One of the Best Movies About America Was Made By an ...

Sergio Leone's crime epic Once Upon a Time in America gracefully depicts the brutality of our country, particularly for immigrants brave enough ... Search Subscribe Entertainment TV Movies Books Music Bestof2020 Bestof2021 Style Fashion Grooming Accessories BigBlackBook Food Restaurants Recipes Drinks Bars CocktailRecipes Sports Lifestyle Cars&Tech Fitness&Health Money&Career News&Politics CharlesP.Pierce Archive Newsletter Follow facebook twitter google+ pinterest tumblr instagram youtube Win UnitedStates US UK España Italia Nederland Japan DoNotSellMyPersonalInformation Editions: US UK España Italia Nederland Japan Entertainment Style Lifestyle Food&Drink News&Politics Subscribe SignIn MyAccount SignOut Typekeyword(s)tosearch Today'sTopStories 1 ReadEveryArticleEsquireHasEverPublished 2 AtTheOscars,WillSmithBecameTheLittlePrince 3 25JacketstoBuyThisSpring 4 TedCruzDefacedtheConstitution 5 TheGirlFromPlainville WarnerBros. American-bornfilmmakershavelongdevotedthemselvestocapturingtheessenceofournationonfilm.ClassicslikeOntheWaterfrontorTheLastPictureShowareiconicfortheirhonest,nuancedportrayalofacountrythatisasbrokenasitisproud.Butsometimesittakesanoutsidertoexposethetruthofaplace,andnofilmhasencapsulatedtheglorious,menacingtragedyofourcountryquiteasravishinglyasSergioLeoneinOnceUponaTimeinAmerica.Astratosphere-scrapingcitadelofcinema,nearlyeverythingaboutLeone’slastfilm—andgreatestmasterwork—speakstothegrandillusionoftheAmericanDream.Narratively,itissteepedintherich,aggressivelyviolenthistoryoftheearlydaysofourimmigrant-hatingnation,depictingquitebrutallytheunderpinningsofmale-orientedcorruptionthatrendermanyoftoday’spowerstructures.Contextually,thefilmasaculturalmomentspeakstotheagonyandecstasyofAmericana,agreatmoviethatwasinfamouslybotcheduponreleaseinoneofthemostshamefulstudiomishapsofourtime,shortlyprecedingtheheartbreakingdeathofLeone—whichraisedmanytobelievethattheintensityandtragedyofAmericaitselfiswhatbroughttheItalianauteurtoheartfailure. ThiscontentisimportedfromYouTube.Youmaybeabletofindthesamecontentinanotherformat,oryoumaybeabletofindmoreinformation,attheirwebsite. Originallyanearlysix-hourepic,the229-minutefilmspansanentirelifetimeofJewishimmigrants-turned-mobbosses.LedbyRobertDeNiroandJamesWoods,LeonechartstheirrisefromtheJewishghettosofturn-of-the-centuryNewYorkCitytoalifeoflavishexcess,corruption,misogyny,andbetrayalasstiltedgrownmen.Toldinakaleidoscopeofunchronologicalfragments,thefilmpresentstheemotionalpassageofthesetwomen,NoodlesandMax,astheyrecklesslyteartheirwaythroughanunmercifulsocietyofsystemicoppressionandcruelty.Itissmarter,superiorlyaffecting,moreartfullyshot,edited,andscoredthananyfilmofitsilk—abonafidechampionoftheform,tragicallyoverlookedinourculture. GettyImages WhenthemoviepremieredoutofcompetitionattheCannesFilmFestivalin1984,itreceiveda15-minutestandingovation.ButatitsU.S.premierelaterthatyear,itwasdiscardedbycriticsandaudiencesalike,withsomecallingittheworstfilmoftheyear.AfterLeonehaddeliveredhis229-minutecut,theAmericandistributorsattheLaddCompanyshortenedthefilmtoameasly139minutesagainstthedirector’swill,which,accordingtothelore,wasdonebyanassistanteditorfromPoliceAcademy.ItwasanactsocontentiousandpoorlyexecutedthattheunbelievablesoundtrackbyEnnioMorricone,withoutargumentoneofthebestinallofcinema,wasdisqualifiedforAcademyAwardconsiderationbecausetheproducersfailedtoproperlycredithimintheirnewcutofthefilm.Infact,thefilmitself,aftergettingsuchexceptionalpraiseinFrance,didn’treceiveasinglenominationhereintheStatesatall.Itwasn’tuntil2012thatAmericanaudiencesgottoseeanapproximationofLeone’sgrand,nearlyfour-hourvision,whenMartinMarinScorsesemanagedtorestoremostofthefilmforaCannesscreeningandDVD/Blu-Rayre-release. WhatdistinguishesLeone’sepicfromtheothergreatAmericanfilmsisitsstartlingdedicationtotheportrayingrealityofthiscountry. WhatdistinguishesLeone’sepicfromtheothergreatAmericanfilmsisitsstartlingdedicationtotheportrayingrealityofthiscountry.Unlikethesympathetic,ever-glorifyingqualityofmobfilmslikeGoodfellasorTheGodfather(thelatterofwhichLeoneactuallyrejectedtheoffertodirectinfavorofthisfilm),thegangstersinOnceUponaTimeinAmericaarejustdownrightappalling.WhereasTheGodfatherconstruesbenevolentfigureslikeClemenzaorMarlonBrando’spuppydog-likeDonCorleone,Leoneenvisionsmobstersforwhotheytrulyare:chauvinistic,sociopathic,emotionallysplinteredplaguestosociety.Inthisway,thefilmbecomessurprisinglyprescientagaintoday,becauseOnceUponaTimeinAmericaisasmuchacrimeepicasitisanintricateexplorationofentitledyoungmenwhomighttodaycallthemselvesincels:aggressivelymasculine,dismissiveofwomen,yetviolentlyobsessedwithachievingsexualdominance. WarnerBros. Fittingintotheever-burdensomehistoryofAmericancinema’sfascinationwithsexualviolenceagainstwomen,OnceUponaTimeinAmericafeaturesaviciousrapesequencethatillustratesterrifyinglythewickeddangersofthisformofmalebehavior.WhileI’dneveradvocateforfilmsthatindulgeinthissortoftiredrapenarrative,itfeelsonlynaturalthatamovieimmersedinAmericanhistoryandculturewouldhavesuchafascinationwithviolenceagainstwomen.Somehow,inspiteofalltheirdeplorableactions,it’sjustimpossibletotakeyoureyesoffthecriminalsofLeone’s“KosherNostra”film.Likethecharactersofallthetrulygreatmobclassics,NoodlesandMaxareempoweredasabyproductoftheirenvironment:early20thcenturyAmerica.IntypicalLeonefashion,thefilmstudiesthefacesofitscastintimatelyanddefiantly,preferringlong,extremeclose-upsoveractionorsetpiecestoconveyemotionaldepth.Thesecloseupshavebecomequintessentialtouchstonesinthedictionariesofcinema,withfilmmakerslikeQuentinTarantinoexpressingpubliclythedeepimportanceoftheLeonecloseup.ButmoresignificantlythanitsobsessionwiththefacesofRobertDeNiro,JamesWoods,WilliamForsythe,ElizabethMcGovern,andastaggeringswathofotherprominent1980s-erastars,isLeoneandcinematographerToninoDelliColli’sdedicationtoshowcasingthetransportingbeauty,decadence,anddecayofAmerica. 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Therearethreeerasofournationportrayednon-linearlyinthefilm:thehardJewishghettosofManhattan’sLowerEastSideinthe1920s,theGreatGatsby-esqueexuberanceofthe1930sProhibition,andthenthedark,gang-riddenstreetsof1968NewYork,post-modernity.LeoneseekstocaptureeacheraofNewYorkwithpoetictruthoncameraandinspirit.TheearlydaysofDeNiro’sNoodlesarefullofchildlikewonderfortheBigCitythatsomanyhaveusedasasynecdocheforourcountryasawhole.ThewideshotofNoodles’sgangwalkinginLowerManhattanwiththemassiveManhattanBridgeloominginthebackgroundhasbecomeiconic,withtheoldbridgelookingalmostlikeahulkinggiantoffairytales.Later,whenDeNiro’scharacterisreleasedfromprison,theProhibitioneraofNewYorkisportrayedalmostlikeaplaygroundformenofpower,withrichdecor,gaudycostumes,andgrandiosityspillingintoeveryframe.AndthenLeone’svisionfortheNewYorkof1968isforeignandstrange,perhapsreflectiveofwhathisviewofthecountrymayhavefeltlike,beinganagingItaliannativemakingfilmsinanindustrythathaddeeplyshiftedfromitsauteristicroots,withfrisbeeswhizzingaroundthecitylikeUFOsandRockwell-esquebarscenesamidstdarkenedcorridorsappearingalmostlikedreams.ThedeeplymysteriousendingofOnceUponaTimeinAmericahaspuzzledviewersfordecades.Thefilm,whichbeginsonanimageofDeNiroasayoungmanin1930sNewYorksilencingtheterrorofhistormentedcriminallifebysucklingonalongpipeinanopiumden,alsoendswiththesamescene—althoughthistime,Noodlesislyingwithhisfaceup,smilingatthecamera.Wasitalladream?Orperhapsanightmare? 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OnecannothelpbutwonderwhatthisendingmayhavemeanttoLeone,afilmmakerwhowasasprofoundlyinfluentialtoAmericancinemaandcultureingeneralashewasindebtedtoit.HisobsessionwithcowboysintheAmericanwest,andthelawlessnessofacountrythat,fromitsearliestdays,wasrelentlessagainsttheweakanduninitiated,mayhaveimbuedthedirectorwiththismystifyingsenseofnarrativeandmoralambiguity.Leonediedshortlyafterthefilmwasreleasedinitsruinousformbystudioproducerskeenonpresentingamoretraditionalmovieforthemultiplexes.HiscolleaguesandcollaboratorshavespokenatlengthininterviewsabouthowthechangestoOnceUponaTimeinAmericadeeplyhurtthelastgreatItalianauteur,withJamesWoodsevengoingasfartosaythatLeonediedofabrokenheart.Today,inlightofwhatthefilmtriedtoaccomplish,andhowitwastreateduponreleasebyachanging1980sculturewherethedividebetweentheRagingBullsandtheRockyIVswasever-widening,theendingfeelsexceptionallyhaunting.Whateverthemeaning,itfeelsonlynaturalthatafilmabouttheAmericandreamshouldendwithsomethingresemblinganightmare. 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