Once Upon a Time in America
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Once Upon a Time in America (original title C'era una volta in America) (1984) is director Sergio Leone's last film. Robert De Niro and James Woods star as two Jewish ghetto youths who rise to prominence in the New York City organized crime world.
Renowned for its beautiful cinematography, the detail of its three historical settings (turn of the 20th century, 1930s, 1960s) and its intricate, open-ended narration, the film was first released in the United States in a heavily edited version almost ninety minutes shorter than the version released in Europe. The short version also eliminates the flashback structure of the film, placing the scenes in chronological order instead.
The film is fairly based on the novel The Hoods by Harry Gray (later re-released under the title Once Upon a Time in America). The novel helps to explain the development of the characters and delves much deeper into Noodles's psyche, enriching elements of the characters that the movie could only touch on.
Set at an expansive, hypnotic pace, the film explores the ideas of time, memory, love, violence, and betrayal. Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams, Tuesday Weld, Joe Pesci, Burt Young, Danny Aiello, Jennifer Connelly, and William Forsythe are featured.
The film premiered at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival.
External links
de:Es war einmal in Amerika fr:Il tait une fois en Amrique it:C'era una volta in America sv:Once Upon a Time in America