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We see plenty of Godfather vs Goodfella's(and the odd Starship Troopers) comparisons but what about this? I'm talking the longer directors cuts of Once Upon A Time as well not the butchered US edit.
To me its actually a more interesting one since I tend to think Once Upon A Time In America(OUATIA) in a lot of respects feels more similar to the Godfathers(and indeed Leone was originally offered it to adapt) when it comes to tone both with a lot of time spent on building highly atmospheric settings rather than the more quick-fire drama of Goodfellas.
As similar as they are in some respects though they seem totally different in others, on the face of it you'd say Leone is the pulpier director yet I tend to think the story of OUATIA is considerably less pulping than Puzio's novel that tends to dwell rather more on the specifics of mafia life. As much as I love his earlier career I think Leone really moves into a more challenging direction here and the strange mix of old Hollywood sensibilities and graphic violence/rape is something very unique, I'd guess maybe also something that puts many off although it never feels exploitive for me.
You could argue that the Godfather pt 2 is actually rather closer to OUATIA in style I spose with Pacino and Deniro giving more subtle performance similar to the latter in Leone's film and of course the prewar setting but perhaps mostly in the stronger focus on Micheal's own story.
I'd actually say the biggest edge OUATIA has is in terms of visuals and soundtrack. the Godfathers are great looking films but Leone I think crafts one of the best looking films ever made(often with a surprising modern eye when it comes to compositions) and that plus Morricone's soundtrack makes for probably the most effective feeling of regretful nostalgia I'v seen on film.
To me its actually a more interesting one since I tend to think Once Upon A Time In America(OUATIA) in a lot of respects feels more similar to the Godfathers(and indeed Leone was originally offered it to adapt) when it comes to tone both with a lot of time spent on building highly atmospheric settings rather than the more quick-fire drama of Goodfellas.
As similar as they are in some respects though they seem totally different in others, on the face of it you'd say Leone is the pulpier director yet I tend to think the story of OUATIA is considerably less pulping than Puzio's novel that tends to dwell rather more on the specifics of mafia life. As much as I love his earlier career I think Leone really moves into a more challenging direction here and the strange mix of old Hollywood sensibilities and graphic violence/rape is something very unique, I'd guess maybe also something that puts many off although it never feels exploitive for me.
You could argue that the Godfather pt 2 is actually rather closer to OUATIA in style I spose with Pacino and Deniro giving more subtle performance similar to the latter in Leone's film and of course the prewar setting but perhaps mostly in the stronger focus on Micheal's own story.
I'd actually say the biggest edge OUATIA has is in terms of visuals and soundtrack. the Godfathers are great looking films but Leone I think crafts one of the best looking films ever made(often with a surprising modern eye when it comes to compositions) and that plus Morricone's soundtrack makes for probably the most effective feeling of regretful nostalgia I'v seen on film.
