Once Upon A Time In The West

[LordSlaytan]

I would like to see what the great patrons of the world of MoFo think of this exceptional piece of Movie Artistry. Do you like, love, hate, this story? Was the acting under, above par? What about the score? Do you like the creator/director?
I know it's an old movie, older than most of the MoFo's, (I was 1yr old when it was released) but it's a legend IMHO, and if you haven't seen it yet, rent it. Especially if you are an admirer of the western genre.
So let's hear it!

[Holden Pike]

Click on my favortie movies popcorn icon to see how highly I regard this film. It is Leone's masterpiece, the most poetic of the Revisionist Westerns (even more than Peckinpah's masterpiece The Wild Bunch), and simply a magnificent flick. Great iconic characters, perfectly humanized by the wonderful cast, another magnificent Morricone score, flawless images, a welcome sense of humor and an operatic style, simultaneously poking fun at and reverentially expanding the genre.

And until you've seen it on the big screen - or at least letterboxed (still only on LaserDisc here in North America - sorry, chumps!), you really haven't seen it at all. One of the many beautiful visual tour de force feasts that is totally ruined when cropped for fu*king panning and scanning. Nobody has ever composed a cinemascope frame like Sergio Leone, and to edit it for cramming into a TV-shaped square is high movie sacrilige.


To sum up: I kinda like Once Upon A Time in the West.

[LordSlaytan]

Build me a body like Kurt Russel, a face like Brad Pitt, and an eloquent tounge like Sir Holden of Pike, then I might get laid more than once a month...:D

You hit the nail on the head Mr. Pike, this is easily my favorite western of all time. I love the "Dollars" trilogy, but this takes the cake.

I think Bronson is at his best in this film, Robards can't get much better, and Fonda...if anyone ever thought that he couldn't pull it off...well then, they were eating crow for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

Is it Leone's macterpiece? Yeah Skippy! One of my favorite things about this movie is the score. I love that the four main characters have their own set musical piece. I love the use of close-ups that Leone used in the movie. Is there any other movie using a close up of Henry Fonda's eyes, any more powerful? I think not!

I love this movie. Thanks Holden, I really wanted your response to this thread...I knew you would be an admirer of this film, and have something constructive to say about it. :yup:

Now all we need are some more MoFo's to chime in! C'mon Yoda and The Bullet, let's hear what you've got to say!

[linespalsy]

well, i'm neither yoda nor the bullet, but i have seen this movie, and as far as westerns go, this is second only to high noon in terms of story (cowritten by dario "dawn of the dead" argento) and characters (though as holden pike points out, it's more comparable to the likes of the wild bunch or leone's other westerns.) the soundtrack is what you'd expect from ennio morricone, excellent. the acting is decent, bronson's not quite clint, but he's up to snuff, and henry fonda has to be one of the coolest blue-eyed butchers around, great villain.

[Deckard]

The word "Epic" was invented to describe this film and it'sdirector's vision. One of the finest cinema artist took the mostly American genre of Western and created it's Opus.

Huge in scale the cinematography is jaw dropping and much like Kurosawa and Hitchcock the camera does a lot of the talking. The score by the legendary Ennino Morricone is superb and totally take the film to a surreal place whereyou feel somewhat detached from reality.

The story bears a resemblance to the Nick Ray anti western JOHNNY GUITAR starring Sterling Hayden. Where as that went for minimalistic scale this embraces the grand scope of the landscape while maintaining an aura of clastophobia.

The cast are as good as it gets with Henry Fonda playing against type and creating one of the screens most memorable villians. Charles Bronson and jason Robards also stay in the mind as career highs. All teh cast to an amazing job of recreating an era now dead.

this really is cinema history and a one of the best westerns ever made, if not #1.

[bob13bob]

i saw this today. it's amazing, much much better than good,bad,ugly, which I didn't like all that much. And Bronson, is perfect in the role, I can't imagine any one being better. Being a Tarantino fan, it was nice to see where some of his inspiration came from. All of the four main roles acting was good.

[Swan]

Oh yeah.

