Director: Sergio Leone
Date: 1984
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Certificate: 18
Brief Synopsis:
A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to Brooklyn over 30 years later, where he once again must confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.
This is a trailer from Once Upon a Time in America
The first signifier of this introduction is the song (or anthem) ‘god bless America’, this soundtrack has a sense of irony because it is stating that America is a great country whereas this song contrasts the film because it is about gangs and violence in America. Sergio Leonie has specifically done this for that reason and maybe to criticise America because the citizens think everything is fine when they don’t know what is happening behind the scenes.
This is just a clip of the opening credits which opens the film with the anthem ‘God Bless America’. The song shows the irony and mood of the moment.
The first character that appears on the screen is the character ‘Eve’ who is a femme fatal which could be insinuated by her pearls. They could represent purity which could also be another portrayal of irony because her character is involved with gangsters or even teardrops which could be a premonition of the fact that she will shortly meet an abrupt end. The fact that you can only see her face and that the rest of her is caped in darkness might suggest that her beauty is the only thing that shines through her whereas she might be hiding something or that her personality might not reflect her looks and that looks can be deceiving. This gives reference back to the film and what Sergio Leone is trying to insinuate, that not everything is as it seems and that America was going through some troubled times in the with their government and the way that the law was inflicted. It reflects the mood of the moment of that time (1910-1967).
This film clip uses the rule of thirds to draw your eye to the main focus which is the corruptness of the police in the fact that they have just killed a woman for no apparent reason other than with holding evidence. The archway frames them, which shows that they are the main focus and the way that they are positioned suggests that they are a strong force who have cornered Eve and seem to have the upper hand. The way the light is positioned above Eve’s head might symbolise her beauty and her being angelic compared to the police and the measures they take to ‘enforce the law’ by taking it into their own hands.
This camera shot is called a worm’s eye view and has been used to create an effect of being over powered. It has been turned upside down to show the blurred lines of the law enforcers of this time; and the law breakers. It shows how the two sides have in this film been switched upside down to symbolise the corruptness of the police and the point of view of the gangsters.
Your analysis reflects some understanding of aspects of film language. You begin strongly particularly re the connotations of Eve's pearls which to some suggests an ill omen.
ReplyDeleteYou say:
"This gives reference back to the film and what Sergio Leone is trying to insinuate, that not everything is as it seems and that America was going through some troubled times in the with their government and the way that the law was inflicted. It reflects the mood of the moment of that time"....
This is muddled Emily - are you referring to the end of prohibition? If you're unclear about an aspect of the film then either email me or erase the muddle!!!
If you read a review of the film this will helpo your understanding, otherwise replace this muddly section with an analysis of another still from The Gateway and explain how the image reflects aspects of the coventions of the thriller genre.
Keep up the good work Emily.