Once Upon A Time In America

Directed by Sergio Leone, 1929-1989.The Italian Crime Thriller was released in 1984.

The premiere was at Cannes Film Festival in April.

The film begins and ends in 1933, America. This was the end of the

alcohol prohibition.

“The camera's details are brilliantly, impulsively in sync with the characters' preadolescent world: pathetically corrupt adults and the chubby-cheeked faces of

immigrant children. With a melancholy, tinny piano theme that suggests America as a churning work in progress, ceaselessly plowing forward with or without them.” - Steve

Macfarlane, Slant Magazine, 2012.

SoundBetween the opening credits and the beginning of the opening scene, there is a

sound bridge. This links the scenes and allows the audience to be anticipating the next scene.

The non-diegetic sound is ‘God Bless America’ composed by Irving Berlin.Sergio Leone used such a patriotic song ironically, contradicting Eve’s death in

the opening scene.The song takes the form of a prayer; for God’s blessing and peace for the nation.

Sergio Leone’s purpose of this was to make it clear to the audience how corrupt the law enforcement is in America. Also, as Irving

Berlin was a first generation Jewish immigrant, the use of the sound bridge

allowed the irony of the supposed ‘American Dream’ which people would travel to live in America to achieve. Sergio Leone puts his

point across that the dream doesn’t exist, the idea if you work hard enough you can

achieve anything, which he saw as a lie.

The film ‘Deer Hunter’ also has the use of ironic ‘God Bless America’ song. At the end of the film, some characters have dies and the rest are broken; they toast,

singing ‘God Bless America’. Michael Cimino, the director, like Sergio Leone has used the soundtrack to create an ironic tension to the film, getting across their

opinion of American life.

Opening Scene

We are first introduced to Eve, the femme fatale, in her dark and shadowy apartment. She appears innocent, turning on the tiffany

lamp by her bedside before she pulls away her bed covers to reveal the outline shape of a body made from bullet holes in the mattress. The smashing of glass makes her turn around to face

three men who threaten her.The immediate thrill and action in the opening seconds of the film was deliberately done by Sergio Leone to grip the audience from the beginning. Only a few minutes in is when Eve is shot dead.

Specifically, looking at this shot to the right:Sergio Leone has created a beautiful composition with

how Eve’s body frames the bottom of the screen, the walls of the room’s arch line the sides of the screen.

The low angle, looking slightly up at the detectives or cops creates the idea of their assertion and dominance as

characters over Eve.

The opening scene of the film can be seen to be one of the most important moments of the whole production; the director, Sergio Leone, must ensure that the audience get the message he intends to give out about the

content and characters.The use of saturation in editing, allows these cream / yellow colours to all match and seem connected, allowing

the camera to cut to different angles or shots with the same continuity in order to not confuse the viewer.

Lighting

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The femme fatale, Eve, is introduced to the audience, walking into her dark apartment, even then, the basic light illuminates her face.

Focus on her lips and shining pearl necklace, creates the connotations with her character archetype.

As a member of the audience, you can really tell the glamourous femme fatale silhouetted, how her face remains quite concealed,

yet also, the non-ambient lighting creates a natural effect, possibly referring to the innocent, exposed and defenceless character she

appears to be represented as, due to her being female.

The classic tiffany lamp is very symbolic in this opening scene, almost an extension of Eve herself.When entering the apartment, Eve turns it on, the

apparently safe warmth of the light on her face matches the apartment’s aesthetics, as well as Eve’s

costume.A few minutes into the scene, Eve is shot dead on her bed, the investigator reaches over and turns the light

off, symbolic of the idea the ‘Light of Eve’ has gone off, showing her death visually as well as through subtle

prop uses.

The chiaroscuro lighting, contrast between light and dark also helps the audience have a greater understanding about the character. The shadowy areas which are created by lighting, is where the cops emerge from, showing

their villains, or at least negative characters. Possibly referring to their negative past, or even dark motives. In contrast, the lightness of the lighting on Eve has the connotations with innocence and vulnerability.

