Strip off the veneer, Tear down the facade...

Rating: 9/10 (17 June 2012)

Injustice. This film deals with it, this film suffered it. Leone and his team never saw a single Oscar for what is, undoubtedly, one of the GREAT movies of film history. Supposedly the reason was that HIS version was far too long, and 'unapetizing' for the American public. Years later, this seems ridiculous. American cinema has topped the record for gore and 'unhealthy' material. And DVD finally gave us O.U.a T. in A. in its glorious entirety. And complexity. Yes, because this script is so perfect, so stimulating and so bewitching, that although I have seen the movie 3 times in the last 30 years, it still surprises me...adds nuances and revelations to it's original story. truly admirable! The facade of good ole, healthy America is severely battered by this story of unhealthy ambition, betrayal, revenge and power. 'Noodles' De Niro (the nick-name of our 'positive' protagonist reminds us that Leone was the king of 'spaghetti' westerns), returns, twice, to the site of past crimes... risking his life and ideals in the process. The savagely bitter finale remind us that he does so, simply because he is 'curious'. Because he NEEDS the truth. And this need, although painful, is necessary. Guilt, it is implied, is a powerful corrosive agent, however icy James Woods' character may be. There is , whatsmore, a sub-text which Sergio Leone works on here, and it is the role of DRUGS in society. In order to bear the injustice and treason, the violence and solitude that life has dealt out, Noodles resorts to Opium, as a source of relief; of contemplation. Could it be that the director is reminding us that Heroin's reign in Italy and in the U.S. during the 70ies and 80ies may closely reflect 'modern' Society's degradation? As always, Leone blends his political criticism of the American way with a strong misogynist vein. His women are few and far between in the westerns, but in the two 'Once upon a time..." movies they are increasingly present, and increasingly foxy. The are either prostitutes or cock-teasers with a strong masochist element. And it seems he prefers the 'honest whore'. This film could be reviewed by a psychoanalyst, a priest, a gangster or a politician , and all, I'm sure, would offer a different reading, as in Kurosawa's 'Rashomon'. But Leone is NOT a subtle film-maker. And maybe this reputation of his as something of a gangster in the, very selective Italian league of the 60 ies and 70ies, cheated him out of the credit he receives only now. Somewhat like Ken Russell in the British panorama, Leone's stylish but brutal approach to the realities of life, hurt the shyly hypocritical sensitivities of public and censors alike... let alone the distributors' in Hollywood. Technically the movie is breathtaking, especially Pescucci's wardrobe, Rochetti's make-up (the aging jobs are almost all superlative, and fundamental in helping us deal with such a complex game of 'flash-backs'), the Greg Tolland-style photography and shots by Tonino Delli Colli, the sets, editing and...of course, dulcis-in-fundo, Ennio Morricone's timeless score which, once again, is part and parcel of the film, an emotional bomb which Leone knowingly 'drops' in all the right moments. Deborah's theme is crushing. And the brilliant use of music and silence in Noodles' visit to his friend's mausoleum... comic and audacious. So, it's 9 out of 10, given that the perfect film may not exist (Jean Vigo's 'L'Atalante' ?), and the nearest thing to reading a GREAT novel, but with the whole 'caboodle' of the art of our time. Il Grande Cinema.
p.s. It is absolutely extraordinary that an Italian,a ROMAN, with a VERY limited grasp of the English language, should endeavour, and pull off, such an ambitious American fresco. His great talent, and that of Mr. Brian Freilino (who helped him coach and survey the realism of nuances in both languages), and of the dialogue writers, greatly surpass the occasional hiccups that we encounter, especially in the childhood scenes. and by the way, ALL praise to the young actors who unjustly precede De Niro and Woods, but only chronologically.