ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA

US, 1984, 217 minutes, Colour.
Robert de Niro, Elizabeth Mc Govern, James Woods, Treat Williams, Joe Pesci, Burt Young, Tuesday Weld, Danny Aiello, William Forsythe, Jennifer Connolly,
Directed by Sergio Leone.

Once Upon a Time in America is the third in a trilogy of films about the United States by Italian writer-director Sergio Leone. While he bases much of his material on a novel called The Hoods by Harry Grey (David Aaronson), the film gives Leone's interpretation of half a century of American history from Prohibition times in the '20s to political corruption and the modern era in 1968. After making the Man With No Name westerns and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Leone looked at 19th century America in Once Upon a Time in the West, the turn of the century United States (and wars with Mexico) in Duck, You Sucker.

This film has a complicated structure, moving backwards and forwards with the pivotal focus on 1933. A range of contemporary music gives atmosphere to the various periods. The re-creation of Lower East Side New York in the '20s is skilfully done in a long section about the gangster's youth. (This section was the main part cut for an abridged version for United States release.) The atmosphere of the '30s and gangsters compares well with any of the classic gangster films.

Leone also gets excellent performances from his stars - yet another complex interpretation man by Robert de Niro, yet another intense psychotic by James Woods and a fine supporting cast led by Tuesday Weld and Treat Williams.

Once Upon a Time in America is a look at history, but-more it is a cinema experience of the American dream - corrupted and soured.

1. The importance of Sergio Leone's films? His portrait of the United States? His interest in the myth and ethos of the west? As translated into the gangster atmosphere of the 20th. century? His interesting characters within this context? Struggles of good and evil? Law and morality? Society and individuals? Men and women? The frontier to the city? The 19th century to the 20th? His particular vision?

2. The impact of the experience: the length of the film, its power, emotional force, quality of insight, delineation of characters, portrayal of society? The background of the 20th. century migrants, their settling in New York, dreams and opportunities, crime, wealth? The influence of Prohibition? Transition to corruption and power? The development of the unions and power politics? The sweep of a significant half-century?

3. The New York settings, locations, periods? 1922 and the protagonists': youth, the tenements. the streets. warehouses. the river? The transition to Prohibition, the speakeasies, the clubs, theatre? Poverty and wealth? The opium den? The affluent and brittle '60s and society? The songs and the score - contribution by Ennio Morricone, Irving Berlin's 'God Bless America' during the credits, selections from opera, a wide range of popular music from Gershwin to the Beatles? 4. The importance of the structure of the film: the time shifts and their effect? The focus on Noodles and his experiences, his memories - the flashbacks as his memories? Giving meaning to his experience? The opening with the brutal killing of Eve? Noodles in the opium den escaping, the chase and his fleeing to Buffalo? The '30s and the clashes? The insertion of the past and Noodles.' childhood? Its quality, length, the establishment of the bonds, explanation of the bonds and friendship? The crises, interaction? The 1968 straightforward narrative as setting for flashbacks? The change in social concern, broad sweep? Personalities in the '60s? The mystery and its resolution? The final image of Noodles back in the '30s, the opium den - his smile? A sad, satirical, cynical fantasy ending?

5. The outsider looking at the United States - any society and the 20th. century? The particularities of American society, opportunities, new world, the oppressed, the self-made? The tradition of the American dream? Its’ souring? People trapped by situations, choices and opportunities, motives? Jewish gangsters? The contrast with the Italian gangsters? The gangster period? The look at Prohibition - its reality, wowserism with its consequent evil, weakness and greed? America as a violent society? Political and personal corruption? The Italian view?

6. The impact of the film for American audiences: mirror, critique, history, a picture of times giving understanding? The nonAmericans: with their attitudes, prejudices, understanding? The appalling picture of American society? Comparisons with other western countries at the same period? The United States and its 20th. century phenomena?

7. The performances and their skills: the cast and its qualities, Robert de Niro's skill, as his own age, as an old man? Sympathy and antipathy? Complexity? Understanding of his character? The contrast with James Woods and his manic style, evil, destructive? Elizabeth McGovern? and innocence corrupted? Tuesday weld as self-centred ambition? Themes of betrayal?

8. The impact of the 1922 episodes: the background of New York, migrants and their situation, migrant families, difficulties, language, religion, the Jewish migrants? The film's loving detail of the streets, the shops etc.? The feel of the period and the place? The boys within this context, relationship, with the police, tricking the policeman on the rooftop with Peggy? Their hold over him? Stealing, tricks? Police corruption and threats? Bigotry? The forming of gangs? The bonds of the pals, their cheekiness? Teenagers? Yet the reality of crime and death? Max and the watch. his coming into the gang? The tricks about the liquor and their floating in the river? Their being rescued? Money deals? Max and his intensity, brains, power? Noodles and his friendship - yet his caution? His friendship? Fat Moe and his belonging to the gang? Cockeye. Patsy and Dominic? Bugsy and his influence in the area? The clashes? The build-up to a confrontation? The gang and their success, gaining more money, the solemn pledge to each other, hiding the money at the railway station? The key? The confrontation with Bugsy and the pathos of the chase. Dominic's death? Noodles' anger and stabbing Bugsy and his consequent imprisonment? The influence of these formative years?

