You're not overreacting at all. "Gangsters" are the most despicable people that exist. But the wonderful films made in their name can sometimes make us forget.
Gangsters are a lot more noble than you make out. Especially the old mafia families who are nowhere near as bad as governments, drug gangs and just modern day street gangs, they had morals and looked out for their communities
The baby switch bothered me too. Some of the mothers will know right away they have the wrong baby and will know what theirs looked like. Though some might be mixed up forever sense they didn't take reference photos or finger print them. They did though weigh all the babies which would also help ID them.
Think about it. America itself has always done exactly what those gangsters did in this film, just on a much larger scale to far more children and families. If you don't believe it feel free to read some history. That scene could be a metaphor for American society as a whole. During an interview about his film "Heat" some years back, Micheal Mann said that gangsters often deeply love their families, especially their children but they couldn't care less about your children or families or about mine. Because at their heart, many of them are sociopaths. I think Sergio Leone was saying something similar here.
My man, I think, made a reference to Gaspar Noe. He mentioned the word, "Irreversible " mentioning that hard to watch rape scene which is really hard to watch. Frankly I cannot stomach that one.
Oh man, I remember how it shocked me when I watched the movie for the first time as a kid with my dad back in 90s. My parents were not particullary strict so I had a chance to see some really violent movies as a child, but it's those type of scenes that always affected me the most. I just felt nothing but hate towards those characters for doing that. Intentionally or not, this scene was really effective in it's unglamourous portrayal of what gangsters really are - sick violent sociopaths who see no value in human life.
I fully understood the production of the film but after several watches over and over I found it unsatisfying. Great production and covers decades - the end was disturbing and haunting. B-
Ha, I agree. I can’t consider this the faultless masterpiece others say. I love Leone but this is probably 4th in my personal list of his films. A beautiful film, expertly made, but not the best. Once Upon A Time In the West is preferred Leone movie.
this movie did a great job of showing how soulless and empty and inhuman Gangsters really are, and they usually don't come off that way, not even IRL because a lot of the high ranking ones that become Capo/Captain, they have to have Charisma and a level of likability to reach those heights, but behind that facade, there's an empty vessel, a shell of a man, and this movie does a great job focusing on that
Great video, super underrated movie. Loved how scummy all the gangster characters are, no sugarcoating about "honor" and "codes" like The Godfather, the baby swapping scene is the perfect example. Any thoughts on where Noodles was all those years besides going to bed early?
It's sick and unfair. At the same time the movie makes a point about how unfair life is. How the fate of a baby is determinated for a significant part by the family you are born in.
That scene was indeed very disturbing in so many levels. It was a major crime against humanity and unfortunately as mentioned in one of the comments, it happened in Spain for several decades.
I thought this was the most disturbing scene. It’s kind of frightening to think about that four slimy criminals were in a seedy room together dictating the lives of newborn babies.
A truly great movie! A classic American movie and a classic mob movie! Still on my list of important, must see, films! The heart ache and sadness is there throughout; and is itself a sort of character... I'm still trying to get my wife to sit for the whole thing!
Sergio Leone appeared in this film, like Hitchcock's cameos, as the station agent selling Noodles the ticket to Buffalo. Such an excellent, sad movie...
You're not alone in this. I mean, this movie has its share of griminess. Messing up so many lives so casually and laughing about is diabolical. These guys are the scum of the Earth. If they wanted to extort the commissioner, they could have done so by switching just one kid and making sure they send them back to their parents once the guy caves.
It's one of several messed-up scenes in that movie - and is a very cruel and evil thing to do, just as messed-up as the rape scene even though the latter is more confronting - but remember, the protagonists are very bad people. Having said that, you are not overreacting, even most gangsters would no doubt be disgusted, if not horrified at the idea of ruining the lives of the wholly innocent the way Max, Noodles et al did with those poor babies.
The jewish mob always interested me. I always enjoy the mix between religion and organised crime. Because most mob films are Italian or irish so it usually has Catholic elements. I was born catholic (now agnostic) so it related to me. I wish this film had shown more about Judaism and jewish gangs. Stuff like they will kill people but still eat kosher etc. There was an early gangster called Monk Eastman who was said to be jewish also. I wouldn't mind seeing a film based off him but theres probably not enough info on him. A muslim gangster film would be interesting too but ive never heard of muslim gangsters back then in the U.S.