[Iroquois]

Hell of a thread to bump, but whatever. Also put me in the "love" camp.

[tramp]

Me, too. Even wrote a paper on it in college. We were supposed to write a paper about a film and I picked this.... when the Professor graded it, he handed it back and exclaimed, "this is one of my favorite films! Good choice!"

I first watched it because of Bronson -- I was a huge fan as a kid -- but after watching it, it felt like a life-changing experience. Its one of the those films that makes you realize how much you love film... and myth... and story....

Leone's love for the western comes through in every image. And like Holden said, at the same time poking fun. Great movie.

[rufnek]

I've never been that enamored with Italian (or any European) Westerns, although the people, sets, and background usually look more down and dirty like the real West likely was. I just get tired of everyone being a super-fast gun and trick-shot artist.
Fonda was good in the film, but then Fonda was always good in any film. I remember reading at the time the film came out that Fonda and Bronson were both critical of the female lead who I agree didn't add too much to it. I think Jason Robards was kinda of wasted in it--none of the characters were well developed and his least of all.
But I was most put off by Bronson, an actor of limited range and ability. Truth to tell, Fonda, Robards, and Bronson were all too old for their roles, although they did a hell of a make-up job on Fonda. And the musical score was a case where less would have been more.

[beelzebubbles]

It is highly over-rated and often unintentionally funny.

This fan video is the best thing to come of it.

Warning it will spoil the ending.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pyp34v6Lmcc

I must say in Claudia Cardinale's defense that she was more natural and far less histrionic than any of her fellow Italian thespians. Most of them acted like they were on the stage of La Scala doing the mad scene of Lucia di Lammermoor.

[Tacitus]

I can only think of a handful of finer films.

The zenith of its (sub) genre. Simples. :)

[adidasss]

Yeah, I saw it some time last year and was blown away by it. So much so that I'm kinda depressed that I saw what is probably the best western when I've just started to explore the genre. There's plenty of things to love about it, as a predominantly visual person, of course I was most impressed with the HUGE shots but it also features one of the most impressive sound designs I've heard which brings an unprecedented tension to the film. Anyways, I honestly can't see anything topping it, but did mean to ask this in the western thread, if anyone can suggest something that is at least near in quality, please do (I also loved 3:10 to Yuma and The wild bunch).

[Tacitus]

The original 3:10 to Yuma or the Jim Mangold remake, adi?

If we're talking Spaghetti Westerns then the only others I can suggest with the quality of OUATITW are also by Sergio Leone, namely the Dollars Trilogy and Duck, You Sucker.

You're spoilt for choice with the more traditional Western and I'm sure there are tons of options in the dedicated threads but I'd go for The Searchers, Tie A Yellow Ribbon, High Noon, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Ride The High Country and possibly How The West Was Won, which is epic in scope if nothing else.

From out of left field (and really far left because it ain't even a Western :D) what about Leone's Once Upon A Time in America? :)

[adidasss]

The original, of course, who do you take me for?...;)

I've seen The searchers (it was ok, but I didn't really dig the comedic interludes) and High noon (which I liked, but not nearly as much as 3:10 or OUATITW). I'm not really into the whole frontier mythology of cowboys vs. indians or lone gunmen fighting for a good cause so that may limit my choice. The ones I did really enjoy (like the aforementioned, as well as Rio Bravo) have something else going for them, either the cinematography (Once upon a time... and The wild bunch) or an unusual inversion of roles (3:10 which features a sort of anti-hero and an incredibly charismatic bad guy. High noon for example, did have a classic "got to do the right thing" western hero but had a very interesting and unusual script in that it focused on the overwhelming fear of pretty much everyone else). Rio Bravo I liked because it had 3 equally strong and charismatic leads which I'd say is another exception to the rule. I've also seen McCabe and Mrs. Miller which was another pretty interesting break from the western norm (Altman is a little too subdued for my tastes though).

I have The man who shot Liberty Valance on queue btw...;)

So, based on above information, does anyone have any further suggestions?

[Iroquois]

What about Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man?

