Once Upon a Time in America Is a Movie That Can Never Be ...

Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America is as epic as The Godfather, gorier than Goodfellas, and as streetwise as Mean Streets. Skiptomaincontentarea Ad Home»OnceUponaTimeinAmericaIsaMovieThatCanNeverBeTooLong ByTonySokol|September22,2021|ShareonFacebook(opensinanewtab)ShareonTwitter(opensinanewtab)ShareonLinkedin(opensinanewtab)Shareonemail(opensinanewtab)| Commentscount:0 Photo:WarnerBros.Pictures SergioLeone’sOnceUponaTimeinAmericaisasepicasTheGodfather,gorierthanGoodfellas,andasstreetwiseasMeanStreets.Ittellsafullhistory,fromchildhoodtooldage,streethustlestopoliticalsuicides,communitytoiletstoopiumdens.TheversionwhichisrightnowavailableonNetflixhasbeenamazinglyrestoredbyItaly’sBolognaCinemathequeL’ImmagineRitrovatalab.Idon’tthinkIhaveeverseenthefilmsoclear,anditisaperennialtome,asisTheGodfather. It’strue,eventhemostdevotedgangsterfanandcinephiledoesn’twatchOnceUponaTimeinAmericaasoftenasTheGodfather,andit’sgotRobertDeNiroathismostgangta.Foronething,Leone’sfilmhasneverbeenasaccessible.Itisnotshownregularlyonanykindofbroadcastchannel,andeventhefilm’sownproducersthoughtitwastoolongforpeopletositthrough.PopculturehistorymakesitsoundlikeOnceUponaTimeinAmericahadashortversionthatran10hoursandalongversionthatranaweek. HowLongisTooLongforOnceUponaTimeinAmerica? Thetruthis,Leonedidhaveupto10hoursoffinishedcinematicmaterial,whichhecutdowntosixhours.Hewantedtoputitoutintwoparts,muchliketheinitialsagaofTheGodfatherwasextendedintoasequel.Leone’soriginalvisionforthefilmwastwo180-minutemotionpictureswhichwouldbeshownonconsecutivedays.Aftertheinitialrun,heplannedtoeditthetwopartsdownforageneralreleasewhichwouldrunasonefour-hourand29-minutefilm. FilmdistributorsconvincedLeonetoreleasea“Director’sCut”featureatarunningtimeof3hoursand49-minutes,withnointermission,whichwastheversionshownatthe1984CannesFilmFestival(MartinScorseseledthepushtorestoretheoriginalversion,whichwasshownatCannesin2012,thoughit’sstillmissing18minutes).ThisversioncaughtoninEurope.ButAmericanaudiencessawanevenmorebutcheredcutin1984.TheU.S.financialbackers,TheLaddCompany,foundedbyactorAlanLadd’sson,cut90minutesfromthealready-editedfilm,bringingittotwohoursand19minutes.Buttheyalsorestructuredthefilm,cuttingtheflashbacks-within-flashbackstopresentthestorychronologically. Ad Ad–contentcontinuesbelow Thismostaffectstheopening,whichisanextendedactionsequencetoldwiththeexpressionismofasilentfilmandthenihilismofpost-warItalianneorealism.Itisabitofajumblecomingoutofanopiumdream.Noodlesisontherun,behindinthegame,andstonedoutofmind.Theflashbackscreateacognitivedissonance,andtheaudienceexperiencesthefreefallinavisceralway.Bythetimetheyland,it’sinthebeginningofastory,whichmayallbeanopiumdream.ThelongerversiondidplayatartcinemasintheU.S.Havingseenbothontheirinitialrelease,thiswriterpreferredthelongversionofthecrimeclassic,butwilladmit,theycouldhaveansweredaphoneintheopeningsequencebeforeitrang30times. I’dWatchan8-Hour“Makingof”DocumentaryonThis Theproductionofthefilmisworthyofastar-studdeddocumentaryitself.Leonedevotedmostofhisadultlifetogettingitdone.HeturneddownTheGodfathertomakeit.OnceUponaTimeinAmericaisthefinalentryinLeone’s“OnceUponaTime”trilogy.ItfollowedOnceUponaTimeintheWest(C’eraUnaVoltaIlWest)(1968),andOnceUponaTimeintheRevolution,whichcameoutin1971asDuck,YouSucker!.OneofthefirstAmericadraftswaswrittenbyNormanMailer,theauthorofthenovelTheNakedandtheDead,andMarilyn:ABiography,the1973MarilynMonroebiographywhichfirstspeculatedtheHollywoodiconhadbeenkilledbytheFBIandCIA.LeonetoldAmericanFilmmagazinethenovelistwasnot“notawriterformovies,”butwasn’tsatisfiedwithascreenplayuntiltheendof1974. LeonefirstbecameinterestedinmakingOnceUponaTimeinAmericawhilemakingOnceUponaTimeintheWest.HecameacrossthebookTheHoods,whichisdescribedonitscoverflapas“anotoriousmobbossofthesyndicatetellsthefullinsidestoryofhiredkillingandcrimeoperations.”PublishedinAugust1952,itwasveryopenaboutJewishgangsterlifeduringthe1920sand‘30s.ItwaswrittenbyHershel“Noodles”GoldbergunderthealiasHarryGrey. Goldbergalsowrotethe1958book,PortraitofaMobster,aboutJewishmoblegendArthur“DutchSchultz”Flegenheimer.HewroteTheHoodswhileservingtimeinSingSingprison.LeonemetwithGreyinaNewYorkCitybar,accordingtoChristopherFrayling’s2012book,SergioLeone:SomethingtoDowithDeath.Theauthorwasstillinhidingfromhisformermobassociates.TherenownedSpaghettiWesterndirectordidn’tfindaheroicfigurelike“PaulMuniinScarfaceorJamesCagneyinThePublicEnemy,”inthebar.Insteadtherewasapoorman“withamachineguninhishandandaBorsalinoonhishead.” I’dwatcha12-HourVersionoftheOriginalCastoftheUnmadeFilm Leonebegancastingin1975.WhenTheHoodsbegins,theleadingcharactersareteenagecriminals.RichardDreyfusswasfirstcastasyoungNoodles.TheolderversionofthecharacterwastobeplayedbyJamesCagney,whohadn’tmadeafilmsinceBillyWilder’sOne,Two,Threein1961.Hewouldn’tmakeanotheruntil1984,theyearLeone’sfilmwasfinallyreleased,whenheappearedinMilošForman’sRagtime.ThatfilmalsostarsElizabethMcGovern,whoplaysadultDeborahinOnceUponaTimeinAmerica.FrenchactorGerardDepardieuwascastasyoungMax,andthepartwouldpasstoveteranactorJeanGabin,aniconofFrenchgangsterfilms. Thisistruedreamcasting.DreyfussmadehismobmoviebonesplayingBabyFaceNelsoninDillinger(1973)andwouldgoontobecomeanactinginstitution.Cagneywasanactinglegend,whobeganhiscareercreatingyounggangstericons.JudgingfromtheoutstandingactingperformancesLeonegotfromHollywoodGoldenAgeactorslikeHenryFonda,itwouldhavebeenamasterwork. Ad Ad–contentcontinuesbelow Leonebroughtoutunsuspectedfeatsofgreatnessfromveteranactorswhohadbeensubjecttotherulesofmainstreamcinema.ItwouldalsobewonderfuljusttowatchCagneyandGabincreateonscreendynamitetogether.MeanwhileGabinisprobablybestknownastheleadinJeanRenoir’s1937antiwarmasterpiece,LaGrandeIllusion.Butthatwasalsotheyearheplayed“ThePrinceofPlunder”indirectorJulienDuvivier’sPépéleMoko(1937).Thatgangster-in-hidingtitleroleestablishedhimfirmlyinFrenchcrimecinema,anditshouldbeseenbyanyfanofCasablancaorAlgiers.HealsostarredinJacquesBecker’smobfilmTouchezpasaugrisbi(Don’tTouchtheLoot)(1954),andplaysthecapooftheManalesecrimefamilyindirectorHenriVerneuil’sTheSicilianClan(1969). Joinourmailinglist GetthebestofDenofGeekdeliveredrighttoyourinbox! Subscribe Iwouldgleefullybinge10hoursofGabinandCagneyrehearsing. AndICouldWatchtheFinalCastAllWeekend I’dalsobingerehearsalsforthecastthatultimatelywoundupfilmingOnceUponaTimeinAmerica.RobertDeNiro,asgrown-upDavid“Noodles”Aaronson,wasinhisprime.Hewasalreadygangsterfilmroyalty,havingplayedinTheGangthatCouldn’tShootStraight(1971),MartinScorsese’sMeanStreets(1973),andasyoungVitoCorleoneinTheGodfather,PartII.HisJakeLaMottatookacareer-killingdiveforthemobinRagingBull(1980).ButwhileDeNiroalsoprovedhecouldplaypsychopathslikeTravisBickleinTaxiDriver(1976),thatpartwasbetterfilledbyhisco-star. Readmore Movies WhyTheGodfatherPartIVNeverHappened Movies TheGodfatherCoda:TheDeathofMichaelCorleoneProvesaLittleLessisInfinitelyMore JamesWoods,whoplaystheadultMaximilian“Max”Bercovicz,createdoneofthemostconvincingsociopathsofcrimecinemainTheOnionField(1979).HealsobroughtoneofthesleaziestcharactersinsciencefictiontoDavidCronenberg’s1983cultmasterpiece,Videodrome.Forgangsterandcrimefilmfans,DeNiroandWoodstogetherarelikeseeingCagneyworkwithEdwardG.RobinsoninSmartMoney(1931),HumphreyBogartinAngelswithDirtyFaces(1938)andTheRoaringTwenties(1939),orGeorgeRaftinEachDawnIDie(1939). WhileJoePesci’scrimebossFrankieMonaldiissoauthenticinOnceUponaTimeinAmericathatitlookslikehewaspickedoutofalineup,BurtYoung’sperformanceashisbrotherJoeMonaldiispurecinemaverité.Healmostmakesyouwanttotakeashower.TheonlyreliefcomesfromwatchingTreatWilliamsasaunionleaderwhotakesabath. TuesdayWeld,whoplaysCarol,isaniconoflicentiouscinema.ShewasStanleyKubrick’sfirstchoicetoplaythetitleroleinLolita(1962),andthewildestorgyenthusiastinLookingforMr.Goodbar(1977).Weldstartedactingasateenagerinthe1956jukeboxmusicalRock!Rock!Rock!,andbroughtmoretensionthanSteveMcQueenandAnn-Margretcombinedinthe1965gamblingclassic,TheCincinnatiKid,whichalsostarredEdwardG.Robinson.QuentinTarantinowouldprobablybeproudtorecommendWeld’sfilmographyasafilmbingesubject. Ad