@bhoywonder8892: Joe Pesci is the mob boss asks "the kids' to put in work, which he describes as "kid stuff" on a man whom he introduces as a close friend..
Leone's depiction of these gangsters was meant to be gross and nasty. These are people who are not meant to be nice, they are not heros, they are not role models there is nothing good about thrm and the world they inhabit. These scene involving the babies and the R of Debra shows to me why these monster deserved everything they got in the end. Im glad noodles didnt die in the end as death would have been too easy. Instead he is left a broken, old, lonely man with nothing but memories and regrets. I think both the Debra scene and the baby scene are equally atrocious.
I wouldn't call it the most disturbing scene in the movie, but I definitely agree that it seemed like a very cruel and evil thing to do, even when compared to the other deplorable acts in the film. I was surprised at how quickly it was swept under the rug when I first saw the movie. Like, it doesn't become a crucial part of the rest of the plot. They randomly switched up children and gave them to random parents and it's never really mentioned again, if my memory serves.
@@AbdulGabagool83I agree. I don’t think it’s ever addressed again because it shows how sociopathic the gangsters are. Drastically and probably for the worse they are altering kids lives. And they don’t even give enough of a shit to think about it again.
I can't help but think perhaps they might have saved a life or two. You're just assuming their life might have been bad. I believe, or hope they would of got better parents. And the parents, blessed with child lives got better too. Kids brighten a parents life too.
The rape of Debrah I watched when I was 12 and it did a real number on me. The other one, by the robbers with the line up later, I just did not understand
unrelated to this video but I was just thinking why Michael Franzese says his favorite mob movie is Gotti 1996 and I realized its because it doesn't really criticize mob guys and their ugly character, and how they have no values or principles, it actually ends up by doing whataboutism about how John Gotti isn't even that bad, because there are politicians and way more powerful people that are way worse, and Franzese loves it because he can tell himself he's not so bad, its like if someone who murdered 30 people points at someone who murdered a thousand people and be like "I'm not so bad, there's way worse"
I've only ever seen the 3 hour version and I must admit, I found it a little hard to follow even though I enjoyed it. I dunno if anyone else agrees with me but I felt that the ending seemed a little disconnected from the beginning of the film, purely because of the length of the movie. I'm not sure if a 6 hour version would be easier to follow or more confusing to me 😂
If that scene disturbed you consider that the Catholic church in Spain did essentially the same thing to 10s of 1000s of kids over several decades. For me the most disturbing scene was when the kid brought a pastry to barter for sex and then ravaged the pastry as he was too impulsive. That summed up all the actions of the gangsters in the movie.
That scene with the pastry is one of the best in film history imo, also in Ireland the Catholic Church ruined the lives of thousands of mothers and babies in a scheme called the Magdalene Laundries where unmarried mothers would be sent to these “mother and baby homes” run by nuns where the mothers would be essentially treated like slaves and beaten and the babies would get sold to rich families around the world and this went on up until like the 1980s so isn’t ancient history at all which is probably the most disturbing thing. A few years ago too a septic tank was found at one of the homes with the corpses of hundreds of babies inside. They’re actually making a movie about that horrific part of our history starring Cillian Murphy this year called All These Small Things or something like that
baby switching contributes to the theme of shifting identities. Noodles become 'Robert Williams', and Max becomes 'Mr. Bailey'. All their identities got switched in their pursuit of greed and flight from fear.
I saw this film on HBO when I was 12...that one scene was so disturbing to me that it made me sick. It's the one scene that I skip whenever I watch it.
@2:02 the tall apartment building in the background looks out of place when that action is set. Public housing projects like that (now run by NYCHA) were built post-WWII, initially intended for returning GI’s. In the Prohibition era, Manhattan’s Lower East Side would’ve been all 6 story walk up tenements.
I think this highlights one of the major messages of this film. Your actions in life cannot be erased. What’s done is done and you live with your decisions. This is not fate but the result of your life. This scene shows how the characters play with children’s fate. It never sat right with me and showed how cold these characters are in playing up to the role of fate, something I consider counter to the message of the film . I do consider this a line that stood out to me. My belief is Leone wanted this to be a reprehensible line and I’m impressed someone else is highlighting what is quite a powerful message in the film.
