Once Upon a Time in America

Once Upon a Time in America (original title C'era una volta in America) (1984) is director Sergio Leone's last film. Robert De Niro and James Woods star as two Jewish ghetto youths who rise to prominence in the New York City organized crime world.

Related Topics:
1984 - Sergio Leone - Film - Robert De Niro - James Woods - Jewish - Ghetto - New York City - Organized crime

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Set as an expansive and hypnotic film experience, the story explores the ideas of time, memory, love, violence, and betrayal. It is renowned for its beautiful cinematography, the detail of its three historical settings and its intricate, open-ended narration and was, as almost all Leone films, first released in the United States in a heavily edited version almost ninety minutes shorter than the version released in Europe. The short version also eliminates the flashback structure of the film, instead placing the scenes in chronological order.

Related Topics:
Time - Memory - Love - Violence - Betrayal - Cinematography - Narration - United States - Europe

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The story interweaves three different eras in American history: 1968, the early 1930s, and the early 1920s. The film appears to show an elderly Noodles (De Niro's character) looking back on his life and beginnings of his mob career. However, in the DVD commentary, Richard Schickel presents the notion that everything is an opium-induced dream which the main character has in 1933, containing memories from the past and contemplations on the future. This so-called "Dream Theory" is popular among many fans of the film, and is often the cause of heated debate.

Related Topics:
1968 - 1930s - 1920s - Mob - Richard Schickel - Opium - Dream - 1933

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The plotline of the film is loosely based on the novel The Hoods by Harry Grey (later re-released under the title Once Upon a Time in America). The novel helps to explain the development of the characters and delves much deeper into Noodles's psyche, enriching elements of the characters that the movie only touches on.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The film premiered at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival at its original running time of 229 minutes (3 hours 49 minutes). Reportedly, a 4-hour 25-minute version also exists, although Sergio Leone has said that this was not intended for theatrical release.

Related Topics:
Cannes Film Festival - Sergio Leone

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~