A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan 35 years later, where he must once again confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan 35 years later, where he must once again confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan 35 years later, where he must once again confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.
- Won 2 BAFTA Awards
- 11 wins & 13 nominations total
- Eve
- (as Darlanne Fleugel)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhen filming was completed, the footage ran to a total of eight to ten hours. Director Sergio Leone and editor Nino Baragli trimmed the footage to around six hours, with the plan of releasing the film as two three-hour movies. The producers refused this idea, and Leone had to further cut the film down to three hours and forty-nine minutes.
- GoofsWhen celebrating the end of the Prohibition Era, four bottles are opened with machetes. However, the actor in the back to the right fails to open his bottle cleanly and accidentally smashes it in half before quickly walking off-screen with the broken bottle.
- Quotes
Noodles: [to Deborah] There were two things I couldn't get out of my mind. One was Dominic, the way he said, "I slipped," just before he died. The other was you. How you used to read me your Song of Songs, remember? "How beautiful are your feet / In sandals, O prince's daughter." I used to read the Bible every night. Every night I used to think about you. "Your navel is a bowl / Well-rounded with no lack of wine / Your belly, a heap of wheat / Surrounded with lilies / Your breasts / Clusters of grapes / Your breath, sweet-scented as apples." Nobody's gonna love you the way I loved you. There were times I couldn't stand it any more. I used to think of you. I'd think, "Deborah lives. She's out there. She exists." And that would get me through it all. You know how important that was to me?
- Crazy creditsJoey Faye is credited as the "adorable old man."
- Alternate versionsFor its U.S. theatrical release the film was cut by 90 minutes from 3 hours and 49 minutes to 2 hours and 19 minutes despite the original cut gaining rave reviews at the film's premiere at Cannes. Many film critics gave two separate reviews for the film. While the complete European version was highly praised, the heavily edited US theatrical release was critically butchered.
- ConnectionsEdited into Bellissimo: Immagini del cinema italiano (1985)
- SoundtracksGod Bless America
Music by Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin Music Corporation
Performed by Kate Smith
Courtesy of RCA Record
A three and a half hour movie may not be everyone's idea of fun. On the other hand, many people who see a running time over 180 minutes immediately assume it is an epic that must be `the greatest film ever made'. In this case the time is worth the effort, even if it a little luxurious and overlong. The plot is too sweeping to go into detail, encompassing 30 years in the main part and a further 30 by way of suggestion. Basically it comes down to Noodles memories of his life when he was growing up, up till the point we find him now, as an old man with little but those memories. As a story this is moving and involving. There are maybe too many lingering shots of Noodles staring into the distance but these don't feel as lazy as they have in other films.
Noodles past and the misery of him now is involving enough, but the main thread is Noodle's past, both childhood and adulthood in crime and love. The sheer detail that must be covered is well done. The film not only includes many major events but also minor things like the scene where the boy is tempted to eat a cream cake! This mix is very rewarding and makes it feel a lot more detailed than it actually is. The story is a real feel of several generations of crime and is very involving.
The cast make the film and hold the attention during the scenes that are longer than they should be etc. De Niro convinces as youth and bitter old man and holds the eye easily as both. Woods is much better than usual even if his character is the same. McGovern is good considering she has a minor role, but as an `old woman' she looks the same as she was when she was young. Actors like Williams, Aiello, Forsythe, Hayden etc easily fill out the gangster etc roles without falling into cliché or caricature. Just as rewarding are the child actors who carry the first hour of the film. Not only do they actually look like the actors in question, but they also do a very good job. There are some bum notes but they do mange the innocence of youth with the emotional basis for the rest of the film.
The direction is excellent both gritty streets but with an affectionate slant of Noodles' memories. The direction is made almost perfect by the use of Ennio Morricone's score. It is at once haunting but slightly warming and `Debra's theme' has become one of my favourite tunes. The overall effect is one of a rich tapestry that eventually weaves into a very personal epic of regret and loss.
An excellent film that deserves to be recognised as both one of the great crime epics but also a personal and moving film.
- bob the moo
- Sep 20, 2002
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Érase una vez en América
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $30,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $5,321,508
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $2,412,014
- Jun 3, 1984
- Gross worldwide
- $5,475,086
- Runtime3 hours 49 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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