Characters

Gender Representation:In ‘Once Upon A Time In America’ the representation of women, it could be said, to be expected for the time. In the 1930s when women were the inferior sex in comparison. The femme fatale, like a damsel in distress, gets herself into danger and suffers by death because of it. Men are seen to be more powerful, able to kill and poorly treat others. It seems to be a very misogynistic view of women, most females end up perishing because of their own actions, implying their not as intelligent as males.

Archetypes:Eve, the first female character that we’re introduced to, is a femme fatale. These types of women are usually glamorous but deviant, and will ultimately bring disaster to herself and a man involved. Being named ‘Eve’, her name has connotations with religion; that Eve in the Bible ate the poisonous apple and disobeyed God. So as a character, we can assume Eve will bring disaster to her life, and possibly the people around her; which is seen straight away in the scene where she’s shot dead.

Costumes:Eve appears with red lipstick and nails. Red having connotations with determination and passion, also a colour that usually signifies danger. She is wearing a pearl necklace and engagement ring. Pearls can signify tears, which is symbolic of Eve then getting shot.The three male cops appear from the shadows, dressed all very similarly, with matching coats, shirts and hats. The same costumes making them appear visually connected and as if they’re part of one group.

The three cops emerge from the shadows, immediately conforming to the idea of the American law enforcement being corrupt. The gangster-like way they smash Eve’s picture and threaten her, reflects how they don’t abide by the law. The early presentation of these detectives, who seem to be on the same level as the criminals themselves, shooting dead the femme fatale ad fitting to the rogue and corrupt apparent ‘law keepers’. The low angles and worm’s eye shot creates the look of these men being dominant and powerful.

LocationEve’s Apartment:

Eve’s apartment is dimly lit at first, creating a very shadowy and dark location.

Street:

With pouring rain, thunder and lighting, a storm in the dark sky. This is an example of pathetic fallacy and how the weather can reflect the mood of the scene.

The grimy dark streets reflects the perfect film noir characteristics, the night setting adds to the melancholy mood. The dead bodies lying in the street emphasise this grimy and disgusting scene. The corpses lying in rows across the street, like they’ve been arranged that way seems to suggest order and that their deaths are being dealt with.The bodies are then covered with body bags, covering them from the rain. The darkness and rain all connoting this depression of Noodles.

The significance of these shadows allows there to be a very clear significance of the ‘cops’ appearing from.Eve’s flat is somewhere the audience may assume her to be safe and feel confident in, when in fact she’s targeted at her most vulnerable and alone without a way to escape them.Also, the scene of the lift ascending to an apartment is anonymous. it’s not clear if the person in the old-styled lift is a threat or if they’re not.

Intertextuality ReferencesComparison with other Media:

‘Once Upon A Time In America’ can compare to LA Noire, due to the topic of America being represented as ‘The Land of the Free’ and anyone is able to have an ‘American Dream’ but noticing the poor way that the law is enforced, and the police force don’t really abide to the law; they are in fact corrupt.‘LA Confidential’ also highlights how it’s meant to be equal, that everyone has a chance to successful and achieve, if they work hard enough at it. When realistically, this is far from the truth, and almost the opposite of what the real-word is actually like. ‘Once Upon A Time In America’ represents this by the ironic use of ‘God Bless America’ the patriotic song being used to show how it’s a false facade of the country.

Narrative Structure:

The film has a complex and circular narrative.With the plot beginning in 1933, a series of flashbacks build the audience’s understanding of the scenes which occurred before that time. Allowing the previous events to be recounted, and to be told what happened before the story’s following events, in order to fill in the crucial backstory. This use of flashbacks continually means that he film ends how it started; in the same time at the same place, in 1933 in America. This circular narrative, in terms of the loop that happens; so the film does a full circle on its self and ends where it began.

Contemporary Directors:

Sergio Leone can be compared to Quentin Tarantino is terms of being a contemporary director for the time.Tarantino has such a range of film successes including: ‘Reservoir Dogs’-1992, ‘Jackie Brown’-1997, ‘Kill Bill: Vol.1’-2003, ‘Kill Bill: Vol. 2’-2004, ‘Grindhouse: Death Proof’-2007, ‘Inglourious Basterds’-2009. In particular, Pulp Fiction - 1994, can be compared to ‘Once Upon A Time In America’ due to the complex narrative, having a total of seven narrative sequences and three primary story lines.