[tramp]

I love the 3:10 to Yuma remake! I remember smiling when they were running to the train at the end because I was thinking how much I miss good westerns. (The music added so much to that scene.)

Adi -- move that The Man who Shot Liberty Valance DVD up in your queue. Great western. Look out for the line about "printing the myth" at the end. Wonderful.

Have you seen Red River? The Magnificient Seven? I also love The Outlaw Josey Wales and Pale Rider. You may not "like" the mythology behind these films, but maybe if you see them, you might?

[adidasss]

I haven't seen any of the aforementioned (I've seen the Seven samurai though, dunno how much that's gonna affect my enjoyment of the remake), so thanks guys, I'll be checking them out some time soon...(:

[Tacitus]

You've seen all the post-revisionist stuff like Unforgiven and Dances With Wolves, I take it? Then there are the modern 'Westerns' like Cop Land, Three Burials etc.

If you're searching for the pure operatic grandeur akin to OUATITW then you're only gonna get it with Leone, I think, with The Good, The Bad and The Ugly at the head of the queue.

[adidasss]

I've seen Unforgiven and Dances, but a long time ago. I guess I was looking for older films which...can appeal to us non-western fans? I guess that covers a lot of area. Nevermind, I'll keep checking out the classics in hopes of stumbling onto something like 3:10 to Yuma.

[mark f]

Little Big Man and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are my two fave westerns, and they aren't much like other westerns either.

[L .B . Jeffries]

Little Big Man and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are my two fave westerns, and they aren't much like other westerns either.

I second those two films and would like to add The Outlaw Josey Wales as a another recommendation.

[WSSlover]

Once Upon a Time in the West was enjoyable, but I liked The Good, The Bad and the Ugly better.

[JohnnyWest]

I found OUATITW to be a little too slowly paced for me. The opening scene seemed to take 3 months.
It was good, but I probably wont watch again.

[earlsmoviepicks]

I remember working a 300-person meeting in a big hotel ballroom. The night before, we were running computers to a big 40' screen for slide presentations, and I popped the DVD in for fun. Looked awesome up there. A couple of our bigshot clients walked in and I thought thats it, I'm fired. They sat down and made me rewind it and watched the entire thing! LOL. Love this movie.

[Lucas]

Maybe it's my lack of knowledge about the "western" film genre, but I didn't really like this film all that much. I mean the Morricone score is amazing as always, and the film is stunning visually. But it just seems cold and detached. Like there's sequences where for like 5-10 minutes, where the characters just stare at one another without saying a word.Again, not hating on this movie. But with all the praise and love it gets, I was expecting to Love it. As it stands Unforgiven is my favorite western I've seen yet.

[Guaporense]

Like there's sequences where for like 5-10 minutes, where the characters just stare at one another without saying a word.

That's where the magic of this film resides. The parts where there is stuff happening where the boring ones for me.

Again, not hating on this movie. But with all the praise and love it gets, I was expecting to Love it. As it stands Unforgiven is my favorite western I've seen yet.

Unforgiven is in my top 5 fav westerns, I guess the other 4 may be Leone's movies. Though I haven't watched the less famous spaghetti westerns.

[Mr Minio]

Leone is the master of suspense, so these 'boring' scenes are extremely exciting.

[BlueLion]

The music was wonderful for this movie (it's Morricone, after all) but I think the film itself could have been at least 30 minutes shorter. I really liked it but it had some boring parts too, unfortunately.

I think The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and For a Few Dollars More are both better.

[ironpony]

I saw the movie a couple of times now and just watched it again. I kind of like it, but what was wondering, why is the Cheyenne character, even in the movie? It seems to me that if you take him out, or combine him with the Harmonica character, it wouldn't have made any difference and he just seems like an unnecessary character. I also do not understand what his motivation was. He seems like a gang leader type, who all of a sudden decides he wants to build a railroad and gets his gang to help. Why?

I also do not quite understand why Jill, enjoyed sex with Frank so much, after what Frank has done. She may be so depressed that she needs to get laid but does she have to get laid that bad, to the point where she smiled throughout and everything? She really enjoyed it, so if she wants it that bad, why not get laid with Cheyenne instead of Frank, for example?

