Based on the novel by Judith Guest, Ordinary People is the story of a upper-middle class family who copes with the loss of their son while his younger brother deals with survivor’s guilt as he returns home from the hospital. Directed by Robert Redford and screenplay by Alvin Sargent, the film is an exploration of a family dealing with loss as well as a young man wondering about his own role in his family and his relationship with his own parents. Starring Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Timothy Hutton, Elizabeth McGovern, and Judd Hirsch. Ordinary People is a somber yet engaging film from Robert Redford.
The film is the story of a family reeling from the aftermath of the death of a son as well as the suicide attempt of another as they try to move on as if nothing is happening yet the surviving son still copes with survivor’s guilt. It’s a film that explores a family that slowly unravels as they’re forced to see things and reflect on aspects of their life. The film’s screenplay by Alvin Sargent is quite straightforward as it largely takes place during the autumn season in an upper-middle class suburbia near Chicago where its 18-year old son Conrad Jarrett (Timothy Hutton) has just got out of the hospital for a month as he returns to school trying to get back to his normal routine before his brother’s death and suicide attempt. Yet, he’s become withdrawn and unable to do what he’s done in the past while he’s having a harder time trying to express himself emotionally with his mother Beth (Mary Tyler Moore). For his father Calvin (Donald Sutherland), he is concerned for Conrad’s well-being as well as try to keep everything calm.
Conrad would turn to a psychiatrist in Dr. Berger (Judd Hirsch) for answers but finds himself not only dealing with memories of the boating accident that killed his brother Buck (Scott Doebler). He also copes with the fact that he’s still alive which hasn’t made him deal with things as easy as he wants to be. The script is really noted for its development as Conrad is just someone that is trying to make sense of everything he’s feeling as he would quit the swim team and befriend a young classmate in Jeannine (Elizabeth McGovern) who would give him a bit of hope. Yet, it’s at home where things become difficult where his mother remains cold and distant as she’s trying to maintain some sense of normalcy around family and friends. For Calvin, he tries to understand what his son is feeling and why his wife has been reacting at things where he eventually comes to realize that something is wrong as he becomes aware that not everything is alright. Even as Beth would snap him for talking about Conrad and their situation to family and friends as it show cracks starting to emerge.
Robert Redford’s direction is actually quite simple in terms of the compositions he creates as he doesn’t really go for any kind of flashy visuals in favor of just doing something that is direct and to the point. Shot on location in Lake Forest, Illinois and parts of Chicago, the film does play into the world of suburbia where everything looks nice and everyone is perfect which is really a façade. There are some wide shots that Redford uses yet his approach to medium shots and close-up add a lot to the drama from the sessions that Conrad would have with Dr. Berger or the moments involving the family. There are also flashbacks that would appear every now and then such as the boating accident but also time of the family before Buck’s death and Conrad’s suicide attempt. Those are the few moments in the film where Redford would show some aspect of style as it has a mixture of fantasy but also terror as it relates to the tragedy the Jarrett family is dealing with. Some of these flashbacks play into happier times where both Conrad and Calvin reflect on as if it feels like a fantasy.
Redford also create moments that play into the family unit cracking with such subtlety such as a dinner party that Calvin and Beth attend where the former is talking with someone who asked about Conrad where Calvin was being honest but gracious as Beth overhears him. She would later scold him for talking about something that is private and again late in the film during a holiday vacation with Beth’s brother and wife as it play into many things Calvin starts to see. Even as he would eventually go to Dr. Berger for one session as it opens up into things he never thought about or had been in his mind for so long. The third act isn’t just about Conrad dealing with the pain over the loss of his brother but also Calvin having a revelation about his wife and what had been lost since the death of their eldest son. Overall, Redford crafts a somber yet evocative film about a family coming to terms with loss but also the realization that nothing can be the same ever again.
Cinematographer John Bailey does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography with emphasis on low-key lights and textures for some of the daytime exterior and interior scenes with the usage of lights for the scenes at night including a nighttime session Conrad has with Dr. Berger. Editor Jeff Kanew does brilliant work with the editing as it feature some jump-cuts and stylish flashback montages to play into the drama. Art directors J. Michael Riva and Brook Simons, with set decorators William B. Fosser and Jerry Wunderlich, do fantastic work with the look of the Jarrett home as well as the pool in Conrad‘s high school and Dr. Berger‘s office with its more quaint appliances.
