In 1984, the movie Once Upon a Time in America was made at Embassy International Pictures. Actors and roles in the production process were selected in the most careful way, since the theme of the film was particularly specific, characteristic of gangster stories.
Gangster story
The film "Once Upon a Time in America", the actors and roles in which fully corresponded to the ideological content and creative intent of the scriptwriters, was the last work of the famous director Sergio Leone.
The film is dedicated to the activities of gangster groups based in the East Side, the Jewish district of New York, in the 20s of the last century. Many gang members were born and raised there, so they rightfully considered nearby quarters as their ancestral territory. The strangers who tried to enter the Lower East Side were immediately expelled, and sometimes they were killed.
The four-hour film tells about the atrocities of gangsters for fifty years, about how police structures merged with gangs. Law enforcers quickly became part of organized crime, and their boss was one of the Mafia proxies.
Star cast
The actors of the movie Once Upon a Time in America are predominantly Hollywood stars of the first magnitude, such as Robert de Niro, James Woods, William Forsyth, Elizabeth McGovern, James Hayden. The talented play of the performers made it possible to create a number of memorable images in the film.
The protagonist Aaronson David, nicknamed "Noodles" (in the role of Robert de Niro) began his career as a gangster as a teenager. Theft, robbery, racketeering, drug trafficking - this is not a complete list of crimes committed by young bandits. And when Max Berkovich appeared in the area (the role is played by James Woods), a real war broke out between the owners of the quarter and new competitors. However, the confrontation between the two groups did not last long, “Noodles” and Max found a common language and began to engage in robberies together.
The dedication of the filmmakers
The gangster genre, in which director Sergio Leone created his own masterpiece, is a fairly wide range of opportunities for the director, since you can add as many characters as you like and develop the action in several directions at once. The film Once Upon a Time in America, whose actors are highly professional, has become an example of the quality work of the entire crew. The director set the tone for the whole process, despite the fact that at that time he had the first signs of a deadly disease.
When the film "Once Upon a Time in America" was shot, the actors were on the set for twelve hours in a row . This was not a manifestation of enthusiasm, rather, the performers involved in the creative process. Everyone wanted to shoot as many episodes as possible.
Retrospection
The picture is based on the interweaving of three segments of time: the 20s, 30s and partially 60s. All the main events are shown through the prism of the vision of Aaronson David, the main character who periodically leaves his native places in order to return after many years. Sergio Leone makes extensive use of the principle of retrospective showing in the film, and for a film such as Once Upon a Time in America (the actors supported the master in everything, becoming his like-minded people for the entire filming period), this style is the most favorable. The stunning success of the film shows the right choice of production techniques used by the venerable director.
Role performers
The following actors were invited to shoot the film:
- Robert de Niro is the character of David Aaronson, a gangster nicknamed "Noodles";
- James Woods - the role of Maximilian Berkovich, nicknamed "Max";
- Elizabeth McGovern - female lead Deborah Gelly;
- Hayden James - the character of Patrick Golberg, nicknamed "Simpleton";
- William Forsyth - the performer of the role of Philip Stein, nicknamed "Slant";
- Tewsday Weld - in the role of Carol;
- Rapp Larry - Mo Gelly character nicknamed "Fat Man Mo";
- Pesci Joe - the performer of the role of Frank Manoldi;
- James Russo - in the role of Bugsy;
- Amy Ryder - Peggy;
- Danny Aiello is the character of the chief of police;
- Noah Moselli - in the role of Domenic;
- Scott Tyler - played the main character in his youth;
- Jacobs Rusty - "Max" in his youth;
- Conelly Jennifer - Deborah Gelly as a Teenager;
- Brian Bloom - a character "Simpleton" in his youth;
- Adrien Kyuren - the role of the young "Slanting";
- Monetti Mike - "Fat Man" in his youth;
Sergio Leone 's Once Upon a Time movie has a fairly rich storyline. Actors and extras, operators and the serving character, all who participated in the creation of the masterpiece, were somehow awarded prizes, prizes and nominations. The motion picture is considered one of the best works in the gangster genre.