Film Facts
“Noodles.. I slipped” (Dominic, Once Upon A Time In America, 1984)
Sergio Leone’s final film and a love letter to America, ‘Once Upon A Time In America’ was released in 1984, an emotional and long-spanning story about Noodles (Robert De Niro) and his life in crime. Once Upon A Time In America is the THIRD film in what has come to be known as the ‘Once Upon A Time’ trilogy, consisting of ‘Once Upon A Time In The West’, ‘Once Upon A Time In The Revolution’ and Leone’s finally film ‘Once Upon A Time In America’. The original cut Leone had shot was 269 minutes, however, the distributors worked with Leone to cut it down to 229 minutes (The European Cut). Tragically, The Ladd Company (distributing his film to American cinema cut the film down to 139 minutes, and rearranged the film chronologically without Leone’s knowledge, which was received poorly by audiences. Since this time the European Cut is considered to be the theatrical version of the film and is critically acclaimed by audiences, but sadly Leone passed away before this occurred, thinking his final film was not understood or loved by the audiences. Leone assembled a strong cast here in Robert De Niro (Noodles), James Woods (Max), Elizabeth McGovern (Deborah), Jennifer Connelly (Young Deborah), and Joe Pesci (Franki Monaldi). The supporting cast; James Jayden (Patsy), William Forsythe (Cockeye), Larry Rap (Fat Moe). The film moves between an older Noodles and a younger Noodles as Leone takes us through a well-told story in New York City, spanning over the lifetime of the protagonist.
Sergio Leone, the Father of spaghetti westerns and Ennio Morricone, the Father of Western film scores, partner up for the final time to design an absolute masterpiece. The plot follows the protagonist Noodle, a young boy in 1918 and his gangs of misfits Max, Patsy, Cockeye and Dominic, who survive on scraps and robberies. The group rises through the ranks and collides with existing gangs of New York, tragically losing young Dominic to Bugsy (their fierce rival). Noodles seeks revenge on Bugsy and are ultimately put in prison for murdering him, before rejoining the group in 1930. Straight out of prison into a life of crime, Noodles rejoins his group and becomes heavily involved in their operations again, and the stakes are much higher. The criminal syndicate they are involved with becomes complex and Max is certain that they need to find a way out, which Noodles rejects. The next job they pull Max is dead along with the other gang members, leaving Noodles with nothing, no money, no job, no connections, forcing him to buy a ticket on the next train out of New York.
Noodles returns in 1933, avoiding capture and investigating the history of Max’s death which results in their eventual reunion while exploring the mystery behind his death.
Italian composer Ennio Morricone, Leone’s partner in crime, was the only choice for this film, and he produced an excellent soundtrack. Morricone always manages to pull the heartstrings in each of his films, and ‘OUATIA’ is no exception. Morricone composed the score for ALL of Leone’s films, along with a number of other films as well, designing some of the most recognisable music in film. His career spanned over fifty years and he finally received an Oscar award in 2015, before he passed away in 2020 at age 91.
Track Facts
Composer
- Ennio Morricone
Label
- Mercury Records
Award Nominations
- BAFTA Film Awards – Best Score – Won
- 1985 Golden Globes – Best Original Score – Nominee
- Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists – Nominee
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards – Best
Release
- 1984
The Jam
Many of us know that Morricone is one of the giants in film music, and for those who don’t know him, he was regarded as the ‘Father Of Western Film Scores’ while also becoming Sergio Leone’s right-hand man as they both paved the way for the ‘Spaghetti Western’ genre of film. Morricone made a name for himself by scoring Leone’s ‘Dollars Trilogy’, highlighted by his world-renowned ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Theme’, however in Once Upon A Time In America, we see Morricone take a totally different approach in his instrumentation and aesthetic. Before the filming even took place, Morricone reflects on the lead-up: ‘Leone and I had been discussing the theme and the music we wanted to use for the seven years before filming actually started, and we had recorded some of them.. The historical period was not a problem, simply because it is not something I have to invent. (An Interview With Ennio Morricone by Marco Weba, CinemaScore #13/14, 1985)
The ‘Once Upon A Time In America’ theme offers an emotional journey of sorrow, joy and resilience, which acts as a reflection of the characters in the film. The woodwinds bring us in slowly with the thematic hook which remains central to the score, while the strings sit right underneath this and support it harmonically, maintaining his soft touch, while building the theme. The melody moves through an ostinato which offers so much emotion, before shifting to a higher register where Morricone offers a lighter mood, something to celebrate and find joy in. The theme of the film is tender and fragile, just keeping its balance on the tightrope between darkness and light, something I feel reflects the movie quite well. It’s in Morricone’s careful selection of instrumentation and voicing that designs such an emotive score, encompassing the emotion the audience goes through while viewing the film.
