Érase una vez en América

... Directors of all time. Let's start with a story. Many years ago, when your grandfather was still a boy, a failed, beaten-down actor named Clint Eastwood packed up his horse and saddle (speaking metaphorically here), left Hollywood forever (or so he thought) and headed out to Europe to pick up cash wherever he could. He ended up doing a film in Italy for an almost-unknown director named Sergio Leone and an almost-unknown sound guy named Ennio Morricone. The film was (as history would later record) an "Italian Western," that is, as the iconic western drama was all but disappearing in the US, it was being "re-imagined" by Italian writers and directors, and then filmed in Italy, using mainly Italian actors. On the set, Eastwood spoke in English and everyone else spoke in Italian. (Dubbing later fixed all that). Filming now over, Eastwood took his cash and left. Weeks later, in a bar in another part of Europe, he overheard mention that a certain film was the leading box office attraction on the continent. The name sounded familiar but, frankly, during production, a final name for the film he'd just done had not even been selected. He investigated. Yes, this was the film he had just completed, now titled A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS. The rest is history. Sort of. Two sequels were done with Eastwood playing the same character. Monster hits.

By this point the critics began to acknowledge not only Clint, but also the man behind the camera, Leone, who was one of the most promising directors of the era. HE DID THINGS WITH THE CAMERA THAT NO ONE HAS DONE BEFORE OR SINCE, especially his use of closeups, especially his ability to match powerful emotional orchestrals to key scenes. The fourth film in the series, done by Leone but by this time lacking Eastwood, was ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST. (Eastwood meanwhile had returned to America as a major celebrity, formed his own production company, Malpaso, and over time became a director as well as the #1 box office star. Over the course of his career, Eastwood subtly voiced his distaste for Leone's work by scrupulously avoiding all Leone's trademark camera angles, even in his westerns!)

Back to Leone. While he lent his name to a handful of oddball productions, the last passionate work he left behind as his legacy was this film. OMG. What a film. Showcasing not only Leone's talent behind the camera, but also his musical magic as well as his ability to tell a complex tale like no one before him. It was by and large produced in obscure locations in NA, and the performances of the players, especially James Woods, and also de Niro, could possibly rank even today as the best they have ever given. (Also a performance from a young and charismatic Jennifer Connolly that by itself is worth the price of the ticket)

The film is magical. But here is the catch. Very few people have ever seen it. Even people who "think" they have seen it, really have not. The studio behind the film went berserk when they saw the length and, fearful of losing dollars when they could be changing reels and selling more tickets, they brought in a butcher to shorten it. Now maybe the new editor was not a butcher by trade, but he was sure one by disposition. The late Roger Ebert said that, in his career, this was the most abusive re-edit he had ever seen. The actual film, the one that Leone left, was not seen until years later when the director's version surfaced. It is astounding. It is magical. It is one of the best films ever made. It is a must see. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

My title sums up the film, albeit cliche, the film is a masterpiece. The story of a gang's rise from the prohibition years to the 60s. The film's main 2 character's are the focus of the picture. Without trying to spoil it, the film addresses 3 distinct eras in their lives.

The film explores the heart, Noodles soul. A man struggling with himself, someone who plays evil acts, a man who sees the pure in his childhood sweetheart. A man never at peace.

The film is directed by Leone, a master of his art. I'm a huge fan of his work. Each of his films got better and better, and Once Upon A time In America was a picture which had all the experience which he achieved in the 60s. It's almost a gift to himself.

The film's locations are stunning, authentic and dirty.

The screenplay is excellent, but the direction makes the film. Maybe one or two characters were underwritten, but it seems that the director wanted us to talk about the picture, discuss the possible loose ends, make up our own minds. Leone's methodical pacing is stunning.

The acting is tremendous, can't praise James Woods and Robert De Niro enough, awesome!

The photography is beautiful, it lacks colour giving it a gritty look, perfection!

Morricone delivers another masterpiece, his score adds further depth and backups the director's story.

See it wide-screen, this film is a stunning piece of cinema. Leone, you were the master!

Because there is an even longer director's cut and a short 130 minute version which was the version initially released in America, and is incomprehensible.

The film traces the lives of four Jewish gangsters from a New York City ghetto through 60 years of 20th century history in an odd way. It focuses on three time periods - 1920 when the gang is in their teens, 1932-1933 as prohibition ends, and 1968 when Noodles (Robert DeNiro) returns to New York as an old man after he gets a letter saying his true identity has been uncovered. Noodles has been living with regret this past 35 years, because he feels responsible for his gang having been killed by the police back in 1933. He wonders if someone is planning to settle an old score with him.