The cutting of the film reminds me of Erich Von Stroheim,s Greed ( 1924 ) . It suffered the same fate and we were left with a two hour truncated version.
This scene/sequence never disturbed me thematically, thematically it fits in - but it does disturb the whole 3hr+ film in that it was filmed more as if it was on the production of "Johnny Dangerously" and not a serious movie. It's out of place; that's more disturbing.
Greatest movie about the prohibition era mob and even more unique about the Jewish mob. The level of brutality and depravity has never been matched even by Scorsese, who even though more realistic still made his gangsters likeable working class types.
Well there is a mitigating fact to consider. "Intent". The gang didn't intend to mix the babies, it was a mistake. Yeah, they were cynical their humor, but they are steeped in cynicism from birth. For me, the toughest, most brutal scene that I've ever watched was the beat down that Bugsy's gang gave the Lads. That scene makes every bit of the ol' ultra-violence in " A Clockwork Orange " seem like a Disney film in comparison.
I did feel the same thing, when I saw this I imagined a whole group of children mixed up, I wonder if this happened in real life in one form or another
The switching of the babies is less disturbing because of the way it's directed. It's playful, comedic, farcical. The viewer isn't encouraged to feel uncomfortable, like in Deborah's rape, but to laugh along, perhaps even to whistle along.
It's conversations like this that make me love Once Upon A Time in America so much and think that it's arguably the greatest gangster film ever made. In my opinion, this is the only gangster film that doesn't bother trying to glorify the main characters and in fact goes lengths to vilify them, where other more notable gangster films try to make us sympathize with them at times. This movie is brutally cold and genuine, and that's what makes it absolutely incredible.
Yep, I also found that scene to be the most disturbing, to think that all those babies would go to the wrong parents. What made it even more disturbing was that the mood of the scene from start to conclusion makes you think it was supposed to be humorous. It left me feeling cold too.
I think that this was the intention of the director of the movie to let us see who they realy are and that ther is nothing good in the gangsters world. It was very disturbing.
I find a lot of scenes in this movie disturbing. The one with the babies is put in scene with such lightness and a comedic tone while it is quite bad, and that is messed up. Still, I find the r scene and scenes where people get killed more disturbing.
Thank you so much for another great analysis on one of the greatest movies ever made. I would like to hear your opinion about another scene. Why do you think Noodles is so cold to Fat Moe when they reunite after so many years? Fat Moe is so happy to see Noodles, offers him a drink and a place to sleep. But Noodles barely even acknowledges any of it. I've always wondered why and I'd like to know what you think. Good day!
As you explained at the beginning, the film was intended have been twice as long, which suggests most of the history of the characters was cut out, leaving their actions as adults cold and stark and somewhat unreasoned, hence the comments. Like trying to complete a jigsaw without all the pieces. What stood out for me is that De Niro must hold the All-time record for how long it takes to stir a cup of tea...
The rape scene in the car is the most disturbing scene in the history of cinema let alone this film. I remember physically wanting to pull De Niros character away - I felt heartbroken that a character I’d invested so much emotion in would do such a thing.
Deborah was never about purity. She was always a tease and ambitious as hell. Noodles tells her, 'you and Max are alike. That's why you hate each other'. Debbie is a go-getter, a gangster in her own way. Later, even knowing what Max did to his friends, she settles down with him cuz he got the money and power. And Noodles took her after she told him she's headed to the sin city of Hollywood. she wants to be where the money and action are.
Why do you think that? Genetics are real, impacting everything from health to personality traits to intelligence. If someone stole your baby and replaced it with a random one, would that be your response?
Honestly i think it is Not so Bad, in the end These Babys have no Personality yet so it technically Dienst matter of it is your Child, important is how it is raised
Release the 6 hour cut!
Ditto!!
sweet lord have mercy, that would be orgasmic!!!!!
You're not alone, I consider this to be at least one of the most disturbing scenes in the movie too.
You're not overreacting at all. "Gangsters" are the most despicable people that exist. But the wonderful films made in their name can sometimes make us forget.
There are people more despicable than them but I agree that they shouldn't be glorified as much as they are in American media.
The gang and the government are no different.
@@stwargis21 What's more despicable than rape, murder and human trafficking?
