Once Upon a Time in America

Good interesting movie of length, but you shall not get bored.

This picture opened to mixed reviews. The studio quickly withdrew it from distribution and drastically cut its length. Thank heaven that this version is the original one, as the shortened one was a ham-fisted, muddled travesty Its pace is slow and it features some scenes which some might find extreme to the point of being exploitive. I weigh in on the side of those who find it to be the best of Leone's better-known films. The slow sections were handled the way they were because so much of the point of this movie is the sad, sometimes regretful reflections by the central figure on his history of lost opportunities and wrong-turns in life. One kind of moment, to be found in the show, is found in a scene you will not find in any U.S.-made gangster flick. This particular scene features a small boy who has spent all of his meager pocket money on a lush piece of pastry. He is taking it to a neighborhood girl who, it is known, will offer sexual favors in return for such offerings. Waiting for her on the stairs leading up to her apartment, he unexpectedly finds himself torn between two temptations. There is the anticipation of the gratification promised by the encounter with the girl but, right there before him, there is the cake, the chocolate icing, the sweet cream filling, the cherry on top. What will happen now if the girl keeps him waiting too long? This inventive plot device touchingly captures a vivid sense of life inside the mind of a young boy. This is a long movie, with a large and brilliant cast, and too many amazing moments to recount here. Expect the unusual, the contemplative, a deeply thoughtful quality recurring throughout this long and winding tale. It traces many decades in the lives of immigrant boys who decided that their only hope for advancement lay in crime. Watch its strange and elusive conclusion very closely. It can be a challenging picture. I found it wonderfully worth the effort required. Note the magnificent score by Ennio Morricone.

Now, I am by no means a Sergio Leone fan, but he deserved the Oscar for Direction for this film. I firmly believe that this film stands up there with "The Godfather, Part II", "Casablanca", and "Citizen Kane" as one of the greatest films ever released (maybe the best). Sergio Leone's violent, visual, masterpiece of turn of the century Jewish boys from New York growing into a life of crime has a different effect on all those who have viewed it in its various forms. I, personally have never seen the shortened version so I can not comment on it. There isn't anything in this film that isn't worth the four hour running time. Brilliant, poetic visuals, great photography and fantastic performances across the board.Leone touches on issues of violence (the scenes are gory and sometimes explicit), sexual depravity (its no coincidence that all sexual encounters are in unconventional places and only in Noodles' rape of Deborah does he exhibit any kind of emotion toward any of his partners, gently caressing and kissing her as he violates her in a pathetic attempt to show his love), and simply growing old (brought about by the reminisces of Noodles' childhood with a beautiful good 'ol days type feeling despite the criminal nature of his childhood) and leaves us clamoring for more after the four hours are through.Robert DeNiro is fantastic as always as Noodles. But it is James Woods, in my opinion that steals the show as Max. William Forsythe, Treat Williams, Danny Aiello, Burt Young, Joe Pesci, Jennifer Connely and Tuesday Weld add to this film just as actors of their quality are expected to. Their performances, as well as the two leads at the very least deserved, but didn't recieve any, Academy Award nominations. (In fact, the Oscars were the only ceremony to snub this film). Ennio Morricone's score was as beautiful and evocative as one would expect from the master of the Italian score.Worth seeing. Sit back, take the phone off the hook and prepare for a cinematic experience.