Case Study - Once Upon a Time in America - Part 2

How Leone Establishes Genre

Scene 1:

The non-diegetic sound of" God Bless America" being played over the titles and in to the first few shots which Leone could be using to portray an ironic or critical view of the state of America, especially because the femme fatale is murdered with this song in the background. This song is also used at the end of "The Deer Hunter" (1978) and also signifies the poor state of which America is in as it is sung by all of the remaining characters after they have lost practically everything, could this be a message as the directors of both of these films are Italian. Could they be possibly be mocking America? Along with this soundtrack there are also footsteps being heard (diegetic sound) which establishes a sense of suspense, as the audience know that a character is moving somewhere, but they cannot see where or who, this sound anticipates the next scene. 

Leone uses chiaroscuro lighting (familiar with early noir thrillers) to show the dark nature of the thriller genre. Non-ambient lighting is used to full effect, creating a spotlight effect on the femme fatale character, showing that she is who the audience should be focusing on and also to highlight the fact that she is potentially a dangerous or vulnerable character. Although it is non-ambient it is done so well that it looks very natural or ambient, so the audience still get the feeling that it's a very real life situation which is what many thrillers use to create the fear and suspense. The tiffany lamp on the bedside table seems to blend with the skin tone of Eve, the lamp could be a visual metaphor for Eve herself representing the idea that she is an exquisite character but delicate at the same time.

The pearls that the femme fatale character is seen to be wearing could be used as a visual metaphor for tears, this gives the audience a sense of foreboding of what is about to happen (her immanent death) or perhaps some of the events that will happen later on in the film. Tears could represent different emotions, pain and suffering is the primary thought when a person is seen crying but the tears could also be attributed to happiness. In the thriller genre it is more likely to be the latter of the two as it is quite a dark genre. A very obvious prop that is seen early is the guns that the bent cops are using to threaten and kill the femme fatale (note that 'Eve' is not dangerous but vulnerable in this scene, appealing more to the weak and obidient depiction of women within film), this is a direct link to the thriller genre as guns are very often used in thriller films, especially because of the nature of violence and death. An example of the use of guns in the opening of a thriller would be in "Pulp Fiction" (1994) where the couple are seen in the cafe, robbing people of their wallets. Another prop or props that are used in this opening scene are the trilby's and overcoats worn by the cops, these are generic conventions for the thriller genre and are very often seen in the more classic thrillers as well as noir thrillers, usually featuring some sort of detective. The way that the bent cops are standing closely together and wearing similar attire suggests a bond, perhaps through work or maybe even on a personal level, and this bond is shown as strong by their presence amongst the mise en scene. These garments don't show the audience what the characters are wearing underneath, adding to the mystery of the character because the audience can't judge the characters nature from their initial appearance.

The low angle shot is used very often when the crooked cops are being shown, this is because this type of shot establishes a feeling of power, authority and their class amongst the other characters (that being higher due to the power they supposedly possess) therefore it allows the audience to immediately see who is in control and who the villains are. Close ups are also used frequently in the thriller genre, this is to portray the emotions that the characters are feeling with the help of facial expression and this helps to  make the audience feel connected to the characters.

Scene 2:
There is a quick cut to the second scene, Leone has done this to ensure that the suspense is not lost and the action is still fresh in the mind of the audience. This scene is made up of mostly, if not all, diegetic sound which helps to ground the audience as there are no exterior distractions from the dialogue, it also shows an importance to what is being said in the conversation between the cops and the victim regarding the named 'Noodles' character.

In this scene the most dominant shot types is definitely the close up shot, this is because of all the emotions going on with the victim being beaten and his life being threatened. These shots engage the audience, drawing them in by forming an emotional connection and they also establish the characters. During the conversation between the two characters there is a lot of shot reverse shot, this helps the audience to keep up with who is saying what and also to help the audience feel as though they are taking part in the conversation themselves. This technique is used a lot when filming conversations and it is quite a standard way of doing so, many films make use of the technique whether they are thrillers or not.

One thing that was prominent to me was that one of the cops, the one who seemed to be in charge, was wearing a chunky gold ring with a bull on which could have symbolised several things, perhaps his standing amongst the other cops or his belonging to a club or society? Whatever it meant it certainly seemed to have been made quite obvious so it must hold some value regarding the type of character that the cop will eventually be shown as.

Scene 3/4:
Again chiaroscuro lighting is used to further establish the genre, with dimly lit spaces hiding some shady characters. The non-diegetic sound of a phone appears within the head of the main character, 'Noodles, and this acts as a sound-bridge to the next scene meaning that it carries on through into the adjacent scene. The phone sound also creates a sound of mystery as the audience aren't clear as to where the phone is or who is calling, alongside this feeling of mystery there is also a sense of irritation as the repetition of the noise eventually becomes unbearable until the audience are begging for the phone to be picked up, therefore intriguing the viewers to see who is making the call.

After the cut to the next scene the audience are taken outside into a rainy night, a typical setting for a thriller. The rain makes the streets gleam which symbolises the genre perfectly and bears similarities to noir films and the lighting used in the urban scenes. The use of the rain depicts a gloomy and cold atmosphere, adding to the overall feel of the film and the link that Leone is trying to make to the genre, and while doing so it also adds a sense of darkness to the mise en scene.