A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan 35 years later, where he must once again confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan 35 years later, where he must once again confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan 35 years later, where he must once again confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.
- Won 2 BAFTA Awards
- 11 wins & 13 nominations total
- Eve
- (as Darlanne Fleugel)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhen filming was completed, the footage ran to a total of eight to ten hours. Director Sergio Leone and editor Nino Baragli trimmed the footage to around six hours, with the plan of releasing the film as two three-hour movies. The producers refused this idea, and Leone had to further cut the film down to three hours and forty-nine minutes.
- GoofsWhen celebrating the end of the Prohibition Era, four bottles are opened with machetes. However, the waiter in the back to the right fails to open his bottle cleanly and accidentally smashes it in half before quickly walking off-screen with the broken bottle.
Actually, that result is more likely than not, considering the the lack of experience waiters have in opening champagne bottles with machetes. Also, leaving the room with a broken bottle spewing champagne is a prudent action to take and also will allow him to retrieve another bottle to help with serving the guests.
- Quotes
Noodles: [to Deborah] There were two things I couldn't get out of my mind. One was Dominic, the way he said, "I slipped," just before he died. The other was you. How you used to read me your Song of Songs, remember? "How beautiful are your feet / In sandals, O prince's daughter." I used to read the Bible every night. Every night I used to think about you. "Your navel is a bowl / Well-rounded with no lack of wine / Your belly, a heap of wheat / Surrounded with lilies / Your breasts / Clusters of grapes / Your breath, sweet-scented as apples." Nobody's gonna love you the way I loved you. There were times I couldn't stand it any more. I used to think of you. I'd think, "Deborah lives. She's out there. She exists." And that would get me through it all. You know how important that was to me?
- Crazy creditsJoey Faye is credited as the "adorable old man."
- Alternate versionsFor its U.S. theatrical release the film was cut by 90 minutes from 3 hours and 49 minutes to 2 hours and 19 minutes despite the original cut gaining rave reviews at the film's premiere at Cannes. Many film critics gave two separate reviews for the film. While the complete European version was highly praised, the heavily edited US theatrical release was critically butchered.
- ConnectionsEdited into Bellissimo: Immagini del cinema italiano (1985)
- SoundtracksGod Bless America
Music by Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin Music Corporation
Performed by Kate Smith
Courtesy of RCA Record
David `Noodles' Aaronson (DeNiro) was a kid on the very mean streets of Brooklyn when organized crime was born in America and he grew into and out of it. That's the simplest synopsis of the plot. The reality is that this isn't a movie about gangsters. Being a gangster is the easiest way for Noodles to survive and get ahead, but it also alienates and ruins his one love. Whenever he is close to giving himself to Deborah he always gets pulled back into the gang, in some form or another.
DeNiro's portrayal is of a gangster, through and through, who also has a conscience that, while not preventing him from being a ruthless killer, rules his life with regret, remorse and guilt. Leone takes a bit of poet/historic license by showing the Brooklyn Bridge being built in the background (the bridge had been built 40 years before), but it symbolizes Noodles' own growth. When the bridge is just pilings and incomplete towers, Noodles is just forming his future. By the time the bridge is complete, Noodles is nothing but a gangster and the bridge is majestic. When he returns 35 years later our view of the bridge is from under a freeway -- the world has moved along, but the bridge and Noodles are just as they were.
The length: If you're looking for a brief distraction that you'll barely remember 30 minutes later, this isn't the movie for you. However, if you are prepared and able to be undistributed for the nearly 4 hours that this film uses to compress a lifetime -- you will be rewarded with many facets of thought and examination.
- jeanpaul-3
- Oct 28, 1999
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Érase una vez en América
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $30,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $5,321,508
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $2,412,014
- Jun 3, 1984
- Gross worldwide
- $5,475,540
- Runtime3 hours 49 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1