moriarty@uw-june (Jeff Meyer) (06/01/84)
First, a few notes... Sergio Leoni's final version of "Once Upon a Time In
America" ran about 6 hours. He cut it down to 3 3/4 hours to satisfy the
studio... it preimered in Boston and was not well received. The studios
made him (or did it themselves) trim it down to 2 1/3 hours... though the
version shown at Cannes, and in foreign theatres, will be the 3 3/4 hour
version.
However, tonight, through the courtesy of the Seattle Film Festival, I saw
the 2 2/3 hour version y'all gonna see, unless you read this in England.
First I'm going to list all the bad points about the movie, then I'm gonna
jump....
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1) This movie's portrayl of women makes Prof. Jone's companion look like the
idol of feminists everywhere (although it should be realized that it
portrays women who have grown up in poverty in the slums and have had to
claw their way up, as have the men). It would seem (except for one
exception) that all that women are used for in this picture is sex... it
seems to be the only thing Leone sees young men wanting from women in this
society.
2) The movie also has a VERY slow beginning... one wonders what the original
6 hour show did to make them use some of the stuff they do at the beginning.
Some of the early shots are ponderous in their length, and just overstay
their welcome with the audience.
3) The movie, for the first two hours, is very predictable... the gangster
genre, done in such a way that it raises them to a kind of mythic level
(Hey! Just like "The Natural"! Myths must be in this year....). Some of
the scenes you can say, aha, bet this happens; and it does.
4) The kid actors at the beginning are really poor. I am convinced that
most kids of ANY era haven't acted like that, no matter what the cultural
differences.
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Ah, but did I like the movie? Yup, very much so. If you can get past the
first 45 minutes, this is a good movie; if you get past the first two hours,
it may be a great one. Why? Glad you asked.... I love to itemize...
1) The ending is excellent, just had me going and it really surprised me
(part of it... a plot twist within a plot twist). Last scene made up for
about every other flaw in the movie.
2) Robert DeNiro and James Woods may just be able to sell Goodyear Tires
and make it sound like Academy Award Material (though Woods has a tendancy
to degenerate to the crazy character in "Against All Odds", among others).
Very fine performances all around there, and they carry, and more
importantly, CAN carry the movie through rough spots. Plus a lot of little
roles by capable actors (Burt Young as a gross mobster).
3) The humor may be bawdy and base, but there are some very funny scenes
here, particularly the maternity ward scene. Kind of a net.jokes
non-Rotated throughout.
4) I love those old James Cagney, George Raft, Humphrey Bogart gangster
movies. Well, this is the same thing, except they added sex and graphic
violence, added color and did things in epic style. Brother, some of the
shots in this movie are unbelievable! The street scenes, the beach
scenes... like how you remember those old Warner classics, but with color.
Worth it for that alone.
This is a gangster pic. If you like ganster pics, you will probably really
like this movie. Leone wanted to do the gangster film in the old style of
gangster films... no reality (or not much) just the glamour and the
violence. I think he has suceeded. I read the other day that some think
this movie is going to be this year's "Heaven's Gate". I was thinking that
through the first half hour, but after that, Leone & company get their act
together and take it on the road. If you liked Bonny & Clyde, I have a hard
time seeing you not like this.
P.S. I thought the idea of showing the trailer of the new Clint Eastwood
flick before the show a real flair on the part of Warner Bros....
"A power so great that it can only be used for Good or Evil!"
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
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