Costume designer Bernie Pollack does nice work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward in terms of the casual look of Conrad as well as the more clean-cut and refined look of Calvin and Beth. Sound editor Kay Rose is terrific for the scenes involving swim meets and parties but also in the quieter moments at home as it play into the tension at home. The film’s music by Marvin Hamlisch is amazing as it is very a low-key orchestral score with some piano that play into the drama as the soundtrack also include a few classical pieces with Johann Pachelbel’s Canon and Gigue in D as the opening and closing music piece of the film.
The casting by Penny Perry is great as it feature some notable small roles from Meg Mundy and Richard Whiting as Conrad’s grandparents, Scott Doebler as Conrad’s late older brother Buck, James B. Sikking as Calvin’s business colleague/friend Ray, Adam Baldwin as a teammate of Conrad in Kevin Stillman whom Conrad doesn’t really like, Fredric Lehne as Conrad’s best friend Joe who is trying to talk to him as he also misses Buck, and M. Emmet Walsh as Conrad’s swim coach Salan as someone who is wondering where Conrad’s head is at for the meets. Dinah Manoff is wonderful as Karen as someone Conrad met at the hospital as they meet to talk about their issues where she claims that she is doing great. Elizabeth McGovern is fantastic as Jeannine as a schoolmate of Conrad who befriends him as she provides some hope and kindness to Conrad. Judd Hirsch is excellent as Dr. Berger as a psychiatrist who is a very sympathetic figure that is trying to understand Conrad as well as not bullshit him about the ways of the world and things that Conrad needs to figure out.
Timothy Hutton is phenomenal as Conrad Jarrett as a young man dealing with survivor’s guilt and a suicide attempt as he tries to return to the world yet he is anguished and lost where Hutton show that sense of despair and loneliness as it is truly a breakthrough performance for the actor in his debut film role. Donald Sutherland is remarkable as Calvin Jarrett as a man trying to understand his son’s withdrawn behavior as well as dealing with the fact that he has some issues to face including his wife’s refusal to talk about some serious issues. Finally, there’s Mary Tyler Moore in a radiant performance as Beth Jarrett as a woman who is either in denial or refusing to face the things around her family in an attempt to try and move on as if nothing had happened as it’s a very eerie performance from Moore who plays a character that is very unlikable but also just as fragile as someone that isn’t ready to face the truth about herself.
Ordinary People is an incredible film from Robert Redford. Featuring a great cast and an entrancing portrait on grief, loss, and denial, it’s a film that explores a family dealing with life after loss and how those can’t face the truth about themselves and what was lost. In the end, Ordinary People is a tremendous film from Robert Redford.
Robert Redford Films: (The Milagro Beanfield War) - (A River Runs Through It) - (Quiz Show) - The Horse Whisperer - (The Legend of Bagger Vance) - (Lions for Lambs) - (The Conspirator) - (The Company You Keep)
© thevoid99 2017
Based on the memoir of A.E. Hotchner, King of the Hill is the story of a young boy who is forced to fend for himself during the Great Depression where he lives in a hotel. Written for the screen, edited, and directed by Steven Soderbergh, the film explores a young boy trying to deal with his own situation while his family is away due to circumstances beyond their control. Starring Jesse Bradford, Jeroen Krabbe, Lisa Eichhorn, Karen Allen, Spalding Gray, Elizabeth McGovern, Lauryn Hill, Cameron Boyd, and Adrien Brody. King of the Hill is a remarkably rich film from Steven Soderbergh.
Set in 1933 St. Louis during the Great Depression, the film explores the life of a 14-year old boy who is forced to fend for himself when his father finds a job as a traveling salesman while his tuberculosis-ridden mother is sent to a sanatorium and his little brother is sent to live with his uncle. In turn, Aaron Kurlander (Jesse Bradford) would do whatever it takes to survive as he deals with a nosy bellboy named Ben (Joseph Chrest), a bullying police officer named Burns (John McConnell), and all of the trials and tribulations in his surroundings as he lives in a hotel that is becoming a seedier place to live in. Still, Aaron is able to survive his way while attending school where he’s about to graduate from the eighth grade as he would also lie his way in order to get out of situations though of his lies would catch up with him. Even as he is trying to cover his poor background from his classmates through the lies he would create.
Steven Soderbergh’s screenplay definitely plays into the world of a boy coming of age during the Great Depression as he would scrape whatever he could find to survive as he also collects cigar brand stickers in the hopes that they gain value and he can sell them. At the same time, he tries to help his younger brother Sullivan (Cameron Boyd) get through things in life as well as tell him that some things can’t be taught such as marbles. The character of Aaron is a unique boy who is quite intelligent for his age despite being small yet he possesses a lot of determination and street-smart to get buy. Though there’s things he does that makes him flawed as he would steal food and lie at times, it’s only because he needs to survive as only a few such as his neighbor Lester (Adrien Brody) and his teacher Miss Mathey (Karen Allen) seem to understand. Especially as the latter can see through his lies and know why but would protect him so that he wouldn’t be ashamed.