@@lowandodor1150 They are very different.
Gangsters are a lot more noble than you make out. Especially the old mafia families who are nowhere near as bad as governments, drug gangs and just modern day street gangs, they had morals and looked out for their communities
The baby switch bothered me too. Some of the mothers will know right away they have the wrong baby and will know what theirs looked like. Though some might be mixed up forever sense they didn't take reference photos or finger print them. They did though weigh all the babies which would also help ID them.
Nah. The weight fluctuates too often with babies. They are off every hour. Won't help.
@@gioluvs1893 Damn
Think about it. America itself has always done exactly what those gangsters did in this film, just on a much larger scale to far more children and families. If you don't believe it feel free to read some history. That scene could be a metaphor for American society as a whole. During an interview about his film "Heat" some years back, Micheal Mann said that gangsters often deeply love their families, especially their children but they couldn't care less about your children or families or about mine. Because at their heart, many of them are sociopaths. I think Sergio Leone was saying something similar here.
My man, I think, made a reference to Gaspar Noe. He mentioned the word, "Irreversible " mentioning that hard to watch rape scene which is really hard to watch. Frankly I cannot stomach that one.
Yeah, I caught that too
Oh man, I remember how it shocked me when I watched the movie for the first time as a kid with my dad back in 90s. My parents were not particullary strict so I had a chance to see some really violent movies as a child, but it's those type of scenes that always affected me the most. I just felt nothing but hate towards those characters for doing that. Intentionally or not, this scene was really effective in it's unglamourous portrayal of what gangsters really are - sick violent sociopaths who see no value in human life.
I fully understood the production of the film but after several watches over and over I found it unsatisfying. Great production and covers decades - the end was disturbing and haunting. B-
Ha, I agree. I can’t consider this the faultless masterpiece others say. I love Leone but this is probably 4th in my personal list of his films. A beautiful film, expertly made, but not the best.
Once Upon A Time In the West is preferred Leone movie.
this movie did a great job of showing how soulless and empty and inhuman Gangsters really are, and they usually don't come off that way, not even IRL because a lot of the high ranking ones that become Capo/Captain, they have to have Charisma and a level of likability to reach those heights, but behind that facade, there's an empty vessel, a shell of a man, and this movie does a great job focusing on that
Great video, super underrated movie. Loved how scummy all the gangster characters are, no sugarcoating about "honor" and "codes" like The Godfather, the baby swapping scene is the perfect example. Any thoughts on where Noodles was all those years besides going to bed early?
Buffalo, NY
Such is life, my friend
This movie was a masterpiece. It was pretty brutal though. And I mean it doesn't hold back. A lot of disturbing scenes. But it's a damn good movie.
I haven't seen this video yet, but I know the EXACT scene that popped into my head when I saw the title😂
It's sick and unfair. At the same time the movie makes a point about how unfair life is. How the fate of a baby is determinated for a significant part by the family you are born in.
That scene was indeed very disturbing in so many levels. It was a major crime against humanity and unfortunately as mentioned in one of the comments, it happened in Spain for several decades.
I think the whole movie was absolutely brilliant!!! 😇
I thought this was the most disturbing scene. It’s kind of frightening to think about that four slimy criminals were in a seedy room together dictating the lives of newborn babies.
I agree totally. There’s no one to root for in this movie. No protagonist
But i did like the way the limo driver made it clear to noodles that he was complete scum, and he kinda insinuated that noodles knew he screwed up.
I never knew this was a disturbing movie. Thanks. I have to watch it
Not “most” disturbing but damn sure horrifying.
4:43 the "cab workers"? I believe the term you're looking for is SCAB workers.
This film would be cancelled if made today. Well, it wouldn't even get made today.
A truly great movie! A classic American movie and a classic mob movie! Still on my list of important, must see, films!
The heart ache and sadness is there throughout; and is itself a sort of character...
I'm still trying to get my wife to sit for the whole thing!
Very disturbing scene. as a parent it makes me sick to my stomach to think about this
Sergio Leone appeared in this film, like Hitchcock's cameos, as the station agent selling Noodles the ticket to Buffalo. Such an excellent, sad movie...
That’s wasn’t Leone
Great Movie but quite disturbing scenes…………especially the switched at birth scene.
