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Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
1 June 1984 (USA) moreTagline:
Crime, passion and lust for power - Sergio Leone's explosive saga of gangland America. [Australia Theatrical] morePlot:
A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to Brooklyn over 30 years later, where he once again must confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life. full summary | full synopsisAwards:
Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 11 wins & 3 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(13 articles)
Enemies in Public: Top 10 Gangster Movies (From ReelzChannel. 1 July 2009, 9:39 AM, PDT)
Sergio Leone In London: Inside The Private Tribute With Dario Argento And Sir Christopher Frayling
(From CinemaRetro. 7 May 2009, 7:08 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Mesmerizing and haunting tale of love, greed, regret, betrayal and revenge moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Robert De Niro | ... | David 'Noodles' Aaronson | |
| James Woods | ... | Maximilian 'Max' Bercovicz / Secretary Christopher Bailey | |
| Elizabeth McGovern | ... | Deborah Gelly | |
| Tuesday Weld | ... | Carol | |
| Treat Williams | ... | James Conway O'Donnell | |
| James Hayden | ... | Patrick 'Patsy' Goldberg | |
| Joe Pesci | ... | Frankie Minoldi | |
| Larry Rapp | ... | 'Fat' Moe Gelly | |
| Danny Aiello | ... | Police Chief Vincent Aiello | |
| William Forsythe | ... | Philip 'Cockeye' Stein | |
| Burt Young | ... | Joe | |
| Darlanne Fluegel | ... | Eve (as Darlanne Fleugel) | |
| Dutch Miller | ... | Van Linden | |
| Robert Harper | ... | Sharkey | |
| Richard Bright | ... | Chicken Joe |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for strong violence, sexual content, language and some drug use. (edited version)Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
229 min | USA:139 min (re-cut)Color:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
MonoCertification:
Finland:K-16 (1990) | Finland:K-18 (1984) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | UK:18 (cut) | Brazil:14 | Germany:16 (f) (re-rating) (2003) | West Germany:18 (f) (original rating) (1984-2003) | Portugal:M/16 | Australia:R | France:-12 (re-rating) (2003) | France:-16 (original rating) | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:12 (original rating) | Netherlands:16 (re-rating) | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:18 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:RFun Stuff
Trivia:
It took six writers, including director Sergio Leone, to adapt Harry Grey's novel for this film. moreGoofs:
Continuity: In the very first scene, when the woman is shot, her shirt is covered in blood. When she is shot again, even more blood stains her shirt, but when she falls back, her shirt is completely free of blood. moreQuotes:
[first lines][In 1933, two goons torture a young woman]
Beefy: Where is he? Where's he hiding?
Eve: I don't know... I've been looking for him since yesterday.
[a second goon slaps her harshly]
Beefy: I'm gonna ask you for the last time: Where is he?
Eve: I don't know... What are you gonna do to him?
[Two shots are head]
Beefy: [to his partner] Stay here in case that rat shows up...
more
Soundtrack:
YESTERDAY moreFAQ
What is the book Noodles reads as a kid when he's in the bathroom?A Note Regarding Spoilers
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
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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.