A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan 35 years later, where he must once again confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.
Williamsburg Bridge, Pitt Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan Community Board 3, Manhattan, New York County, City of New York, New York, 10002, United States of America
Gare du Nord (RER), Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, Grange aux Belles, Paris 10e Arrondissement, Paris, Île-de-France, France métropolitaine, 75010, France
Scene: (as New York's Grand Central Station in 1930's flashback scene)
Manhattan Bridge, East Broadway, Two Bridges, Manhattan Community Board 3, Manhattan, New York County, City of New York, New York, 10002, United States of America
Bellagio Porto turistico, Via Eugenio Vitali, Pescallo, Bellagio, Como, Lombardia, 22021, Italia
373, Jersey Avenue, Spring Lake, Monmouth County, New Jersey, 07762, United States of America
Scene: (Beach scene after Noodles rapes Deborah)
Grandate
New Jersey
Florida
Lierna
Sergio Leone’s sprawling gangster elegy spans decades of New York’s Jewish underworld – and gave cinema one of its most famous images: the boys of the Lower East Side framed against the Manhattan Bridge. Much of it was shot on location in New York, with grand interiors built at Rome’s Cinecitta.
Where was Once Upon a Time in America filmed?
Once Upon a Time in America was filmed in New York – Brooklyn and the Lower East Side – and at Cinecitta Studios in Rome.
Every Once Upon a Time in America location, explained
1
The Manhattan Bridge shot – DUMBO
The film’s iconic image, the bridge looming over the street, was shot on Washington Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn.
2
The Lower East Side
The young gang’s world used the Lower East Side and the bridges of New York, including the Williamsburg Bridge.
3
Cinecitta – the interiors
Many lavish interiors were built at Cinecitta Studios in Rome, Leone’s home base.
4
Beyond New York
Additional scenes reached to other US and European locations for the decades-spanning story.
Planning a visit
DUMBO in Brooklyn – where Washington Street frames the Manhattan Bridge – is the film’s most famous, and most photographed, real location, an easy stop in New York.
Once Upon a Time in America Fun Facts
1
The bridge shot is legendary The image of the boys beneath the Manhattan Bridge, shot in DUMBO, is one of cinema’s most reproduced.
2
Rome built the interiors Grand interiors were constructed at Cinecitta Studios in Rome.
3
Leone's final film It was the last film directed by the great Sergio Leone.
4
Butchered on first release The US version was drastically cut and re-edited, to Leone’s dismay, before the full cut was restored.
5
A decades-spanning epic The film weaves between the 1920s, 30s and 60s in its elegiac structure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the famous bridge shot?
On Washington Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn, framing the Manhattan Bridge.
Can you visit the locations?
Yes – DUMBO in Brooklyn is a popular, photogenic spot.
Who directed Once Upon a Time in America?
Sergio Leone, in his final film.
Was the film cut on release?
Yes – the US version was heavily re-edited before Leone’s full cut was restored.