You're not alone in this. I mean, this movie has its share of griminess. Messing up so many lives so casually and laughing about is diabolical. These guys are the scum of the Earth. If they wanted to extort the commissioner, they could have done so by switching just one kid and making sure they send them back to their parents once the guy caves.
It's one of several messed-up scenes in that movie - and is a very cruel and evil thing to do, just as messed-up as the rape scene even though the latter is more confronting - but remember, the protagonists are very bad people. Having said that, you are not overreacting, even most gangsters would no doubt be disgusted, if not horrified at the idea of ruining the lives of the wholly innocent the way Max, Noodles et al did with those poor babies.
There were scumbags.
The director cut is best crime movies ever!!!
Huh. I thought this video would have been exactly the other way around, the rape scene swapped for the baby-switch scenes
They were scumbags. Where's the surprise
The failure of this film, in my opinion, is that the main character is unlikeable
Totally agree!
William Forsyth was fuckin insane in this movie.
UNA OBRA DE ARTE
Guess what Chuckles that happens every day in family court and no one gives a damn!
The first scene that shocked me was when the gang decide to lose thier virginity to Debra(?) when they were still kids.
Noodles is not a good person, at the same time he had to endure horrible things in prison when he was incarcerated for 12 years.
U should do something on narcos especially the 1st season
The whole movie was dark, disturbing and depressing wasnt fun to watch at all
Ye that turned my stomach.
That's the DCYF. Maybe that's the idea that formed them. Some asshole saw this movie.
Clickbait here.
I see your point. But no. It's still the rape.
The jewish mob always interested me. I always enjoy the mix between religion and organised crime. Because most mob films are Italian or irish so it usually has Catholic elements. I was born catholic (now agnostic) so it related to me. I wish this film had shown more about Judaism and jewish gangs. Stuff like they will kill people but still eat kosher etc. There was an early gangster called Monk Eastman who was said to be jewish also. I wouldn't mind seeing a film based off him but theres probably not enough info on him. A muslim gangster film would be interesting too but ive never heard of muslim gangsters back then in the U.S.
Eh, you’re not wrong
Joe pesci isnt in this movie
You should rewatch it. He has a very small part
Yes he is
@bhoywonder8892: Joe Pesci is the mob boss asks "the kids' to put in work, which he describes as "kid stuff" on a man whom he introduces as a close friend..
Leone's depiction of these gangsters was meant to be gross and nasty. These are people who are not meant to be nice, they are not heros, they are not role models there is nothing good about thrm and the world they inhabit. These scene involving the babies and the R of Debra shows to me why these monster deserved everything they got in the end. Im glad noodles didnt die in the end as death would have been too easy. Instead he is left a broken, old, lonely man with nothing but memories and regrets. I think both the Debra scene and the baby scene are equally atrocious.
Max didn't really get what he deserved. He lived the life he wanted.
@@user-ik4kh9lt6dthe 1968 scenes are an opium dream . Max is dead
I wouldn't call it the most disturbing scene in the movie, but I definitely agree that it seemed like a very cruel and evil thing to do, even when compared to the other deplorable acts in the film. I was surprised at how quickly it was swept under the rug when I first saw the movie. Like, it doesn't become a crucial part of the rest of the plot. They randomly switched up children and gave them to random parents and it's never really mentioned again, if my memory serves.
Eh but why would it be mentioned. Criminals do evil stuff nonchalantly all the time
@@AbdulGabagool83I agree. I don’t think it’s ever addressed again because it shows how sociopathic the gangsters are. Drastically and probably for the worse they are altering kids lives. And they don’t even give enough of a shit to think about it again.
I can't help but think perhaps they might have saved a life or two. You're just assuming their life might have been bad. I believe, or hope they would of got better parents. And the parents, blessed with child lives got better too. Kids brighten a parents life too.
This makes no sense. All of the new parents had children--their OWN children@@ButtersCCookie
As the scene is fucked up... The rape scene is far more fucked
Thank you!!
The rape of Debrah I watched when I was 12 and it did a real number on me.
The other one, by the robbers with the line up later, I just did not understand
The scene itself isn't fucked up (the baby switch scene I'm talking about) but the idea of it is beyond fucked up.
It is harsh, definitely, but the rape scene in the car with the driver half-watching, disgusted, but doing nothing to intervene, is definitely worse.
