Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

Réalisateur:

Sergio Leone

Scénaristes:

Harry Grey (novel)
Leonardo Benvenuti (writer) ...

Date de sortie:

1 juin 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drame

Accroche:

Crime, passion and lust for power - Sergio Leone's explosive saga of gangland America. [Australia Theatrical]

Intrigue:

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.

Plot Keywords:

New York | Gangster | Jewish | Prohibition | 1960s

Récompenses:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 11 wins & 3 nominations

Avis des utilisateurs:

Leone's "Godfather" Version, And About As Good

Ensemble

Robert De Niro	...	David 'Noodles' Aaronson
James Woods	...	Maximilian 'Max' Bercovicz
Elizabeth McGovern	...	Deborah Gelly
Joe Pesci	...	Frankie Manoldi
Burt Young	...	Joe
Tuesday Weld	...	Carol
Treat Williams	...	James Conway O'Donnell
Danny Aiello	...	Police Chief Vincent Aiello
Richard Bright	...	Chicken Joe
James Hayden	...	Patrick 'Patsy' Goldberg
William Forsythe	...	Philip 'Cockeye' Stein
Darlanne Fluegel	...	Eve (as Darlanne Fleugel)
Larry Rapp	...	'Fat' Moe Gelly
Richard Foronjy	...	Officer 'Fartface' Whitey (as Richard Foronji)
Robert Harper	...	Sharkey

Autre(s) titre(s):

C'era una volta in America (Italy)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, sexual content, language and some drug use. (edited version)

Durée:

229 min | USA:139 min (re-cut)

Pays:

Italy | USA

Langue:

Anglais | Italien | Français

Couleur:

Couleur (Technicolor)

Rapport de forme:

1,85 : 1

Son:

Mono

Classification:

Finland:K-16 (1990) | Finland:K-18 (1984) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A | 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:U (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:R

Lieux de tournage:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Société:

Embassy International Pictures

Anecdotes:

Writer Stuart Kaminsky was brought in as he was Jewish himself and had written many 1940s mystery tales, and so could realistically tie the film to the Jewish culture and still maintain the mystery surrounding Noodles' life. Kaminsky was also an admirer of Sergio Leone and his work.

Goofs:

Erreurs dans la géographie: The boys first put money in a locker at the Lackawana Terminal in Hoboken, NJ. When they come out into the street, they are at the base of the Manhattan Bridge in Dumbo, Brooklyn, some distance away.

Guillemet:

[first lines]
[In 1933, two goons rudely question a young woman]
Beefy: Where is he? Where's he hiding?
Eve: I don't know... I've been looking for him since yesterday.
[second goon slaps her harshly; she falls onto the bed]
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...

Connexions De Film:

figure dans Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema (2005) (V)

Bande son:

AMAPOLA

Leone's "Godfather" Version, And About As Good

This Godfather-type film was done by Sergio Leone, of spaghetti-western fame, so you know you will see and experience several of his trademarks. Namely: (1) a lot of facial closeups; (2) some slow-motion or slow-moving dramatic scenes; (3) good overall photography and (4) a unique soundtrack.

The period sets here are magnificent. You get a real feel of the time, whether it's 1910, 1933 or 1967. The colors are awash in blacks, browns and grays and the DVD brings all these out very well, especially considering the film is over 20 years old.

Despite some of Leone's slow moments, this is a fascinating film to watch for the story, too. There are numerous memorable scenes, some of them involving some downright shocking violence, even for today's movies. However, the amount of violence is less than what you see today.

The movie also sports an interesting twist near the end involving the two major characters, played by Robert De Niro and James Woods. The story is not always clear, either, so be prepared to be possibly confused about a few things....at least on the first viewing. Confused or not, this film always is fascinating to view, especially with intense actors such as the two men just mentioned, along with Elizabeth McGovern, Tuesday Weld, Joe Pecsi, Burt Young, Treat Williams and more.

The child actors in here take up almost half the movie and are excellent. What an injustice they don't receive any publicity for their acting, especially the kids who played De Niro and Woods as youngsters. One of the girls has become a famous adult actress: Jennifer Connelly. She was 12 years old in this film and was already alluring.

This is Godfather-type crime movie that ranks right up there with that famous film, not taking a back seat to it at all.