What is "Once Upon a Time in America" ??adapted from?

The film "Once Upon a Time in America" ??is adapted from David Assenlong's autobiographical novel "Rogue". When film master Sergio Leone saw this novel in the early 1960s, he was He was immediately attracted by this wonderful work. At the same time, he also found that the story of the novel itself has a "movie feel". Therefore, when Paramount Pictures invited him to direct "The Godfather" in 1971, Sergio Leone was devoting himself entirely to the script adaptation of "Once Upon a Time in America" ??and therefore politely refused. this invitation. But just as Sergio Leone was getting everything ready, the film "The Godfather" had already received great acclaim after its release. Seeing this situation, the producers immediately lost confidence in the gangster-themed "Once Upon a Time in America" ??and began to delay filming indefinitely.

It was not until 1983 that Sergio Leone received this investment from a producer who admired him very much. Despite this, when the film was finally shot after all the hardships, the film company was very worried about whether the nearly 4-hour film length could bring commercial success. The helpless Sergio Leone had no choice but to send the film to Cannes for screening first, hoping to get approval from critics before releasing it. But what he never expected was that this film, into which he had devoted so much emotion and energy, would be unanimously attacked by almost all critics and fans, so much so that even the film company decided to ban the film. Extensive editing reduced the length of the film to a pitiful 139 minutes. As a result, the entire movie was unclear or even incomplete, so it was only natural that it failed miserably at the box office after its release. When "Once Upon a Time in America" ??was cast aside by the world as one of the 10 worst movies of the year, this huge blow finally made the master Sergio Leone mentally exhausted, and he never made any movie again. , until he died in depression in 1989. But history will eventually prove everything. When the complete version of the film was finally released in the future, people finally discovered and re-recognized this masterpiece that is comparable to the classic film "The Godfather", and not only re-evaluated it as the most representative film of the 1980s. One of the top ten works, and some film critics even believe that this is the best work created by the master Sergio Leone in his life.

In the United States in the 1920s, a New York teenager nicknamed "Noodles" met the smart and cunning Max together with several friends of the same age. From then on, they began to engage in shameful illegal smuggling activities. Not long after, "Noodles" was injured in a fight and was imprisoned.

A few years later, when "Noodles" was released from prison, he and his partners returned to their old business and began a series of criminal activities such as robbery, theft and extortion. As the criminal activities continued to deepen, Max seemed to be dazzled by the victory, and even included robbing the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States as his goal. Until then, "Noodles" couldn't bear to watch his friends go to destruction, so he secretly called the law enforcement department to call the police, hoping to force Max, who had already fallen into a state of madness, to stop the next bigger and more dangerous plan. Serious criminal activity. But what he never dreamed of was that when the police had a fierce gun battle with his friends, Max and others were all killed. Seeing the tragic scene of their bodies lying on the street, "Noodles" felt extreme regret and pain, so he had no choice but to leave the place where he grew up and go away alone.

Decades later, "Noodles", who was nearly in his twilight years, returned to the hometown he was most familiar with and had never forgotten. Unexpectedly, he discovered that everything back then was actually created by Max. Planning results. And he himself was able to escape from his shell, swallowing up the huge sum of money that should have been shared with his partners. In the following years, he changed his appearance and entered the political world, becoming a celebrity in the upper class. When the two finally stood face to face, Max, who had been tortured by repentance for many years, begged "Noodles" to kill himself, fantasizing about redeeming himself for the sins he had committed. "Noodles" refused without hesitation. Seeing "Noodles" turn away decisively, the desperate Max had no choice but to jump into the garbage crusher and commit suicide to end this unbearable nightmare...

This is "Once Upon a Time in America" "The story told not only spans 40 years, but also incorporates many characteristics of the times, from the immigration boom and gang mixing in the 1920s to the growing civil rights movement after the assassination of John F. Kennedy in the 1960s. and anti-war calls, during which the vicissitudes of the United States in various eras are fully captured. In fact, it is indeed the film master Sergio Leone's most ambitious work. Perhaps everything is just as he said: "The problem of the United States is the problem of the whole world, so the filming of "The United States" "Once Upon a Time in America" ??is a dream I've had for 11 years. "Similar to most gangster movies, "Once Upon a Time in America" ??is indeed a profound allegory about the broken American dream. Sergio Leone did not beautify the gangsters in any way, nor did he make any direct criticism in any sense. He just quietly told a dream related to gangster characters, a dream full of fantasy.

When this dream fell to pieces in the face of cruel reality, Sergio Leone told you unusually calmly: This is the real America.