brazilian version was made available on video, laserdisc, and Warner DVD in Brazil and omits several key scenes, including the rape scene with Robert De Niro and Elizabeth McGovern, and has also blurring and re-framing in the scene a woman pretends to be dead in the back of a hearse (the former Flashtar edition, however, is said to be uncut).
*The US theatrical version was released against Leone's wishes: in this version, the film's story is rearranged in chronological order, which had the effect of making it even more difficult to follow. Most of the major cuts involve the childhood sequences, making the 1933 sections the most prominent part of the film. All of the scenes in 1968 with Deborah were excised, and the scene with "Secretary Bailey" ended with him shooting himself (albeit off-screen), rather than the famous garbage truck conclusion of the 229-minute version.
- The US TV version retains the film's non-chronological order but still leaves out several key scenes.
- The Extended version, that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2012, was released on DVD and Blu-ray, but in Italy only so far, due to rights issues.
A comparison between this version and the Director's cut is available on Movie Censorship.

CUTS:

• R0 Brazil- Flashstar - No cuts - Director's cut (229:03 NTSC)
• R1 Two-Disc Special Edition America- Warner Home Video - No cuts - Director's cut (229:01 NTSC)
• R2 Collector's Edition France- Warner Home Video - No cuts - Director's cut (219:48 PAL)
• R2 Special Edition Germany- Warner Home Video - No cuts - Director's cut (219:48 PAL)
• R2 Extended Edition Italy- Warner Home Video - No cuts - Extended version, including an intermission of 3:05 at the end of disc one (246:14 PAL)
• R2 Special Edition Scandinavia- Warner Home Video - No cuts - Director's cut (219:48 PAL)
• R2 Special Edition Spain- Warner Home Video - No cuts - Director's cut (219:32 PAL)
• R2 Special Edition 2-Disc Set United Kingdom- Warner Home Video - No cuts - Director's cut (219:48 PAL)
• R4 Special Edition Australia- Warner Home Video - No cuts - Director's cut (219:48 PAL)

Do you own a release not listed? Then please visit our forums and let us know!

Comparison added by The Rewind Team on 05/08/02
Comparison last updated by James-Masaki_Ryan on 03/03/21

UPDATE LOG:

09/03/14: Addition of R2 Italy Extended Edition adn of DVD Beaver link.
25/03/13: Addition of a note regarding the discrepancy between the Italian DVD and Blu-ray.
05/08/19: Amazon links.
03/03/21: Added Germany, Spain.