Sergio Leone
Once Upon A Time In America (C'Era Una Volta In America)

THE REVIEW

PREMISE: I waited, I waited... I watched it again and again... I hesitated and refrained... in the end it didn’t come: here’s the result.

Once upon a time there was Noodles; once upon a time there was Max... Once upon a time in America, among the grayness of New York's Jewish neighborhood, a group of little friends climbed the ladder to money and success...

The film is the epic of two gangsters who grew up together but it is also the story of America, from the '20s of the 20th century until the late '60s, and finally it is a great canvas of human affairs and friendship. Noodles (Robert De Niro) and Max (James Wood) are, however, very different: more introverted the first, tougher the second; furthermore, the circle of illicit becomes increasingly dangerous... The laws of life are ruthless and thus while Noodles betrays the friend to save him, Max psychologically destroys him. In the end though Max will need Noodles...

Based on the novel "A Mano Armata" by David Aaronson, the film is Leone's most complete work, a colossal, the testament film of the director who extremes his style with expanded times, reshuffling of past and present, a sense of nostalgia, and beautiful glimpses: above it all, as always, dominates the music of the great Ennio Morricone, capable of making the soul resonate... Excellent performance of the ever-immense De Niro and James Wood, but also of all the rest of the cast, including the children. A true masterpiece, in America, however, the film was released in a reduced version and did not achieve the deserved success.

Year: 1983; Origin: U.S.A.; Duration: 220'

P.S.: sorry this is my first on a film that deserves much, much more, but I couldn’t resist.