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
Reminiscent at times of some very old gangster films such as The Roaring Twenties,one will find almost every gangster movie cliché one can find-one can imagine Leone half remembering bits and pieces from films he saw as a youth. However,he never glamourises his protagonists-he may dare us to like Robert De Niro's 'Noodles'-a murderous thug and rapist who always seems to make the wrong decisions-but that's different from glamourising him. The notorious rape scene is all the more hard to watch because its painful to watch Noodles try to destroy himself and his girlfriend by going through with it.
What really makes this film different is it's overwhelming melancholy. Leone's favourite loyalty/betrayal theme is there,but the film is also a study of memory,of a lost soul coming to terms with his past. Therefore,starting in mid-plot in the 1930s,than flashing back and forth in time,was the right choice {if initially confusing!}. This is the culmination of Leone's increasing interest in the flashback structure-think especially of the parallel story told in A Fistful of Dynamite's flashbacks.
There is action,but it's mostly quick and brutal,and there is also humour,such as a very funny scene set to Rossini's Thieving Magpie where the gangsters are loose in a hospital filled with babies. However,the broody,melancholic tone never really goes away,and towards the end,the film grinds to a virtual halt. Be warned,there is no action climax,just a series of somewhat oblique dialogue scenes and revelations.
The expected Leone flamboyancy is hardly to be found,but the film still often soars most when dialogue is kept to a minimum and Ennio Morricone's gorgeous music takes over. Some of the most brilliant scenes just consist of Noodles seeing and reflecting. In one especially effective and poignant scene near the end,an old Noodles is leaving his love Deborah as her achingly sad theme plays,and he sees her son,who is the spitting image of,well,I try to avoid spoilers! As the music changes into the still sad but more majestic main theme,the camera slowly zooms,as it often does,into Noodles' sad eyes. We go to what is initially a blur,until we realise it's curtains. The person who holds the key to all this appears,like a ghost,through the curtains and goes onto a balcony,from where he sees the same 'son' with a girlfriend. Sheer brilliance,and not a gun in sight!
Of course De Niro is great,but he's obviously very restrained and reflective. It's James Woods who really dominates,so dynamic here,this should have made him a big star. One must also mention Tonni Delli Colli,who photographs three time periods with slightly different hues but still subtly.
Leone's original cut was five hours and if you want to be picky there are holes in the plot. Leone leaves a great many things ambiguous,but shouldn't all great art ask questions? Once Upon A Time In America is not necessarily easy viewing,but it IS great art,the final statement of one of the best filmmakers of all time.
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