Once Upon a Time in America opening scene analysis

Once Upon a Time in America opening scene analysis 

Once Upon a Time in America is a film set in the 1930s during the end of the alcohol prohibition (1920-1933) directed by Sergio Leone in 1984. The film pays tribute to classic 1940s films such as 'The Deer Hunter'. 

At the beginning of the film, the use of non-diegetic sound of 'God Bless America' being played over the opening titles and the first few shots suggests that Leone is being ironic and critical of the position of America. The femme fatale is murdered with 'God Bless America' in the background. This is ironic because of the film being about corruption and gang life in the time. Also Leone being an Italian and the femme fatale being shot at over ‘God Bless America’ conveys irony.  

In the first scene we get a close up shot of Eve's face, this shot is effective because it allows the audience to identify a characters emotions. The audience can immediately see that Eve is a femme fatale because of her pearl neck-less (symbolizing tears), he glamorous face and hair.

Next Eve then proceeds to turn a lamp on. Non-ambient lighting is used and this shows that the character is vulnerable when used in dark places or night time. As we can see the camera is still as a close up shot of Eve's face and due to the light we get a different tone on Eve's skin implying further that she is a femme fatale because of the shade of light en-lighting her elegance.





Afterwards Eve then lifts up the bed covers and there is an outline of a body done using bullet holes, this refers to when a body outline is drawn using chalk after a death usually done by the police. This may also suggest that police are involved in this. This also is an indication to Eve that there is danger and possible death to someone close or even herself. Then there is a high-angle shot which implies that Eve is very vulnerable at this point.

This shot contains three men wearing trilby hats and long trench coats and holding guns. The audience ask the question to who are these men, are they gangsters or policemen? We later on discover that they are policemen and that these officers are corrupt, they don't take Eve for question but put her on the spot whilst armed with guns threatening her life. This also focuses on how ironic America is, as it shows police who are supposed to enforce law and help protect society int he best possible way are using unlawful methods making them no better than criminals. Sergio Leone establishes the thriller genre through the costumes the policemen (or detectives) are wearing. The costume of the corrupt detectives reflects the roots of film noir with the trilby hats and overcoats which were the dress code fore men in the 1940's. Garments like trench coats and trilby hats are associated with classic noir thrillers, for example in 'The Big Combo' 

Furthermore in this shot it shows the detectives trapping Eve in a claustrophobic area of the room, which also makes the audience see how corrupt they are. The detectives enclosing Eve tells us that she will not be able to escape. As well as like before with her face, Eve's clothes blend with the lamp and can be seen as  a character in despair due to her having a bright image. The detectives have a more shady image due to the light which suggests how notorious they are.



Finally in this shot we have Eve shot dead by the detectives. All of the detectives are in the frame of the shot which shows they are all responsible for her murder. Leone also represents the traditional femme fatale by Eve being a devious character, shes in a relationship with a gang member, which has lead her to her death.