1980’s Poll Voting Ends on Saturday, October 10

              Jean de Florette (1986) one of decade’s greatest films

     The deadline for submitting completed Top 25 ballots for the 1980’s poll is Saturday October 10 at 11:00 P.M. EST.  As per our standard, voters are allowed 10 days after Allan Fish’s #1 choice is unveiled, which in this case is scheduled for tomorrow morning (Wednesday, September 30).  Ballots are presently being examined and verified by Voting Tabulator Extraordinaire Angelo A. D’Arminio Jr., and again the participation has been impressive.  After the poll results are announced sometime around October 12-13, the 90’s poll will commence with Allan’s list of 51-100 “nearlies” to kick itoff, to be followed by the 50 top choices, one a day as typical.  For all those who have participated and/or plan to do so WitD issues heartfelt thanks.

Read Full Post »

Once Upon a Time in America (no 2)

(USA 1984 228m) DVD1/2

An appointment at Fat Moe’s

p  Arnon Milchan  d  Sergio Leone  w  Leonardo Benvenuti, Piero de Bernardi, Enrico Medioli, Franco Arcalli, Franco Ferrini, Stuart Kaminsky, Sergio Leone  novel  “The Hoods” by David Aaronson, Harry Grey  ph  Tonino delli Colli  ed  Nino Baragli  m  Ennio Morricone (with Giaocchino Rossini, Cole Porter, Joseph M.Lacalle, Lennon & McCartney)  art  Carlo Simi, James Singelis  cos  Gabriella Pescucci, Nino Baragli

Robert DeNiro (David “Noodles” Aaronson), James Woods (Max), Elizabeth McGovern (Deborah), Treat Williams (Jimmy O’Donnell), William Forsythe (Cockeye), Tuesday Weld (Carol), Burt Young (Joe), Danny Aiello (Police Chief Aiello), Joe Pesci (Frankie), Jennifer Connelly (Young Deborah), Larry Rapp (Fat Moe Markowitz), James Russo,

Once Upon a Time in America is Sergio Leone’s defining statement as a filmmaker, one that it effectively took him twelve years to conceive and make.  It wasn’t helped by the fact that Leone’s masterpiece was butchered in the US to 149m with the sort of careless glee not seen since Jack the Ripper roamed Whitechapel and, like so many other masterpieces of the eighties (see Kurosawa’s Ran and Bergman’s full Fanny and Alexander), it was made by a man a generation after his peak, but it’s also one of the greatest films of its decade. 

            Noodles Aaronson has been summoned back to New York 35 years after all his friends were supposedly killed after a robbery went wrong.  He knows not why he’s been summoned or, apart from a name, who by, but he starts to piece together the pieces while looking back at his childhood before World War I in New York’s Jewish quarter.

Read Full Post »