Ad–contentcontinuesbelow OnceUponaTimeinAmericaalsobeganproductionin1980butwasscuttledbyanActor’sStrike.ItwouldhaveseenTomBerengerandPaulNewmanplayingtheNoodlescharacters.ForMax,LeoneconsideredDustinHoffman,JonVoight,HarveyKeitel,JohnMalkovich,andJohnBelushi.BrookeShieldswassettoplayyoungDeborah,whichwentontobeJenniferConnelly’sfilmdebut.ShewouldgoontoplayinLabyrinth(1986)withDavidBowie,aswellastoanacclaimedcareerasanadultinmovieslikeRequiemforaDream(2000)andwinanAcademyAwardforABeautifulMind(2001). What’sinaBadReputation? TheGodfatherisbrisklypaced,relatable,andeverysequenceisperfectlyframed.HadOnceUponaTimeinAmericabeensplitintotwoparts,asthedirectorintended,itmayhavebecomejustasiconic.CoppolasavestheCorleonefamilybackstoryforthesecondfilm,whereitsitscomfortablyasitmirrorsonerisewithanother. Intoday’senvironment,wherebinge-watchingisthenorm,OnceUponaTimeinAmericashouldbereevaluatedonthatbasis.Peoplearemoreaccustomedtolong-longformentertainment,becausetheyhavereadilyavailableshort-formattheirfingertipsonappslikeTikTok. AlejandroJodorowskywantedtomakea10-houradaptationofthesciencefictionnovelDune.HegotthesameblowbackasLeone. “Myself,Imakeanenormousprojectofafilmthatwillnotbeanormalfilm,14,16,maybe19hours,”JodorowskytoldDenofGeekwhilepromotinghisfilmPsychomagic.“HollywoodthoughtIwascrazy.Apicture[shouldbe]onehourandhalfortwohours,nomore.Butnow,withseriestelevision,youseeeightchapters.Theshortpicturesaredying,it’snotanymorenecessary.Weneedtomakeaseriouschapter,youknow?Tenhours.” Today,Jodorowsky’sDunewouldbeaNetflixminiseries–orattheveryleasttwofilms,asenjoyedbydirectorDenisVilleneuve.OnceUponaTimeinAmericaisfarmorewatchablethanitslegenddeclares,andLeonewasafilmmakerwhoshouldhavebeenaffordedhiscut.“Hewasarealartistofindustrialmovies,”JodorowskytoldDenofGeek.“Youneedtobeveryintelligenttodothat,andhedidit.Thepicture,allofhispictures,Ilovethesepictures.” IhavewatchedTheGodfather,TheGodfather,PartII,TheGodfather,PartIII,MarioPuzo’sTheGodfather,Coda:TheDeathofMichaelCorleone,theboxsetcollectors’editionofTheGodfatherSaga,andstillhavearecordingofthefirsttimethefilmranwithallthedeletedscenesrestored.Iwillwatchthemallagain.ButthereisroomformorethanoneGangsterEpic.OnceUponaTimeinAmerica’sreputationasasloppy,overlongfilmisundeserved.Itbearsrepeatedviewing. Ad Ad–contentcontinuesbelow Share:ShareonFacebook(opensinanewtab)ShareonTwitter(opensinanewtab)ShareonLinkedin(opensinanewtab)Shareonemail(opensinanewtab)|Comment: Commentscount:0 Tags:CrimeDramaCrimeMoviesJamesWoodsJenniferConnellyRobertDeNiro Writtenby TonySokol | @tsokol CultureEditorTonySokolisawriter,playwrightandmusician.HecontributedtoAltvariety,Chiseler,Smashpipe,andothermagazines.HeistheTVEditoratEntertainment… ReadmorefromTonySokol MoreonCrimeDrama Movies TheKingofComedy:What'stheRealPunchlineoftheMartinScorseseClassic? Movies RedeemingTheLegacyOfTheGodfatherPartIII Movies OnceUponaTimeinAmericaIsEveryBitasGreataGangsterMovieasTheGodfather Culture TheIrishman:RealLifeGangstersFromPhillyandNewYork Ad-contentcontinuesbelow Popular Movies BestMovieComediesoftheLast15Years Movies HowTheAvengersSetuptheFutureoftheMCU TV WhatDoestheFutureHoldforSailorMoon? TV BatwomanandLegendsofTomorrowCanceled:AreCWDCTVShowsinTrouble? Readthelatestissue Ad PrivacySettings