The driver did pull over , and pull noodles off Deborah. The driver was intimidated. A deleted scene previous to the date shows this
unrelated to this video but I was just thinking why Michael Franzese says his favorite mob movie is Gotti 1996 and I realized its because it doesn't really criticize mob guys and their ugly character, and how they have no values or principles, it actually ends up by doing whataboutism about how John Gotti isn't even that bad, because there are politicians and way more powerful people that are way worse, and Franzese loves it because he can tell himself he's not so bad, its like if someone who murdered 30 people points at someone who murdered a thousand people and be like "I'm not so bad, there's way worse"
Very perceptive comment.
I was sure you were referring to the odd garbage truck scene, but the child swapping was right up there.
I want to see the 6 hour two part cut of this film.
I've only ever seen the 3 hour version and I must admit, I found it a little hard to follow even though I enjoyed it. I dunno if anyone else agrees with me but I felt that the ending seemed a little disconnected from the beginning of the film, purely because of the length of the movie. I'm not sure if a 6 hour version would be easier to follow or more confusing to me 😂
One of the few films that teaches you to never root for the main character. Great video, man!
If that scene disturbed you consider that the Catholic church in Spain did essentially the same thing to 10s of 1000s of kids over several decades.
For me the most disturbing scene was when the kid brought a pastry to barter for sex and then ravaged the pastry as he was too impulsive. That summed up all the actions of the gangsters in the movie.
That scene with the pastry is one of the best in film history imo, also in Ireland the Catholic Church ruined the lives of thousands of mothers and babies in a scheme called the Magdalene Laundries where unmarried mothers would be sent to these “mother and baby homes” run by nuns where the mothers would be essentially treated like slaves and beaten and the babies would get sold to rich families around the world and this went on up until like the 1980s so isn’t ancient history at all which is probably the most disturbing thing. A few years ago too a septic tank was found at one of the homes with the corpses of hundreds of babies inside. They’re actually making a movie about that horrific part of our history starring Cillian Murphy this year called All These Small Things or something like that
baby switching contributes to the theme of shifting identities. Noodles become 'Robert Williams', and Max becomes 'Mr. Bailey'. All their identities got switched in their pursuit of greed and flight from fear.
I saw this film on HBO when I was 12...that one scene was so disturbing to me that it made me sick. It's the one scene that I skip whenever I watch it.
@2:02 the tall apartment building in the background looks out of place when that action is set. Public housing projects like that (now run by NYCHA) were built post-WWII, initially intended for returning GI’s. In the Prohibition era, Manhattan’s Lower East Side would’ve been all 6 story walk up tenements.
Noticed that the first time I saw the film, kinda broke the 4th wall for me.
Just noticed that in this vid
I have the opportunity to see the 3hr 49min cut at my local theater in 35mm this Friday... I've never seen it. Do I go?
I think this highlights one of the major messages of this film. Your actions in life cannot be erased. What’s done is done and you live with your decisions. This is not fate but the result of your life.
This scene shows how the characters play with children’s fate. It never sat right with me and showed how cold these characters are in playing up to the role of fate, something I consider counter to the message of the film . I do consider this a line that stood out to me. My belief is Leone wanted this to be a reprehensible line and I’m impressed someone else is highlighting what is quite a powerful message in the film.
The cutting of the film reminds me of Erich Von Stroheim,s Greed ( 1924 ) . It suffered the same fate and we were left with a two hour truncated version.
This scene/sequence never disturbed me thematically, thematically it fits in - but it does disturb the whole 3hr+ film in that it was filmed more as if it was on the production of "Johnny Dangerously" and not a serious movie. It's out of place; that's more disturbing.
Greatest movie about the prohibition era mob and even more unique about the Jewish mob.
The level of brutality and depravity has never been matched even by Scorsese, who even though more realistic still made his gangsters likeable working class types.
Well, it's a hot take considering there is murder and rape in the film.
Yeah man I would have lost my mind if my kid had been switched.
Well there is a mitigating fact to consider. "Intent". The gang didn't intend to mix the babies, it was a mistake. Yeah, they were cynical their humor, but they are steeped in cynicism from birth.
For me, the toughest, most brutal scene that I've ever watched was the beat down that Bugsy's gang gave the Lads. That scene makes every bit of the ol' ultra-violence in " A Clockwork Orange " seem like a Disney film in comparison.
