Maps of Movies
Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Where Once Upon a Time in America says it takes place, and where it was really shot.
Almost none of the New York in this film is in New York: a Venice hotel, a Paris station, a Montreal prison and a Rome studio stand in for it
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Scenes and places
The Lower East Side streets of 1918 (1918)
In 1918, young David "Noodles" Aaronson leads a gang of three friends on small jobs for a local gangster. Max soon joins them, and the five become a crew.
Set in Lower East Side, Manhattan — The Jewish immigrant neighborhood where Noodles and his friends grow up. Google Maps · Apple Maps
The Manhattan Bridge view from this corner became the poster image.
Filmed at Washington Street and Water Street, DUMBO, Brooklyn (DUMBO, Brooklyn, New York, United States) — Several scenes were filmed in this area; the bridge view from this corner is on the film's poster. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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The Minaldi brothers
The gang meets the Minaldi brothers, and the meeting ends in a shootout.
Set in New York (location not stated) — The film's meeting and shootout with the Minaldi brothers; the place in the story is not given in the sources.
A small town in Quebec, far from New York, stands in for the scene.
Filmed at Louiseville, Quebec (Quebec, Louiseville, Canada) — The meeting and shootout with the Minaldi brothers were filmed in the town. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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The O'Donnell shooting
The gang protects Teamsters boss O'Donnell during a strike. The street scene around his shooting was filmed in Montreal.
Set in New York streets (location not stated) — The scene of the shooting of Jimmy O'Donnell, in the film's 1930s labor-strike storyline; no exact New York place is given in the sources.
A square in Old Montreal, beside the city's history center.
Filmed at Place d'Youville, Montreal (Old Montreal, Montreal, Canada) — The shooting of Jimmy O'Donnell was filmed here. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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New York interiors in Rome
Indoor scenes of the gang's 1920s and 1930s New York were built and shot in a Rome studio.
Set in New York interiors, 1920s and 1930s — The film's indoor New York scenes, with no single place in the story.
Europe's largest film studio, the center of Italian cinema.
Filmed at Cinecittà Studios, Rome (Cinecittà, Rome, Italy) — Interior scenes were filmed mostly here. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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Picking up Deborah
Noodles waits to pick up Deborah, whom he loves and who dreams of becoming a dancer.
Set in A theater, New York (location not stated) — The place where Noodles picks up Deborah; no exact New York place is given in the sources.
A historic Montreal hotel on Sherbrooke Street.
Filmed at Ritz-Carlton Montreal (Golden Square Mile, Montreal, Canada) — The scene where Noodles picks up Deborah was shot outside the hotel. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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The lavish date
Noodles takes Deborah on a lavish date. She tells him she plans to pursue a career in Hollywood.
Set in A lavish restaurant, New York (location not stated) — Where Noodles takes Deborah on a lavish date.
A grand hotel on the Lido, on the beach side of Venice.
Filmed at Hotel Excelsior, Lido, Venice (Lido, Venice, Italy) — The interiors of the lavish restaurant were shot here. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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Deborah's train
Deborah leaves the next day. Noodles tries to catch a glance of her on the train, but she avoids his eyes.
Set in Grand Central Terminal, New York — The station where Deborah leaves; Noodles tries to catch a glance of her on the train. Google Maps · Apple Maps
One of Europe's busiest stations, here dressed as New York.
Filmed at Gare du Nord, Paris (10th arrondissement, Paris, France) — The railway of Grand Central in the 1930s flashbacks was filmed here. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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The beach plan
With Prohibition repealed, the gang needs new work. Max suggests a heist on the New York Federal Reserve Bank, which Noodles judges too risky.
Set in A beach (location not stated) — Where Max unveils his plan after the repeal of Prohibition.
A pink hotel landmark on the Gulf of Mexico.
Filmed at The Don CeSar, St. Pete Beach, Florida (Florida, St. Pete Beach, United States) — The beach scene in which Max unveils his plan was shot here. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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The Federal Reserve Bank
The Federal Reserve Bank is the job Max wants. Noodles and Carol both think it is too risky.
Set in Federal Reserve Bank of New York — The target of Max's heist plan. Google Maps · Apple Maps
The real bank is a downtown Manhattan landmark; the film used a Montreal prison instead.
Filmed at Bordeaux Prison, Montreal (Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Montreal, Canada) — The exterior of the prison doubled for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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The 1968 mausoleum (1968)
In 1968, Noodles returns to Manhattan for the first time since the 1930s. He visits the mausoleum of his three friends in Riverdale and finds a key to a railway locker.
Set in Riverdale Cemetery, Bronx (fictional) — The cemetery in Riverdale where Noodles visits his friends' mausoleum and finds a key to a railway locker. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A large historic cemetery, one of New York's best known.
Filmed at Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx (Bronx, New York, United States) — The film's cemetery, renamed "Riverdale Cemetery", is actually here. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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Characters
- Noodles — David "Noodles" Aaronson, a Jewish boy from the Lower East Side who becomes a Prohibition-era gangster.
- Max — Noodles' friend and partner, who joins his gang in 1918.
- Deborah — Fat Moe's sister, who dreams of becoming a dancer.
- Carol — A jewelry employee who becomes Max's girlfriend.
Questions answered on the map
- Where was the lavish date in Once Upon a Time in America filmed?
- Where was Grand Central filmed in Once Upon a Time in America?
- What building played the Federal Reserve Bank in Once Upon a Time in America?