Today’s song of the day comes from Ennio Morricone’s score for Sergio Leone’s Once Upon A Time In America, one of the greatest ever composed.
Daily Archives: January 3, 2026
Scenes That I Love: Once Upon A Time In America
(SPOILERS BELOW)
The final moments of Sergio Leone’s epic 1984 gangster film, Once Upon A Time in America, are filled with questions and mysteries.
The final moments of Sergio Leone’s epic 1984 gangster film, Once Upon A Time in America, are filed with questions and mysteries.
In 1968, who did Noodles (played by Robert De Niro) see standing outside of Max’s mansion? When the garbage truck pulled up, did the mysterious man get in the truck or was he thrown in by some unseen force?
Why, in 1968, did Noodles see a car from the 1920s, one that was full of people who appeared to be celebrating the end of prohibition? Was the car really there, in 1968, or was it an element of Noodles’s past as a gangster suddenly popping into his mind?
Once Upon A Time In America (1984, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Tonino Delli Colli)
When we then see a young Noodles in an opium den, are we flashing back to the 1920s? Is Noodles remembering the past or is it possible that we’ve been in the 20s the whole time and all of the scenes set in 1968 were actually only a drug-induced dream?
Why, with men looking to kill him and all of his friends apparently dead, does Noodles suddenly smile at the end of the film? Is that sudden smile a result of the drugs or is there something else going on?
Once Upon A Time In America was Sergio Leone’s final film. It’s one that he spent decades trying to get made and, once it was finally produced, it was butchered and re-edited by a studio hacks who demanded that the film tell its story in a linear style. Leone was reportedly heart-broken by how his film was treated. Some have speculated that his disappointment may have even contributed to the heart attack that eventually killed him. It was only after Leone passed that his version of Once Upon A Time In America became widely available in the U.S. This enigmatic epic continues to spark debate. One thing that can’t be denied is that it’s a brilliant film.
As today is Leone’s birthday, it only seems appropriate to share a pair of scenes that I love, from the ending of Once Upon A Time In America.
4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Sergio Leone Edition
Sergio Leone (1929 — 1989)
4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!
97 years ago today, Sergio Leone was born in Rome, Italy. The son of actor/screenwriter Vincenzo Leone and silent actress Edvige Valcarenghi, Sergio was born into the Italian film industry. He began his career in the post-war rebuilding period, working as an assistant to Vittorio De Sica and, as an assistant director, for American films that were shot in Italy. (Albeit uncredited, he worked on two Oscar-nominated Biblical epics, Quo Vadis and Ben-Hur.)
After making his directorial debut with The Colossus of Rhodes, Leone went on to direct the films that would change the face of international cinema. Though he was hardly the first director of Spaghetti westerns, he was was the first to achieve far-reaching acclaim. With the Dollars Trilogy, he made Clint Eastwood a star and Eastwood has often said that the majority of what he knows about directing, he learned from working with Leone and later Don Siegel. Leone went on to direct the brilliant Once Upon A Time In The West and Once Upon A Time in America, two epic visions of American history that, sadly, were not initially treated well by their distributors.
Though Leone is only credited with directing eight films, his influence cannot be underestimated. As both a visual artist and a cultural and political commentator, his films continue to influence directors to this day.
For that reason, it’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Sergio Leone Films
The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (1966, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Tonino Delli Colli)
Once Upon A Time In The West (1968, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Tonino Delli Colli)
Duck, You Sucker (1971, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Giuseppe Ruzzolini)
Once Upon A Time In America (1984, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Tonino Delli Colli)
Live Tweet Alert: Join #ScarySocial for Re-Animator!
As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in a few weekly live tweets on twitter. I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday, I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday, and I am one of the five hosts of #MondayActionMovie! Every week, we get together. We watch a movie. We tweet our way through it.
Tonight, at 9 pm et, Deanna Dawn will be hosting #ScarySocial! The movie? 1985’s Re-Animator!
If you want to join us this Saturday, just hop onto twitter, start the movie at 9 pm et, and use the #ScarySocial hashtag! It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.
The film is available on Prime and Tubi!
Artwork of the Day: Ideal Love (by Morr Kusnet)
by Morr Kusnet
This snowy cover is from 1947.
Music Video Of The Day: What’s Good (The Thesis) by Lou Reed (1992, dir by Tarsem Singh)
This song originally appeared in the 1991 Wim Wenders film, Until The End of the World.
Tarsem Singh also directed The Cell, that film in which Jennifer Lopez goes into the mind of a serial killer. That’s a film that I’ve been meaning to review for a while, even though I don’t remember caring much for it the last time that I watched it.
Enjoy!
Through the Shattered Lens 