Lester is among the many unique characters that Aaron would encounter for much of his life as other oddities include his neighbors like the eccentric Mr. Mungo (Spalding Gray) and the shy Ella McShane (Amber Benson). All of which would play into Aaron’s growth as a boy where the hotel he lives in is an important character in the film. There’s also his father (Jeroen Krabbe) who is just as unique but also flawed as a man who means well in what he wants to do but he’s created so many debts as it would play into a lot of mistrust by the some of the adults that Aaron encounters. The film’s third act would intensify the drama as Aaron not only sees the harsh realities of his situation but also in his environment as the people he knows are starting to disappear because of these circumstances. All of which would test Aaron in his struggle to survive as the forces around him are becoming more determined to get rid of him.
Soderbergh’s direction definitely has a unique visual style in the way he frames his actors in a scene or how would create a scene to play into the situation that Aaron faces. While some of it is quite light-hearted early on in the way Aaron lives his life with his family despite their troubling situation. Soderbergh knows how to capture the sense of joy and enthusiasm that kids go through such as this sequence where Aaron shows his mastery in playing marbles. Some of the compositions definitely have Soderbergh use expressionistic images such as a few slanted camera angles as well as a shot of Aaron in an elevator where its operator (Lauryn Hill) is in the foreground while Aaron is in the background. It is Soderbergh wanting to create something that is a part of Aaron’s world where it feels familiar only for these things to start disappearing in the third act.
Also serving as the film’s editor, Soderbergh would create some compositions in the close-ups and such to play into the world of 1933 St. Louis where it’s set in a very hot summer as he goes into great detail to display that sense of heat. Even in some of the film’s more posh settings, the heat definitely adds to the tone of the film where it comes into play during a graduation party where many of Aaron’s lies starts to catch up with him. Through his own unique approach in the editing with its jump-cuts and some stylish montages, Soderbergh plays into the weight that Aaron had to carry throughout the film as he tries to come to terms with the reality and everything he had to face. Overall, Soderbergh crafts a very engaging and enthralling film about a boy coming of age during the Great Depression.
Cinematographer Elliot Davis does brilliant work with the film‘s rich cinematography with its naturalistic yet colorful look of the locations in St. Louis as well in some of the film‘s interiors to play up its heat as well as the growing sense of despair that would loom on Aaron. Production designer Gary Frutkoff, with set decorator Claire Jenora Brown and art director Bill Rea, does excellent work with the look of the hotel room that Aaron and his family live in as well as some of the locations to play into the sense of decay due to the Depression. Costume designer Susan Lyall does terrific work with the costumes as it plays to the look of the film as well as some of its raggedness to play into that troubling period during the Depression.
Sound editor Larry Blake does superb work with the film‘s sound from the way some of the things sound outside of Aaron‘s hotel room as well as some of the things that goes on during the locations. The film’s music by Cliff Martinez is fantastic as it is this very low-key yet somber electronic-based score that is quite unusual for a period film yet it is also effective as it features additional contributions from Michael Glenn Williams for the graduation scene while music supervisor Jeffrey Kimball brings in a soundtrack full of songs from that era.
The casting by Deborah Aquila is amazing as it features some notable small roles from Lauryn Hill as the elevator operator, Chris Samples as Aaron’s rich classmate Billy Thompson, Peggy Freisen as Billy’s mother, Kristin Griffith as Ella’s mother, Katherine Heigl as Aaron’s crush of sorts in Christina, John Durbin as a painter who was one of Aaron’s neighbors, Ron Vawter as the sympathetic hotel manager, and Elizabeth McGovern as a prostitute named Lydia that Mr. Mungo invited to stay with him. Joseph Chrest is terrific as the slimy bellboy Ben while John McConnell is superb as the bullish patrolman Burns. Amber Benson is wonderful as the shy and socially-awkward neighbor Ella who has a crush of sorts for Aaron while Cameron Boyd is pretty good as Aaron’s younger brother Sullivan. Adrien Brody is excellent as the street-smart neighbor Lester who would help Aaron in some of his situations as well as be the guy that would watch him graduate.
Karen Allen is great as Aaron’s teacher Miss Mathey as a sympathetic teacher who learns about Aaron’s situation as she would hide the truth from everyone so he wouldn’t deal with his shame. Spalding Grey is fantastic as the eccentric Mr. Mungo as a neighbor who is fascinated by Aaron’s cigar brand collections while willing to help him in his plight. Lisa Eichhorn is brilliant as Aaron’s ailing mother who is dealing with her illness as she’s sent to a sanatorium while Jeroen Krabbe is incredible as Aaron’s father who is trying to get a job as he is unaware into the dangerous situations he would put his son in. Finally, there’s Jesse Bradford in a remarkable performance as Aaron Kurlander as Bradford brings a sense of wit and charm to the role as someone who is intelligent in all levels while he tries to come to terms with the severity of his situation once he is forced to fend for himself.
The dual-disc Region A Blu-Ray/Region 1 2-disc DVD from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a 2:35:1 theatrical aspect ratio for widescreen with 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound as it is remastered under the supervision of director Steven Soderbergh and his longtime sound editor/mixer Larry Blake. The extras on the Blu-Ray and on the first disc of the DVD features a 19-minute, twenty-five second interview with Steven Soderbergh. Soderbergh talks about making the film and his relationship with Gramercy at that time in his career where he also discussed some of things that he wanted to do at the time when he made the film. While he admits to being relieved for the fact that it was well-received, Soderbergh admits that if he had made the film years later. He would’ve gone for a much more grittier approach visually while he also talked about the film’s poor reception at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival and some of the mistakes he felt he made in the editing as he later believed helped him in becoming a better filmmaker.
The 21-minute interview with author A.E. Hotchner has him reflecting on the book he wrote which was inspired by his own experiences during the Great Depression. Hotchner talks about some of the things that really happened that got changed for the film as well as some tidbits about his own family. Hotchner also reveals about the experiences that went on during the Depression and how chaotic it was where families would have to constantly move which Hotchner believed really effected his younger brother. Hotchner does talk a little bit about the film where the one scene he was really involved in was in how Aaron would shoot marbles as he would teach Jesse Bradford for an hour in how to shoot marbles more realistically which would prove to be effective. The 10-minute, thirty-nine second video essay entitled Against Tyranny explores Soderbergh’s defiance towards the idea of conventional narrative and how he would refine that with not just the hallucination sequence in the film but also in how it would later shape the work he would do later on. It’s an interesting video essay that explores Soderbergh’s own methods as an editor but also what he wanted to do as a filmmaker.
Six deleted scene ranging a total of nine-minutes which features two alternate scenes of Aaron and Sullivan walking home from school as well as a scene where Billy Thompson asks Aaron about the canaries. One major deleted scene involves Lester giving Aaron a shaving razor where Aaron would learn to shave while his parents return from the dentist with a big surprise in a brief moment of happiness. Two other deleted scenes involve Aaron trying to find Lester in a seedy nightclub where he would later see Lydia with a gentleman entering the club on his way out. The first disc of the DVD also includes the film’s original trailer which was presented as this inspiring family film which isn’t really the case at all.
One major extra on the supplements section of the Blu-Ray and in the second disc of the DVD is Soderbergh’s 1995 film The Underneath that is presented in a remastered form. The film also includes the film’s theatrical trailer and a 22-minute and 33-second interview with the director about the film. Soderbergh talks about the making of the film and why he considers the film his weakest as he said the reason he thinks the film is a failure is because of him. Largely because Soderbergh’s personal life was in disarray as well as where he was at creatively. While Soderbergh reveals there’s some scenes in the film that he liked as well as Elliot Davis’ cinematography and the film’s score. There’s things about it that he felt were quite bad and he was relieved that Universal didn’t know how troubled he was because of Waterworld. Soderbegh does feel that if it wasn’t for this film, he would probably be stuck somewhere as it is an interesting interview from the director.
The DVD/Blu-ray set also includes a booklet that features a lot of text relating to the film. The first is an essay entitled Alone Again by film critic Peter Tonguette that explores the film’s themes and how it would relate to Soderbergh’s other films in terms of the protagonists that had been endured the same struggles that Aaron did in this film. Tonguette also talks about the film’s coming-of-age approach and how Aaron would stand out from many of the characters who were in his situation as Tonguette suggests that some of Aaron’s struggles are similar to the situations in Robert Bresson’s 1967 film Mouchette. The second piece of text is a 1993 interview with Steven Soderbergh for the French film magazine Positif where Soderbergh talks about the film and much of its themes. Especially in his approach to telling the story and what he wanted to do as it’s a very engaging interview with the filmmaker. The third and final text in the booklet is an excerpt of A.E. Hotchner’s memoir that he published back in 1972. The excerpt plays into what Hotchner was going through in that time as well as the danger of being evicted as it plays into the dire situations that he would deal with for much of his life in that story.
