Il était une fois en Amérique

Oh, how to feel about this movie?

I was mostly riveted by it, let's get that out of the way. It's gorgeous to look at with those Sergio Leone compositions, and gorgeous to listen to with that Ennio Morricone score. Like so many of Leone's films, it has a plaintive, nostalgic glow to it that makes you ache emotionally without even knowing exactly what you're aching for.

And there's where I get conflicted with this movie. The character created by Robert De Niro is a repulsive human being. He murders, he rapes. The film cannot be forgiven for the way it handles rape. In one instance, the woman treats it like it was a naughty prank and comes back to fondle the rapist and his buddies in a scene played for laughs. In the other instance, the film at least has the decency to make it seem like something traumatic to the woman, but that woman is Elizabeth McGovern, who reappears later in the film and acts like she's full of regret over the relationship she and De Niro were denied, despite the fact that that relationship consisted almost entirely of him just stalking her and then taking her against her will in the back of a car when she tells him she's leaving for California to become an actress. We follow Robert De Niro both as a young man and as an older man looking back ruefully on his life, but we don't sense that he regrets any of the things he actually did. He just regrets what he lost. It's like he's sad that his days of murdering and raping without consequence are over, and that elegiac Sergio Leone tone left me wondering, what exactly are we supposed to be feeling nostalgic about?

So I guess I understand both people who think this movie is something great and those who think it's reprehensible. I guess it's proof that things can be many things at once.

Grade: A.

This is, for me, one of the finest examples of cinematic art. It isn't a simple, cut-n-dried 90 minute little package that gets wrapped up with a pretty bow at the end. You get pulled in by the enigmatic opening that unwinds the threads of the story to be found later. For many people having half an hour of purely visual story telling, of stories that are only mysteries at that point, before anything becomes truly linear is difficult to follow and discourages to many people. Our own memories are only snippets that only become linear as we concentrate on scenes from our lives. Once Upon a Time in America is like that as we follow Noodles through the `significant' part of his life - the times that formed him. When the story actually starts, we meet the girl that he always loved but could never have.

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.

Once Upon A Time In America is the crowning achievement of director Sergio Leone. It's nearly four hours long,and demands total concentration from beginning to end. However,those willing to submit will find it more than worth it.

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.

Many people compare "Once Upon a Time in America" with "The Godfather". In my opinion these two movies can't be compared. Both are masterpieces in their own way, but each of them has a different style. You don't compare a Picasso to Michelangelo's Sixteen Chapel either, do you?

What is it that makes this movie a masterpiece? Well, first of all there is the director. Sergio Leone is a real master when it comes to creating a special atmosphere, full of mystery, surprises and drama... He's one of the few directors who understands the art of cutting a movie in such a way that you stay focused until the end.

The way the movie was cut is also the reason why a lot of Americans don't think this movie is very special. There are three versions, but only the European version is how the director imagined it to be. He didn't want his movie to be shown in chronological order (1910's - 1930's - 1960's), but wanted to mix these three periods of time. The studio cut the movie in chronological order, loosing a lot of its originality and therefor getting a lot of bad critics. If you want to see this film the way Sergio Leone saw it, you have to make sure you get the director's cut.

The second reason why this movie is so great is the music. Ennio Morricone, who is seen as the greatest writer of film music ever, did an excellent job. Together with the images, the music speaks for itself in this movie. From time to time there isn't said a word, but the music and the images on their own tell the story. He understood perfectly what Sergio Leone wanted and composed most of the music even before the movie was shot.

Last but not least there is also the acting and the script. The actors all did an excellent job. But what else can you expect from actors like Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci... They helped making this movie as great as it is by putting there best effort in it. The script helped them with it. It took twelve years to complete, but it hasn't left any detail untouched. The writers really thought of everything when creating it.

I can really recommend this movie to everyone, but especially to people who like the gangster genre. When you want to see the movie, you better be sure that you will have the time for it. This isn't a movie that is finished after 90 minutes. You'll have to be able to stay focused during 3 hours and 47 minutes, which will certainly not be easy during the first 20 to 30 minutes. Some scenes at the beginning only make sense when you have seen the end of the movie. But when you are able to stay focused, you'll find this one of the best movies you've ever seen. I certainly did and I rewarded it with a well deserved 10/10.

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.