And why didn't Frank just shoot Harmonica when he had the chance, as oppose to making it a fair duel? This guy murders children, and has no problem with it, so why would he care about having some sort of code of honor, when it comes to grown men?

[Iroquois]

If Once Upon a Time in the West can be said to be about the Wild West was quote-unquote civilised by the expansion of railroads and such, then Cheyenne represents the Wild West that is about to die out - and he knows it, which is why he ultimately offers to help Jill out (and you can argue there's a more pragmatic reason in that he can make money more easily from the station than by continuing a life of crime that he ultimately proves too old to keep up considering that he gets captured multiple times and mortally wounded by the railroad tycoon near the end). He shares enough difference to Harmonica (who has a completely different motivation and is shown to be smarter than Cheyenne) that they can't simply be combined into one character, plus they share a good dynamic together anyway.

It's established that Jill used to be a sex worker before getting married so it makes sense that she'd put on a convincing enough act during sex with Frank, which even he acknowledges as nothing more than her attempt to "save her skin" after she has been targeted for death by the tycoon. That's why her next scene after that involves her trying to sell the land for cheap in order to get both Frank and the tycoon off her back.

As for Frank not killing Harmonica, I think it's not quite so much about honour as it is about solving the mystery of Harmonica's true identity, which is clearly gnawing away at Frank the whole time (and it is only once Harmonica reveals it to him that he finally dies). Harmonica certainly has quite a few chances to kill Frank before that point as well, but he doesn't take them either - take the scene where he keeps saving Frank from other gunslingers. He wants Frank to remember who he is first, and Frank wants to remember who he is as well.

[smithonepa]

So much so that I'm kinda depressed that I saw what is probably the best western when I've just started to explore the genre. There's plenty of things to love about it, as a predominantly visual person, of course I was most impressed with the HUGE shots but it also features one of the most impressive sound designs I've heard which brings an unprecedented tension to the film.

[ironpony]

If Once Upon a Time in the West can be said to be about the Wild West was quote-unquote civilised by the expansion of railroads and such, then Cheyenne represents the Wild West that is about to die out - and he knows it, which is why he ultimately offers to help Jill out (and you can argue there's a more pragmatic reason in that he can make money more easily from the station than by continuing a life of crime that he ultimately proves too old to keep up considering that he gets captured multiple times and mortally wounded by the railroad tycoon near the end). He shares enough difference to Harmonica (who has a completely different motivation and is shown to be smarter than Cheyenne) that they can't simply be combined into one character, plus they share a good dynamic together anyway.

It's established that Jill used to be a sex worker before getting married so it makes sense that she'd put on a convincing enough act during sex with Frank, which even he acknowledges as nothing more than her attempt to "save her skin" after she has been targeted for death by the tycoon. That's why her next scene after that involves her trying to sell the land for cheap in order to get both Frank and the tycoon off her back.

As for Frank not killing Harmonica, I think it's not quite so much about honour as it is about solving the mystery of Harmonica's true identity, which is clearly gnawing away at Frank the whole time (and it is only once Harmonica reveals it to him that he finally dies). Harmonica certainly has quite a few chances to kill Frank before that point as well, but he doesn't take them either - take the scene where he keeps saving Frank from other gunslingers. He wants Frank to remember who he is first, and Frank wants to remember who he is as well.


Oh okay, she actually really seemed to enjoy the sex so it fooled me too. As for putting on an act to save her skin, did she have to smile during the sex to save her skin. Couldn't she just look away during and not smile and Frank wouldn' thave killed her anyway? Does smiling during really make all the difference in if he was going to kill her or not?

As for Cheyenne being captured, didn't he agree to be captured to pay for Jill's property, so he was collusion in his own capture, rather than thinking he is too old for the West, because he got captured, didn't he?

That makes sense about Frank and Haromonica what you said.

[KeyserCorleone]

It's the first western movie I ever loved. I had seen plenty of others, but Once Upon a Time in the West was what got me into Sergio Leone.