Directed by:
Sergio LeoneCinematography:
Tonino Delli ColliComposer:
Ennio MorriconeCast:
Robert De Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams, Tuesday Weld, Burt Young, Joe Pesci, Danny Aiello, William Forsythe, James Hayden (more)VOD (2)
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Epic, episodic, tale of the lives of a small group of New York City Jewish gangsters spanning over 40 years. Told mostly in flashbacks and flash-forwards, the movie centers on small-time hood David 'Noodles' Aaronson and his lifelong partners in crime; Max, Cockeye and Patsy and their friends from growing up in the rough Jewish neighborhood of New York's Lower East Side in the 1920s, to the last years of Prohibition in the early 1930s, and then to the late 1960s where an elderly Noodles returns to New York after many years in hiding to look into the past. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (12)
I would love to write about this dream project of Sergio Leone, to which he devoted many years of his life, that I was so absorbed at the beginning and at the end I didn't want to go back to reality. Unfortunately, I can only say that about the first half, especially the period of Noodles's childhood, which was beautifully and sensitively filmed. The rest, however... First of all, the fact that Leone’s dream epic doesn't bore at all and doesn't feel draggy despite its nearly four-hour runtime is only due to his directorial mastery. Unfortunately, it falters a bit on the screenwriting front. It's as if Leone took too big a bite, or as betelgeuse rightly points out here, as if he had made a series, but lost a few episodes and artfully glued the rest together. Some of the characters are underdeveloped, and at times it's hard to trust the motives behind their actions. For example, the character of Joe Pesci, promisingly sharp, there’s a shot of him by a hospital elevator as if the director was suggesting "Watch out, he's still here!", but suddenly he disappears somewhere and incomprehensibly does not appear in the film anymore. I didn't believe James Woods for a second at the very end, nor did I believe his intended action, and I found the whole point about him quite implausible. However, what must definitely be appreciated is the absolutely precise, to the smallest detail elaborate design, the visual depiction of three different stages of the 20th century. Leone's perfectionism went so far that even for one short shot he was willing to "coach" hundreds of extras, believably period-styled and moving in a perfect set. Even the aged De Niro looked excellent, though perhaps it’s a little puzzling that the filmmakers did not bother too much with the character of Deborah, whose 35-year difference was not noticeable and as an almost 60-year-old woman she still looked like a 20-year-old girl. All in all, I am satisfied, but I can safely say that Once Upon a Time in the West remains unsurpassed.
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Once Upon a Time in America was a film that Sergio Leone had been preparing for many years and was supposed to be the culmination of his work. In reality, it turned out to be a major disaster and probably shortened Leone's life by a few years. Finding a producer was already extremely difficult because, with Leone's well-known meticulousness, the costs were dangerously high. Moreover, the film was incredibly long, especially for the standards of the early 80s. The producer simply couldn't imagine that a four-hour epic would be acceptable to the audience, and since in the United States the producer is practically the owner of the film, he dealt with it in his own way. He cut it in half and released this butchered version in movie theaters. Because Leone's story takes place in multiple time frames, the crude interventions resulted in a debacle that the critics tore apart and the audience jeered. The film became one of the worst flops of the decade and, considering the high costs, it meant the actual end of Leone's directing career. He never experienced rehabilitation until his death, which came six years later with the release of the original director's cut. Yes, it is very long, but at the same time, it is very captivating, professionally shot, and grandiose. Over time, film fans and professional critics have evaluated Leone's film as one of the most significant in American cinema. For many actors, it was the pinnacle of their film careers, although in some cases, admittedly, somewhat premature (Elizabeth McGovern). Overall impression: 90%.
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[251 minute extended] Leaving aside the scale of the work and the incredible set and camera work, there remains a bit of a taste on the palate that Leone has sold out his previous revisionist approach to film genres here for a purely academic perspective, which is most evident in his work with the characters, which isn't very well developed due to the fact that they aren't given as much space as the sets. With de Niro's endless silent and melancholic glances at the recollection of his mafia youth, after a while I just saw... well, de Niro staring. And apart from that the story, namely building a giant sophisticated mafia saga on a restrained, yet actually stupid gangster, seems good to me. The heretic in me can almost imagine a good 140-minute cut of that film, except there would be cutting not of scenes but within scenes.
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I could bend over backward, and I still probably wouldn't find any mistakes in Once Upon a Time in America. For almost four hours, Sergio Leone tells us what it means to have a friendship beyond the grave. With an almost unhealthy precision, it closely observes the three-generational clash of men who had no other choice but to do what they did since their youth. Building an empire with all its pleasures and problems. Love, hate, virtue, mistakes, and that friendship... All this in a mesmerizing audiovisual setting. Hypnotic music by Ennio Morricone with a beautifully catchy melody. Long and slow camera "walks." A brilliant shot focuses on a street where a group of boys is crossing, with the iconic Brooklyn Bridge towering in the background, nestled between two buildings. Perfection. Which time period is the best? That's a tough question. Youth, with all its worries, abounds with that childlike look of boys whom the street has forced to grow up all too soon. The central and longest part depicts their built empire during its peak prosperity until the final stage, where the inevitable reckoning of their past actions takes center stage. Leone transitions between these periods subtly and unobtrusively, but always the contrast of period diversity is incredibly beautiful. I have a warm feeling in my heart that I sacrificed four hours for something so spectacular and hard to describe. Master, from the bottom of my heart, thank you...
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There are some pictures for which even the maximum number of stars is too constricting. And Leone’s most personal work is just that type of movie. But it is hard to give it an adequate rating since even the four-hour version eventually released years later is still too short to be able to reveal all of the storylines that Sergio Leone had filmed. The result is that we are left with a lot of begun, but unfinished storylines (Frankie Joe, Pesci and Fat Moe, to name just a few). They should release the originally intended six-hour version. This way we are left with incredibly strong historical frescos that Leone guides extremely sensitively through three time periods, supported by Morricone’s music, superb actors, amazing technical effects and outstanding production design. The best part of this picture is the first third. This is where Leone’s storytelling is at its best and I dare say that this part is the very best thing that Leone created (the word “filmed" simply isn’t enough in this case) during his long career.
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