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.
Tag Archives: Once Upon A Time in America
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)
4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Robert De Niro Edition
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!
Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to actor Robert De Niro. It’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Robert De Niro Films
Taxi Driver (1976, dir. Martin Scorsese, DP: Michael Chapman)
The King of Comedy (1982, dir by Martin Scorsese, DP; Fred Schuler)
Once Upon A Time In America (1984, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Tonino Delli Colli)
Casino (1995, dir by Martin Scorsese, DP: Robert Richardson)
4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Bootleggers Edition
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!
Today is National Bootleggers Day so remember to speak easy! In honor of everyone’s favorite entrepreneurs, it’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Films About Bootleggers
The Roaring Twenties (1939, dir by Raoul Walsh, DP: Ernest Haller)
Thunder Road (1958, dir by Arthur Ripley, DP: David Ettenson and Alan Stensvoid)
Once Upon A Time In America (1984, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Tonino Delli Colli)
The Great Gatsby (2013, dir by Baz Luhrmann, DP: Simon Duggan)
Scenes That I Love: The Final Moments of Sergio Leone’s 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 filed with questions and mysteries.
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 or was it an element of Noodles’s past as a gangster suddenly popping into his mind?
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 scene that I love, the final moments 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!
96 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)
4 Shots From 4 Films: Special New Year’s Edition
4 Shots From 4 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.
Happy New Year’s Day! Did you have as wonderful a celebration as the characters featured in today’s special edition of 4 Shots From 4 Films?
4 Shots From 4 Films
The Poseidon Adventure (1972, dir by Ronald Neame, DP: Harold E. Stine)
The Godfather Part II (1974, dir by Francis Ford Coppola, DP: Gordon Willis)
New Year’s Evil (1980, dir by Emmett Alston, DP: Edward Thomas)
Once Upon A Time In America (1984, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Tonino Delli Colli)
Scenes That I Love: Bugsy Attacks in Once Upon A Time In America
In honor of Sergio Leone’s birthday, today’s scene that I love comes from his final film, 1984’s Once Upon A Time In America.
In this scene, which takes place in 1918 in New York City, a group of young street kids who fancy themselves sophisticated criminals are ambushed by their rival, Bugsy. With the combination of Ennio Morricone’s score and Leone’s haunting vision of New York City at the start of the 20th Century, this scene captures the loss of innocence that will eventually lead to all of the characters becoming ruthless (albeit successful) gangsters in their adult years.
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!
95 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)
Through the Shattered Lens 