King of the Hill is a spectacular film from Steven Soderbergh. Featuring a tremendous performance from Jesse Bradford as well as a great supporting cast, the film is definitely one of Soderbergh’s finest films. Especially as it’s an engaging coming-of-age story set during the Great Depression that isn’t overly sentimental yet has this element that allows the audience to be captivated by the story of a young boy in that period. In the end, King of the Hill is a sensational film from Steven Soderbergh.
Steven Soderbergh Films: sex, lies, & videotape - Kafka - The Underneath - Gray's Anatomy - Schizopolis - Out of Sight - The Limey - Erin Brockovich - Traffic - Ocean's Eleven - Full Frontal - Solaris - Eros-The Equilibrium - Ocean's Twelve - Bubble - The Good German - Ocean's Thirteen - Che - The Girlfriend Experience - The Informant! - And Everything is Going Fine - Contagion - Haywire - Magic Mike - Side Effects - Behind the Candelabra - Logan Lucky - (Unsane) - (High Flying Bird)
The Auteurs #39: Steven Soderbergh: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2
© thevoid99 2014
Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 2/7/06 w/ Additioanl Edits & Revisions.
Based on Harry Grey's novel The Hoods, Once Upon a Time in America is the story of an aging gangster who looks back on his time as a young hood working with other Jewish boys in New York City as they later become top criminals during the days of Prohibition. Directed by Sergio Leone and screenplay by Leone, Franco Arcall, Franco Ferrini, Leonardo Benvenuti, Pierro De Bernardi, Enrico Medioli, and Ernesto Gastaldi with additional dialogue and translation by Stuart Kaminsky. The film explores the world of the gangster life during the era of Prohibition among four men as it leads to huge ambitions and betrayals as a man reflects on that time as he returns to finish an assignment. Starring Robert de Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Tuesday Weld, Joe Pesci, Burt Young, Treat Williams, William Forsythe, James Hayden, Danny Aiello, Larry Rapp, James Russo, Scott Tiler, Amy Ryder, Brian Bloom, and in her film debut, Jennifer Connelly. Once Upon a Time in America is a majestic yet harrowing film from Sergio Leone.
On the final night of Prohibition in 1933, David "Noodles" Aaronson is at a Chinese theater high on opium unaware of some startling news as his girlfriend Eve (Darlanne Fluegal) was killed while his friends Patrick "Patsy" Goldberg (James Hayden), Philip "Cockeye" Stein (William Forsythe), and Maximilian "Max" Bercovicz (James Wood) were also killed in a botched heist. After saving his friend and barkeeper Fate Moe Gelly (Larry Rapp) from the gangster Beefy (Frank Gio), Noodles decides to flee town with a key to a suitcase only to discover that it's empty. 35 years later, Noodles returns to New York City as he visits Fat Moe while getting a letter about the grave site of his friends having been moved. Staying at Moe's for a while, Noodles learns that Moe's sister Deborah (Elizabeth McGovern) has become a famous actress as Noodles recalls his time as a young man (Scott Tiler) who fell for the young Deborah (Jennifer Connelly) as she was practicing her ballet recital.
The young Noodles lived in the Jewish community in Brooklyn with his friends Patsy (Brian Bloom), Cockeye (Adrian Curran), and Dominic (Noah Moazezi) where they did small crimes as they also meet up with a new kid from the Bronx named Max (Rusty Jacobs). Noodles and Max become close as help blackmail a corrupt cop named "Fartface Whitey (Richard Foronjy) who was trying to have his time with an underage hooker named Peggy (Julie Cohen). Though Deborah offers him a life outside of crime, Noodles is still tempted as he and Max manage to get themselves in trouble with a local crime figure named Bugsy (James Russo). Noodles and Max decided to form their own gang with Patsy, Cockeye, and Dominic while helping out another local, older gang in the Capuono brothers that becomes profitable. With an agreement among the five boys over the money made, things seemed great until an encounter with Bugsy leads to trouble. Noodles retaliates by killing Bugsy and accidentally killing a cop as he's forced to serve time in prison. Many years later as an adult, Noodles resumes his life of crime with Max and the gang where Moe runs a speakeasy and Peggy (Amy Ryder) is a brothel madam while Deborah tries to work her way up as a dancer.