‘Poverty’ begins with a darker approach, keeping a deep drone on the strings as the piano plays a softly layered melody on top while the piece develops and designs such a sombre emotional theme. The strings move into a higher register, harmonizing with the pianist as the melody moves into higher registers, which for me, acts as Morricone raising the stakes, pushing the emotion as far as he can. The piece takes an unexpected change of pace into the interlude performed by the flute, which is again, developed and harmonized by the string family, before returning to the ‘poverty’ theme again. In a similar approach, ‘Deborah’s Theme’ begins with a similar drone on the lower string instruments, which sets the piece up for another emotive and sombre experience, as Morricone chooses to do with many tracks in this soundtrack. This time though, the melody features elements of the main theme, as Morricone moves in and out of this, while also developing what feels like a soft and sad musical idea, which I feel aligns with Deborah perfectly. Morricone brings in a choir of soprano and alto voices, which sits right on top of the theme, nice and steady, and only carefully used where necessary. At the end of this track, Morricone chooses to stick with the strings, which pours the emotion onto the screen, so much emotion it’s even hard to handle while listening to this track without the film. Morricone comments on Deborah’s Theme ‘It’s a deep story, and the dialogue often has the many pauses and slow rhythms that Leone loves to use. This time I wanted to work with that silence, to make it a musical rest, making the meaning of the music stronger. (An Interview With Ennio Morricone by Marco Weba, CinemaScore #13/14, 1985)
There are a number of various pieces throughout the soundtrack (Prohibition Dirge, Photographic Memories, Speakeasy) which feature periodic music, often acting as background jazz music which fit right into Morricone’s repertoire, and occasionally he will come back to the central theme, while we follow the story on screen. Morricone offers a real consistency in his approach in this film, staying true to his belief in the main theme. Researching further into the music of the film and the work behind the film, Leone had this to say ‘The work is done originally for me. I discuss it with Morricone months ahead of time, and the music guides me through the film in terms of certain sentiment or emotions. I have him create ten of fifteen or twenty themes before choosing one. (How ‘Once Upon A Time In America’ Became Sergio Leone’s Butchered Swan Song, Koraljka Suton)
TFMJ Pick
Cockeye’s Theme is the standout piece in this soundtrack, for many reasons. The pan flute features here as the lead instrument, bringing in what feels to me like a western-style melodic idea, and is used carefully throughout the film. It would be remiss of me if I didn’t mention that ‘Cockeye’s Theme’ was used in what I believe to be one of the film’s most important and memorable scenes when Dominic runs into Bugsy under the Manhattan Bridge, it’s something I’ll always remember, watching that scene for the first time. The pan flute is supported by the orchestra, particularly the strings as the melody moves into the main theme. Morricone is a master at writing music for western films, for dramatic moments, for atmosphere.. There are few tracks in a filmography that rival this particular scene, Morricone and Leone are completely in sync here, all cylinder firing, absolutely stunning, unforgettable. The set-up of the orchestra builds loneliness, tension, and uneasiness with plenty of dissonance and space before the pan flute takes the lead and sets the scene. There is plenty of space in this piece, and plenty of dissonances as the piece continues to build the atmosphere. In an interview many years later, Morricone had this to say about the pan flute: ‘The choice of the pan flute wasn’t mine. The script writer wanted to have someone playing that instrument. This way, or course, it is a theme that comes out of reality (as in Once Upon A Time In The West, where a character plays the harmonica). I called Gheorghe Zamfir because he is a good performer on the instrument’ (An Interview With Ennio Morricone by Marco Weba, CinemaScore #13/14, 1985). Another theme that’s used right next to this theme is the ‘Friends Theme’ which makes many appearances throughout the film and the soundtrack, a playful track that brings in a select number of instruments to create a joyful and playful theme, while the gang of kids roam the streets of early 20th century New York City.
Soundtrack Send-Off & Rating
‘Once Upon A Time In America’ is one of Morricone’s greatest scores, it generates such emotive qualities, whilst also possessing haunting melodic themes and precise harmonic development. Morricone always has the power to bring the screen to life in his music, and this final film in what has become known as the ‘Once Upon A Time Trilogy’ is his most diverse, most focussed score, spanning over a film that lasts 4 hours, which in itself is not an easy task. Morricone is consistent in his approach and the main theme remains at the centre of the story and its characters, as he often brings the theme into and out of surrounding musical ideas. It’s a shame that Leone’s film was chopped up and butchered so badly upon its original release and that Morricone wasn’t listed in the film’s opening credits, but viewing the film now, it is a timeless masterpiece, in itself, a work of art. To finish I’ll refer to a quote written by Jesse Pasternack, ‘Its intensity, versatility, and grand beauty make it one that I cannot help returning to again and again. It is a score that I have always adored, and treasure even more now that Morricone is gone. (A Different Listen Every Time: Morricone’s Mournful Music For Once Upon A Time In America, Jesse Pasternack, 2020)
References
Ennio Morricone On Once Upon A Time In America – https://cnmsarchive.wordpress.com/2015/04/08/ennio-morricone-on-once-upon-a-time-in-america/
How ‘Once Upon a Time in America’ Became Sergio Leone’s butchered Swan Song –
A Different Listen Every Time: Morricone’s Mournful Music for Once Upon A Time In America – https://blogs.iu.edu/aplaceforfilm/2020/08/10/a-different-listen-every-time-morricones-mournful-music-for-once-upon-a-time-in-america/
TFMJ 