Once upon a time in America

Okay, it's one of those enigmatic endings like "2001" and indulges in symbology and extrapolation, and I've puzzled over it as well.

Dana Knowles on the ending:

The ending of Once Upon a Time in America is amazing, because it brings us back full-circle to the beginning, which is actually the middle. The degree of ambiguity contained in the final shot is astonishing, because it provides a plethora of possible interpretations. With a story like this, it's far more intriguing and satisfying than almost any other ending imaginable. Because we've entered Noodles' world and story through the portal of his mind, there's no telling what this last shot means. Is the "future" portion of the narrative a construct of his imagination? An act of penance (loss of money, exile, etc.) followed by resolution and redemption and the undoing of his culpability in the death of Max? Is it his imagined future... the one he hopes to live through? Or is that last shot simply indicative of the moment when the drug kicks in and pulls him out of the world he has created, giving him relief and peace, however false? Or is it the moment when he realizes that--with Max and the others dead--he is finally free of that life, and a (presumably) wealthy free man, to boot? This is, after all, a shot that would precede his discovery of the empty suitcase in the locker. Or is he merely smiling at the distorted Noodles that he sees in the mirror (who looks, by the way, a heck of a lot like the "aging" Noodles because of that distortion)? I have no idea which--if any--of these interpretations applies to Leone's intent. I like to think it amused him to boggle the minds of his audience, because despite the fact that we've just been on a tour of the life of Noodles, he's still an enigma at the end... as all people outside of ourselves must necessarily be. This is the sort of ending that makes you want to sit through the entire movie again in hopes of finding the "answer." But there is no answer to be had. Just questions and speculations, which swim about and nag you if you let them. This was my third viewing of the film, and I still don't have the foggiest idea how to read it beyond Leone's intent to intrigue. It's almost as if he mocks the very notion of comprehending humanity, or conveying comprehension through a neatly-resolved story on film. Which is just fine with me, because I don't disagree with that sentiment at all.

Lightwizard if you are unclear of the meaning of this movie what the hell are us mere mortals supposed to make of it?

Or are we supposed to think along the lines of WOW this was directed by a big shot and so it must be pure art even if I'm too stupid to see it?

Well I don't see it that way, I think it was an ill conceived, poorly thought out crock of ****.

Not unclear about the meaning of the movie, just unclear about the meaning of the ending and Knowles described it well enough not to take the time to write my own thoughts. Instead of posting individual films that are your pet peeve, why not start a thread on films like Ebert's "I Hated, Hated, Hated This Movie?."

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0740706721/104-0422847-4067909?v=glance&n=283155

I like "Once Upon a Time in America" and "Once Upon a Time in the West" if they are the uncut versions.

Whatever "big shot" is described as, neither WofW or "Once Upon a Time in America" are meant as art films.

Oh, good to see this film discussed.

I watched it a couple of months ago, after hearing that it was supposed to be a marvellous film, and I thought it an inflated, portentous, overdone, overblown, turgid thing.


Mind you, I did watch it to the end, though.

What do you think of it LW?

If you saw the 90 minute butchered version, I'm sure you were lost. I agree with Ebert on this one (and I don't always agree with him):


ROGER EBERT REVIEW LINK

Nah, I saw the full version...all two disks of it.

Not your bag, I assume. Extremely difficult film to follow with all the flashbacks, et al. I had to see it at least three times before I really got most of the picture and yet Leone is really profiling gangsters in the movie more than anything else. It is unlike anything I've ever seen, well, except for "Once Upon a Time In the West."

Y'all are pretty harsh -- the IMDb user rating is really good on this film:

User Rating: 8.2/10 (24,643 votes) top 250: #114

And a user review:


A Profound Expression of Truth Regarding Friendship andBetrayal, 17 January 2000

Author: RobertCartland ([email protected]) from Los Angeles


This film is a profound expression of truth regarding friendship and betrayal. Noodles, played by Robert De Niro and Scott Tiler (during childhood), is a simple man and a thug with one credo: you can battle the entire world but you never betray a friend. During the course of this film we experience various pieces of Noodles's life, from childhood, through young adulthood and old age. We learn what happens to his friends, his foes and the love of his life, Deborah. The time span considered is long, including Noodles's childhood shortly after the turn of the century, through the prohibition era, and finally the 1960's.

The film is about relationships; the many years Noodles spends away from his friends receive only a cursory mention. The film, like life and memories, unfolds slowly and reflectively. Sergio Leone's cuts are long and each scene is beautifully amplified my Ennio Morricone's haunting score. The story is not told chronologically. Instead, the chapters of the story are slowly revealed like pieces of a great jigsaw puzzle. Each delicious piece might make us laugh, or cry, or smile, or feel shock. But, as each piece falls into place, a mystery unfolds. When the final piece is revealed, the true essence of the story becomes clear and a sad and beautiful tapestry comes into view.

This film is a true masterpiece, expressing a profound statement about friendship and betrayal, with fantastic acting, writing, directing and music. There is a shortened, two-and-a-half-hour version of the film released that is a disaster. It is like trying to understand a jigsaw puzzle with half of the pieces missing. The original four-hour film can be viewed and enjoyed several times and each time the viewer will see something new.

Re: Once upon a time in America


Two choices......
1.He runs down the street keeping pace with the dust-cart,never to be seen again,or
2. He "does the right thing" and jumps into the dust-cart.He owed Noodles big time,so he paid his debt.

Good summation, barrythemod. I think we were left with a conundrum to interpret the meaning of the film. It requires earnest concentration on what the characters are doing and saying throughout the entire film, and often multiple viewings. However, if one doesn't enjoy the characterizations as the most important part of the film (even over story) in the first viewing then I wouldn't want to dwell on this film.