9. The film's focus on Noodles - at home, family, the sex encounter with Peggy with its comic touches. his attraction towards Deborah and his watching her at Fat Moe's. her ballet dancing, her taunting him, his awkwardness? The Jewish background?

10. Max as enigmatic. joining the group. his influence and power, brains? Ambitions?

11. Noodles and the jail experience and his release. the joke with the hearse and the dead girl, the sexual encounter? The gang grown up? Moe and his speakeasy? Peggy as the prostitute? Deborah and her success at dancing? Their gradual moving into the big-time? The importance of the contact with Frank Minaldi and his visits. Joe and the contacts? The setting up of the jewel robbery. its detail. violence. Carol's help? The importance of the sexual encounter and Noodles raping Carol? His remorse, self-hatred, the car into the water? The later encounter with Carol, the holiday? Her identifying him? Carol relating with Max? The massacre of Minaldi and Joe and its horror? Max and his growing ambitions, the scheme about the Federal Reserve? The growing tension between Max
and Noodles despite their friendship? At the speakeasy, at the clubs? Both men of the world? Noodles’ continuing caution and not wanting to enter the big-time, politics or unions? Carol and her persuading Noodles to go to the police? Noodles and his friendship with Eve? Holidays, the beach etc.? (And the impact of the film opening with Eve's killing?) Patsy, Cockeye and their participation? The information to Sgt. Halloran? The importance of the set-up and the deaths of the gang? Noodles escaping to the opium den? The atmosphere of the den - the Chinese, the people celebrating the repeal of Prohibition, the Indonesian puppets with their symbolic Creation themes? Max being chased and his disappearing?

12. The background of the trade unions and politics? O'Donnell and his Labor connections, as an activist, the plan for him to be president of the union, Sharkey and corrupt politics, O'Donnell wounded? The standover tactics by Max and his gang? The portrait of Sgt. Aiello, his attack on the unions? The attempts to corrupt him? His wife and the baby? The manic changing of the babies and their numbers - and the loss of the numbers?

13. Noodles and meeting Deborah again, her dancing and success? His putting on the lavish dinner for her, the sumptuous visuals of the restaurant for them alone? Her rejecting him? The rape in the taxi? (And the reaction of the taxi driver?) Her leaving for California? Noodles' self-disgust?

14. 1968 and Noodles coming out of a long retirement, his age, the emptiness of the vanished years, meeting Moe again (and Moe being beaten by the gangsters)? The letter and his being lured back, the memories and their insertion into his journey to get the key and the money, a changed New York, colourful, bright, brash, with the television? The visit to the cemetery and the memorial to his friends, discovering the key, the railway station. the locker and the money? The TV information about Senator Bailey and O'Donnell? His discovering Carol as curator of the gallery, her memories, telling him the truth about Max? The visit to Deborah and her portraying Cleopatra on stage? The dressing-room encounter, the memories. seeing her son - the image of Max? His leaving?

15. The build-up to the society party, Max as Bailey and his deceit, Noodles at the party. the confrontation with Max, their clash. the truth, Max hiring Noodles to execute him? Noodles refusing to use violence? The ominous garbage truck - Max following him? Whose death?

16. Noodles retreating into the fantasy of the 1933 opium den? The long close-up of his enigmatic and beatific smile? What doth it profit ... ? The enigma? The challenge to the audience? Noodles lost in his fantasy? What is fantasy and reality?

17. Leone's portrayal of men: image, macho, violence, Values and morality. selfishness, achievement? The contrast with women - presented as ambitious, selfish. used sexually - Deborah and her betrayal. Carol and her using people, Eve and her friendship yet murdered? The consequences of relationships between men and women?

18. The gallery of minor characters: the gang, O'Donnell and the politicians, Aiello and his wife and their suffering with their baby, Minaldi and Joe and their massacre?

19. The impact of set pieces: youth robberies, the opium den and the long-ringing telephone, the killing of Eve and the chasing of Noodles, nightclub sequences, the lavish dinner for Deborah the two rapes - and the reaction of the taxi driver, the jewel robbery and the slaughter, the changing of the babies?

20. Insight and memories: memories and meaning, joy, haunting, fantasy? The importance of the film beginning and ending with Noodles and his memories - and finally his loss of memories?