After stealing some diamonds for Joe (Burt Young) and Frankie Minaldi (Joe Pesci) while learning about its value, Noodles learn that the theft was a plan to kill Joe Minaldi in order to gain the diamonds for themselves. With Noodles trying to maintain his business as they later save a local union spokesman named Jimmy O'Donnell (Treat Williams) from Chicken Joe (Richard Bright), business begins to boom when Max's new girlfriend Carol (Tuesday Weld) joins the team. While Noodles tries to pursue Deborah by having a lavish dinner with her, she reveals that she's leaving for Hollywood leaving Noodles confused. With Max becoming more ambitious in his dealings just as Prohibition is about to end, Noodles remains unsure as Max decides to create a big heist. Many years later as Noodles reflects, he finds a key to a locker at the old train station he hung out as he's been given an assignment that has to do with a commerce secretary named Bailey. After meeting Carol in a foundation building to learn more about Bailey, he finally gets an answer in the last person he expects where he makes a troubling discovery.
What this film has in common with The Godfather series and Goodfellas is the mythology of the gangster/mob world. Unlike those two films, Leone goes for a study of ambition and morality through the viewpoint of one man consumed with guilt. Since Leone and his writers aimed for that approach of study, the result isn't just this absorbing epic of young boys who are entranced by a world of crime but how far they're willing to go to become successful. Now a near, 4-hour running time might seem long but Leone and his approach to narrative structure makes the experience to be amazing in how Noodles sees things and how he reacts to them. Especially in the end when he is summoned for a job where he realizes what he has to do. In the end, he becomes powerless but content to the point where for anyone wondering where has he been hiding what he's doing for those 35 years. It doesn't matter what he did, in fact that is an entirely different story. What matters is why he’s been contacted.
It's in Leone's script with his writers that the film's non-linear structure is unique. The first act being Noodles' reflection of his childhood, his first meeting with Max, and the tragedy that would shape his outlook on the world. The second act is Noodles seeing how his own crime operation has changed and his own ideas of how things should be done where he wanted to keep a low profile and remain in the streets. The third act is Noodles and Max's disagreement over ambitions and how it all fell apart when Noodles tries to save Max. Also in that third act is when Noodle is in 1968, he searches for all the clues to why he's been contacted only to learn some horrible truths. Then there's a strange sense of completion in how the film began and end in the Chinese theaters with Noodles, high on opium, is at. The result only leaves an open interpretation where he could be dreaming of all of these things.
If the script that Leone concocted is filled with amazing character study and a non-linear structure, his direction is just as potent and involving in every scene that he shoots. For the first act, especially with the young cast, Leone aims for an innocence in the idea of sex and crime where the boys are hoping to make something of themselves. Even Noodle's attraction to Deborah has this unique presence of first love. Then when it reaches that first moment of tragedy, that innocence ends where Leone definitely aims for this area of confusion in terms of sex and violence in its most graphic depiction. Particularly in the way Noodles treats women to the point that he doesn't know. Leone doesn't condemn or sympathize for his actions but only to reveal Noodles' major flaw. Especially in Leone's approach of rape where he reveals Noodles' action in graphic detail to the point that he aims for a level to make the audience uncomfortable.
Leone's epic-scope of direction where he uses wide, far away shots to cover the area and time of where his character in is absorbing to watch. Especially with the close-up of the characters where the audience sees how emotionally involved Leone is in with all of his characters. The close-ups he does comes from an emotional point for the characters of whatever reaction they're in. While it's an old technique that Leone has used in his great films, it's a technique that still works and imitated for many years. Another great technique Leone does with the structure of his script is how he moves from time period to time period, especially that first shift of time changing where the Noodle of 1933 is in a train station walking into a Coney Island attraction and then walking out as an old man in 1968. Overall, Leone's direction is a potent as ever in the way he creates and cares for the situations and characters around him.
Helping Leone in his epic, visual scope is cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli whose camera work creates the large canvas Leone wanted. Colli's cinematography is filled with enormous lighting schemes to convey the sense of loss and change throughout the characters. From the lush, interior settings where everything feels intimate to the evocative look in many of the film's exterior scenes as Colli does great work in the photography. Production designer Walter Massi and art directors Carlo Simi and James T. Singelis also do amazing work in the detail the contrast look of the drab 1920s look of the community the young boys in to the rich world they live by of the 1930s. Even the place of Fat Moe's has a change where early, it's a family restaurant filled with all of these old things that later becomes an underground speakeasy with all the works. Then when the film shifts to 1968, it becomes a former shell of itself as a regular old tavern with little of what was from the past to convey that loss.
