Program Note

On January 1, 1985, *Once Upon a Time in America* was first released worldwide. For 35 years since its debut, it has been hailed by cinephiles as one of the greatest films of all time. A legendary masterpiece with as many versions as stories told about it, this epic begins during Prohibition, travels through the 1930s and 1960s, and returns to the 1920s. It is the final film by director Sergio Leone and a pivotal work that marked a high point in the career of composer Ennio Morricone.

Morricone’s music is a powerful force behind the film’s tragic tale of love, friendship, and the shattered American Dream. It elevates the journey of Jewish gangsters from the slums of New York, distinguishing this film from any other gangster movie. (MAENG Soo-jin)

Director

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  • Sergio Leone
  • Sergio Leone is renowned for creating the "Spaghetti Western" — a new genre that reimagined classic Hollywood Westerns through a uniquely European lens in both theme and style.