I did feel the same thing, when I saw this I imagined a whole group of children mixed up, I wonder if this happened in real life in one form or another
For me the most disturbing scene is actually in the scene you mention but you failed to mention it. Showing a baby’s genitals
The switching of the babies is less disturbing because of the way it's directed. It's playful, comedic, farcical. The viewer isn't encouraged to feel uncomfortable, like in Deborah's rape, but to laugh along, perhaps even to whistle along.
It's conversations like this that make me love Once Upon A Time in America so much and think that it's arguably the greatest gangster film ever made. In my opinion, this is the only gangster film that doesn't bother trying to glorify the main characters and in fact goes lengths to vilify them, where other more notable gangster films try to make us sympathize with them at times. This movie is brutally cold and genuine, and that's what makes it absolutely incredible.
Yep, I also found that scene to be the most disturbing, to think that all those babies would go to the wrong parents. What made it even more disturbing was that the mood of the scene from start to conclusion makes you think it was supposed to be humorous. It left me feeling cold too.
I think that this was the intention of the director of the movie to let us see who they realy are and that ther is nothing good in the gangsters world. It was very disturbing.
This film is the most brutal gangster movie I’ve ever scene
I thought the same thing.
Deborah was a tease.
Noodles I slipped
I find a lot of scenes in this movie disturbing. The one with the babies is put in scene with such lightness and a comedic tone while it is quite bad, and that is messed up. Still, I find the r scene and scenes where people get killed more disturbing.
Thank you so much for another great analysis on one of the greatest movies ever made. I would like to hear your opinion about another scene.
Why do you think Noodles is so cold to Fat Moe when they reunite after so many years?
Fat Moe is so happy to see Noodles, offers him a drink and a place to sleep. But Noodles barely even acknowledges any of it.
I've always wondered why and I'd like to know what you think.
Good day!
As you explained at the beginning, the film was intended have been twice as long, which suggests most of the history of the characters was cut out, leaving their actions as adults cold and stark and somewhat unreasoned, hence the comments. Like trying to complete a jigsaw without all the pieces. What stood out for me is that De Niro must hold the All-time record for how long it takes to stir a cup of tea...
Great video, thanks, I'll watch that classic movie again. An interesting aspect is the characters are Jewish not Italian, more accurate for Manhattan.
Based on the 1952 book "The Hoods" by Harry Grey aka Hershel Goldberg? Noodles the Shiv!
Nah man, you ain't overreacting. First time I saw the film, it disturbed me more than Noodles' monstrous lust.
This is one if thecweakest scenes in the film.
The most powerful is the scene donnlminated by silence atvthe mausoleum.
Why do you keep pronouncing his name lee-own, it's pronounced Lee-own-nee.
Great vid. Great point about the overall scumminess of movie
The rape scene in the car is the most disturbing scene in the history of cinema let alone this film. I remember physically wanting to pull De Niros character away - I felt heartbroken that a character I’d invested so much emotion in would do such a thing.
That was their lowest act.
Another favourite
Is there not a scene with a bin truck at the end where Noodles get's dumped...?
Its cold but not the most disturbing. The casual sex an adult had with a child is the most disturbing then the actual rape scenes
Deborah was never about purity. She was always a tease and ambitious as hell. Noodles tells her, 'you and Max are alike. That's why you hate each other'. Debbie is a go-getter, a gangster in her own way. Later, even knowing what Max did to his friends, she settles down with him cuz he got the money and power.
And Noodles took her after she told him she's headed to the sin city of Hollywood. she wants to be where the money and action are.
This movie was wayyyyy too long brah. I watched it on Netflix one time and it was four hours long
There's an unreleased 6 hour version.
Terrible film
Would the "ovarian lottery" have been more just? Random chance is random chance to those born in the gutter. Why them? Why anyone?
The rape scene ruined the movie.
I think you mean made the movie better
Meh.
A baby's a baby. Their actual births are random anyway.
Why do you think that? Genetics are real, impacting everything from health to personality traits to intelligence. If someone stole your baby and replaced it with a random one, would that be your response?
Honestly i think it is Not so Bad, in the end These Babys have no Personality yet so it technically Dienst matter of it is your Child, important is how it is raised