Helping out in the costume design is Gabriella Pescucci whose design of the suits for the young characters and their older counterparts work well with time and how they shift, especially the look of the women. Doing some great work for the film's structure and leisurely pacing style is editor Nino Baragli whose use of long cuts and shifts from time to time really makes the audience aware of what’s happening and not lose its pace. For a film as epic like this, Baragli does amazing work with the editing and tightening up scenes that could've been too slow but slow enough for the audience to be aware of what's happening. The sound work of Jean-Pierre Ruh is also great for the sound effects, especially early on in the film with the constant ringing of the telephone that is heard to the point of deliberate annoyance that conveys the action of what's happening.
Then there is the music which features additional compositions used from the likes of Irving Berlin's God Bless America that is played early on in the film and towards the end along with an orchestral version of the Beatles' Yesterday as well as orchestral cuts of Joseph M. LaCalle and Gioacchino Rossini. The main music that is played throughout the entire film whether its hummed, whistled through a pipe or a mouth is the music of Ennio Morricone, a longtime collaborator of Leone. Morricone’s lush arrangements and dreamy textures conveys the loss of innocence and sense of fantasy that is shown through the mind of Noodles and Max. Morricone's score is distinct in its arrangements and use of windpipes that are played throughout to its connection with China where Noodles seems to escape to in their theater. It's probably one of the best musical scores ever done by the great Ennio Morricone.
Finally, we have the film's large ensemble cast that features great small performances from Richard Bright, Robert Harper, Frank Gio, Gerard Murphy, James Russo, Darlanne Fluegel, plus Clem Caserta, Frank Sisto, and Jerry Strivelli as the Capuano brothers who help the boys early on, and cameos from Sergio Leone as a ticket man, his daughter Francesca in a party scene late in the film, and producer Arnon Milchan as Noodles' chauffeur. In small yet memorable supporting roles, Burt Young, Joe Pesci, and Treat Williams all do excellent work in their performances while Amy Ryder does a good performance as the older Peggy while Julie Cohen does excellent work as the young Peggy. Richard Foronjy does hilarious work as the corrupt cop the boys get to mess with while Danny Aiello also plays a foil in a wonderful performance as a police chief who loses his cool. One of the best supporting performances goes to Tuesday Weld as Carol, a rare woman of sorts in Leone's films who has enough power and independence to do whatever she wants though later on, she sees trouble and in the aftermath, is filled with regret as she and Noodles make peace over what happen in a great performance.
The film's young cast features some wonderful performances from the likes of Brian Bloom, Adrian Curran, and Noah Moazezi as Dominic with standout scenes and performances. Bloom and Curran's respective counterparts in the late James Hayden (who died of a drug overdose months before the film’s release at the Cannes Film Festival) and great character actor William Forsythe have hilarious, memorable performances throughout the entire film. Mike Monetti is also excellent as the young Fat Moe whose friendship and loyalty is counted on as his older counterpart by Larry Rapp is also amazing for his companionship and sense of comfort to those around him, even with Noodles in the 1968 scenes. Rusty Jacobs does a great job in playing the young Max with his confident swagger and street-wise ambition as he does a great job living up to playing a young James Woods. Scott Tiler also is excellent in playing the young Noodles with his wide-eyed innocence and penchant for trouble as he does a great job in living up to playing the same stature in the character for de Niro.
In the role of Deborah, Elizabeth McGovern does a fine job in playing the older version whose sense of disappointment towards Noodles is conveyed well but doesn't carry a presence that was set early on through the film where McGovern doesn't really live up to her own flaws for the character. Jennifer Connelly though, does amazing work in playing the young Deborah where she ends up overshadowing McGovern despite being in the film for a short time early on. Connelly's performance is filled with a natural vibe where her presence is exhilarating to watch with her wide-eyed innocence and street smart knowing that she wants to get out but in the most honest way she can think of. While McGovern had to do more of the challenging stuff, her performance is weak in comparison to Connelly who just lights up the screen.
In a performance that can be described as one of the most overlooked of the 1980s, James Woods does great work in the role of Max. Playing an ambitious, confident man with big plans, Woods personifies the character with great wit and charm throughout the entire film. Doing great work, side-by-side with de Niro, Woods plays the perfect counterpart in a role Woods often says his one of his favorite and a performance he's most proud of. It's certainly one of his greatest performances of his great career.
Finally, there's Robert de Niro in one of his finest performances to date in a very complex, layered role as Noodles. Throughout the entire film, de Niro displays ranges of emotions by doing little as he acts throughout half the film in a silent manner revealing his sense of loss, regret, and wasted opportunity. In the 1930s scenes, de Niro reveals that he's a guy who wants to be in the streets and remain low key while being unsure of the things around him while refusing the idea of change around him. In those sequences, de Niro has great scenes with Weld, McGovern, and most of all, Woods. When de Niro plays the old version of Noodles in the 1968, de Niro sells all in his performance by not doing much and revealing the layered sense of melancholia in probably one of his finest and overlooked performances of his career.
