March 29th: ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (Sergio Leone, 1984)

This film will be presented in the high-definition Blu-Ray format.





The lives of a group of young Jewish hoodlums in New York City who grow up to be gangsters is charted over a 45-year period.



Sergio Leone made only seven films during his relatively short career from 1961-1984, but nonetheless is considered one of the most influential filmmakers of his time. After making his name with a series of "Spaghetti Westerns" featuring American actors (most notably Clint Eastwood's star-making performances) with Italian crews, Leone crafted three post-modern epics that deconstruct Hollywood genre myths from an outsider's perspective. Once Upon A Time In America, Leone's final film, sets its sights on the classic gangster films which Leone enjoyed as a child.



Leone developed this project (adapted from an autobiographical work by former criminal Harry Grey) for over ten years, even turning down an offer to direct The Godfather in the process. A staff of seven writers (as well as uncredited, rumored contribution by Norman Mailer) labored on the script during this time period while Leone struggled to secure financing for what was clearly going to be a long film. But what could have been simply a big-scale crime epic becomes something far more personal and daring in its narrative, utilizing a non-linear format and ultimately becoming a mediation on time, memory, and regret as well as an elegy for the country's troubled past.



Robert De Niro stars and plays his character at two different ages, 35 years apart. Also appearing are James Woods, Joe Pesci, Tuesday Weld, Elizabeth McGovern, Danny Aiello, Burt Young, and in her first film role, Jennifer Connelly. The cinematographer is Tonino Delli Colli, who also shot Once Upon A Time In The West and The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly for Leone. Score composer and frequent collaborator Ennio Morricone finished his work before the film was halfway completed, with the music played on the set to inspire the actors.



The film was shot mostly on the soundstages of famed Italian studio Cinecitta, with exteriors done on location in New York City and in St. Petersburg, Florida. The visual style of the film was influenced by period painters such as Edward Hopper, Normal Rockwell, and Reginald Marsh, as well as photographer Jacob Riis.



While the film opened to an enthusiastic reception at the Cannes Film Festival, the film was trimmed to half its length for U.S. distribution. In addition, the flashback structure was scrapped for a standard chronological story. Reviews of this cut were brutal (as most critics were aware of the production's history) and the film failed to make an impression at the box office or with most award bodies (the British Academy and Italian Critics excepted).



Future home video releases have restored the film to its original version, hailed as a masterpiece by many, and its stature has continued to grow over the years. Morricone's score is considered one of, if not his best, and in a 2002 UK poll of 50 critics, Once Upon A Time In America was named as one of the Top Ten films of the last 25 years.



NOTE: Because of the film's length, it will be split into two different screenings. Running time of part one is approx. 2.5 hrs.