The Godfather this is not. There are no family ties binding any of these characters together, and they are extremely unlikeable and only vaguely characterized. Only Noodles is humanized even a little bit, and then he ruins that by turning out to be a rapist as well as covering the requisite thief/murderer territory that comes with being a gangster.

What does it do right? The cinematography by Tonino Delli Colli captures the gritty vibrancy of New York's Lower East Side, the glitz of the Prohibition era, and the melancholic decay of the 1960s. There is great attention to period detail, from costumes to production design, immersing the viewer in each era. Then there is that memorable score. As for the acting, De Niro shows the versatility that he always does, and James Woods as Noodles' best friend and gangster ally Max plays the part as ambitious and cunning. Plus Woods always injects just a little bit of crazy int his performances.

What did it do wrong? Leone's last film has the same problem with editing that Scorsese has had with his later films. It's just too long and has lots of side stories about union bosses and strikes that add nothing to the narrative. Finally, there are a total of two rapes in this film, with one of them actually being played for laughs. Leone did this in "Duck You Sucker" and caused me to lose all sympathy for Rod Steiger's character as a result. Does Leone not get how such crimes are received in the United States?

Overall this film actually transcends the gangster genre. It's not about family or the gangster lifestyle. It's about the passing of time, guilt/regret, memory, friendship and growing old. It's also just as much a mystery as it is a mafia movie, as there is much debate as to whether or not anything that happens in the 1968 segment is even real or is it a heroin induced dream of Noodles as he tries to forget his part in the death of his friends by getting doped up in an opium den. I'd say - You decide. It could go either way.

Make sure you watch the 220 minute version which is perfect. The butchered 139 minute version should never have been released and the added faded clips in the much longer 269 minute version aren't worth it.

It's not an easy watch. The story builds patiently and jumps back and forth in time, spanning three generations. It's not the usual gangster flick, but a tale of forgiveness, betrayal, greed and nostalgia. The sets, the fantastic score by Morricone, De Niro at the pinnacle of his career.

A beautiful epic swan song by the master Sergio Leone this is.

Noodles returns to the New York of his youth in response to an invitation to come and meet. His return is his first for half his life having fled New York to avoid being killed for ratting out his gangster friends. His return is mysterious and he doesn't know why he has been summoned. His return sparks memories of his childhood and adulthood growing up in the area with his friends and eventual business partners.

A three and a half hour movie may not be everyone's idea of fun. On the other hand, many people who see a running time over 180 minutes immediately assume it is an epic that must be `the greatest film ever made'. In this case the time is worth the effort, even if it a little luxurious and overlong. The plot is too sweeping to go into detail, encompassing 30 years in the main part and a further 30 by way of suggestion. Basically it comes down to Noodles memories of his life when he was growing up, up till the point we find him now, as an old man with little but those memories. As a story this is moving and involving. There are maybe too many lingering shots of Noodles staring into the distance but these don't feel as lazy as they have in other films.

Noodles past and the misery of him now is involving enough, but the main thread is Noodle's past, both childhood and adulthood in crime and love. The sheer detail that must be covered is well done. The film not only includes many major events but also minor things like the scene where the boy is tempted to eat a cream cake! This mix is very rewarding and makes it feel a lot more detailed than it actually is. The story is a real feel of several generations of crime and is very involving.

The cast make the film and hold the attention during the scenes that are longer than they should be etc. De Niro convinces as youth and bitter old man and holds the eye easily as both. Woods is much better than usual even if his character is the same. McGovern is good considering she has a minor role, but as an `old woman' she looks the same as she was when she was young. Actors like Williams, Aiello, Forsythe, Hayden etc easily fill out the gangster etc roles without falling into cliché or caricature. Just as rewarding are the child actors who carry the first hour of the film. Not only do they actually look like the actors in question, but they also do a very good job. There are some bum notes but they do mange the innocence of youth with the emotional basis for the rest of the film.

The direction is excellent – both gritty streets but with an affectionate slant of Noodles' memories. The direction is made almost perfect by the use of Ennio Morricone's score. It is at once haunting but slightly warming and `Debra's theme' has become one of my favourite tunes. The overall effect is one of a rich tapestry that eventually weaves into a very personal epic of regret and loss.

An excellent film that deserves to be recognised as both one of the great crime epics but also a personal and moving film.