In the Region 1, 2-disc DVD set released in 2003 by Warner Brothers comes the full 229-minute version that was presented at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival, uncut and uncensored. Presented in widescreen in a dual-layer format, the new digital transfer of the film with a remastered soundtrack in 5.1 Dolby Digital looks and sounds great overall for a film like this. The only problem with this restoration and remastering is that because the film is nearly four hours, it had to be split in two which is annoying and abrupt where discs had to be changed. Still, the quality of the movies in its original presentation with restored scenes that didn't make it to the American version (in its 2 1/2 hour botched studio cut and Leone's 3 hour, 49 minute cut).
The special features in the film that mostly appear in the second disc includes a wonderful photo gallery of the film on set with Leone directing all of his actors in several scenes while looking relaxed and having fun. Also shown are a cast/crew list of the people involved and the film's original theatrical trailer which doesn't have that kind of excitement or anticipation that is felt in today's trailers but an example of what they were at the time. One little feature is shown in the second disc of the DVD is an excerpt from the Turner Classic Movies documentary of Sergio Leone entitled Once Upon a Time: Sergio Leone where the focus is on Once Upon a Time in America. The documentary that features interviews with several of the writers involved with the film, Leone's wife Carla (who died shortly before the doc was finished in 2001), and his daughters Francesca and Raffaella plus composer Ennio Morricone and actors James Coburn, James Woods, Scott Tiler, and director Quentin Tarantino.
The discussion in the doc is focused on the film where Tarantino described his love for Leone's close-up and the years it took to develop the script which took nearly 10 before they went into production in 1982. James Woods talked about his own experience which he claimed was the greatest one he's ever lived and loved this film more than anything he's done. There was also the discussion of what happened when the film got released in America in its 2 1/2 hour cut in chronological sequence that got horrific reviews in the U.S. in 1984. James Coburn talked about how heartbreaking it was for Sergio who remained heartbroken till his death in 1989 when he was planning to do a film about the Russian Revolution. Woods also talked about how Sheila Benson from the L.A. Times called the film the worst movie of 1984 until she saw Leone's uncensored, uncut version in which she voted it as one of the best films of the 1980s. It's a wonderful excerpt about the film and the people involved.
Another special feature that is in both discs is a commentary from Times magazine film critic Richard Schickel. Schickel's commentary is filled with some insightful trivia on the film and Leone while he gives his own thoughts on several scenes including the ending. He also talks about the botched cut it got and the version that he's commenting in the film which he says is the definitive version. He does wonderful critique in praising the actors and technical detail, particularly on Leone's direction. He also interprets the film as not just a fantasy film of sorts but a heterosexual love story between Noodles and Max. Schickel also talks about Leone's original plan to make the film a 2-part, 6-hour cut which had several deleted scenes involving Noodles' last meeting with Carol and more of Noodles' relationship with Eve. Schickel said Leone decided not to and instead went for the near 4-hour cut which he was happy about.
While the DVD's lack of feature is a bit disappointing on some parts, probably some time in the future where the DVD will evolve to the point of getting this entire film into one disc without interruptions. It would be a great DVD release with the botched cut to give insight on what not to do and maybe some of those famous deleted scenes. Though it would be interesting to see the unseen 6-hour cut Leone had originally wanted but this original presentation in its 4-hour running time is probably and will always be the definitive version. In the end, this DVD is an excellent purchase for those who love the work of Sergio Leone.
Overall, Once Upon a Time in America is an amazing, intelligent, and heartbreaking gangster drama helmed by one of cinema's finest masters, Sergio Leone. With a great cast led by Robert de Niro and James Woods with a great supporting cast including Tuesday Weld, Jennifer Connelly, Rusty Jacobs, Scott Tiler, Larry Rapp, William Forsythe, Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams, and Joe Pesci. Fans of gangster films will indeed find this film to be definitive of the genre while it also has something to bring for epic film fans. While it's hard to tell if it'll top any of Leone's other films, it's clear that he can do more than just a western while the best thing now for him is that his classic has now found an audience. In the end, Once Upon a Time in America is a true cinema classic and a fond farewell from the great Sergio Leone.
Sergio Leone Films: The Last Days of Pompeii (1959 film) - The Colossus of Rhodes - A Fistful of Dollars - For a Few Dollars More - The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly - Once Upon a Time in the West - Duck, You Sucker!
Related: Once Upon a Time: Sergio Leone - The Auteurs #16: Sergio Leone
(C) thevoid99 2012
