Once Upon a Time in the West

Rating:
Summary: GREATEST WESTERN EVER MADE.
Review: GREATEST WESTERN EVER MADE. THIS MOVIE SPORTS AN IMPRESSIVE CAST,. YOU WILL APPRECIATE WHAT A FANTASTIC BAD GUY HENRY FONDA PLAYS, WHAT A PRO. BUY THE TAPE YOU WILL WATCH IT OFTEN.

Rating:
Summary: Leone, the Artist
Review: If you thought Sergio Leone only made cheap spaghetti westerns, think again. This, his final western film, is an astounding mythological epic of an age long past. A stunning portrait of time and its passage, of the disappearing frontier and the dying breed of men that tamed it, of vengance and death, of the will to survive. The characters are painted in the broad strokes of archetypes, but are fully and movingly human. The complexity and depth of this film!! Not to mention an awesome, impressive score (surely one of Morricone's best). And the performances: Henry Fonda cast against type as one of the coldest killers on screen, Robards as the philosophical and humane butcher bandit, Cardinale as one of the toughest heorines you'll ever see, and Bronson as the quiet harmonica man. Words alone cannot describe this picture. Just to give you a little perspective, did you know that Leone started off directing "art house" cinema? This has got to be one of the classic westerns, ranking up there with "The Wild Bunch".

Rating:
Summary: One of the three best movies ever made
Review: I have to admit that I did not understand the story when I saw "Once upon a Time in the West" for the first time. I guess I was so overwhelmed by Morricone's music, which is simply incredibly beautiful, but also unbelievably violent. I've never heard a more chilling tune than "Man with the Harmonica", and even when I think of it now, I can feel a shiver creeping up my spine. Honestly, if I could I'd rate the music at 10 stars! Certainly enough, however, there's also great acting in this movie, and Sergio Leone has undoubtedly succeeded in creating some of the most memorable characters in the history of the Western genre. In this picture, Bronson and Robards are as good as ever, and Henry Fonda is the meanest creature he's ever played in a movie, but I was really wowed by the beauty of Claudia Cardinale. "Once upon a Time in the West" certainly deserves to be among the three best films ever made.

Rating:
Summary: STUNNING NEW TRANSFER OF A VISUAL MASTERPIECE!
Review: "One Upon A Time In The West" is Sergio Leone's epic spaghetti western that pits Charles Bronson - playing sort of the good guy - against evil incarnate, Henry Fonda - as the psychotic Frank. The murder of Claudia Cardinale's entire family at the beginning sets off this power keg of action, coupled with stunning cinematography and a methodical pacing, that only a director like Sergio Leone carry off without coming off as slow or contrived. This is the spaghetti western sublime.
TRANSFER: INCREDIBLE!!! Paramount Home Video gives us a gorgeous looking DVD. The anamorphic transfer is stunning! Colors are sumptuously rendered with the entire landscape a viceral sea of rich golds, burnt browns, deep blacks and wonderful sky blues. Contrast and black levels are bang on. There is no shimmering of fine details, pixelization or aliasing for a thoroughly smooth looking mastering effort. An extremely subtle hint of edge enhancement crops up now and then, but it is so incredibly minute that to even mention its presence seems grossly unfair. The audio is equally impressive. The 5.1 remastering effort brings forth a robust sound in all 5 channels, with a strong base and incredibly integrated sound field. Yes, dialogue is slightly forward sounding but hey, are you really going to complain about that? I wouldn't. Especially since the audio has been restored with zero hiss and the utmost clarity throughout.
EXTRAS: Here too, Paramount impresses. Three documentaries cover the film's development and release from all angles. There's also an audio commentary, the theatrical trailer and some other quickie stuff to maul over.
BOTTOM LINE: This is an absolute must for anyone who loves westerns, movies in general, or has forgotten why it is that North Americans have embraced the medium as their ever-lasting and totally unique art form. YES, can't say it enough, YES! YES! YES! YES!

Rating:
Summary: High Art as Spaghetti Western!
Review: Occasionally, one encounters an example of film, music, etc. which transcends its genre to become a major artistic achievement. "Once Upon a Time in the West" does exactly that. Director Sergio Leone did virtually nothing that he hadn't done in his string of prior westerns; this time he created a work of stunning beauty, riveting tension and dense emotional impact.

The bare bones outline of the story (written by Leone, Bernardo Bertoluci and Dario Argento) is almost a western cliche: unscrupulous railroad tycoon wants land owned by local homesteader and sends hired gunman to persuade him to vacate. Gunman kills homesteader but homesteader's widow, with help from locals, triumphs in the end. But reducing this movie to the above is like Woody Allen describing "War and Peace" as "about some Russians". Gabriele Ferzetti, as Morton (using crutches and wearing a neck brace) hires gunman Frank (Henry Fonda) to "clear away obstacles" as his railway extends. Fonda plays about the most chilling villain in movie history. Utterly amoral and with a sadistic element barely concealed by his coldness Frank murders an entire family (including the young son). When Morton later admonishes "I told you only to scare them" Frank answers matter of factly "People scare better when they're dyin'".

Opposing Morton and Frank are characters whose goodness lies well below layers of complexity. Widow Jill, played by Claudia Cardinale, is a former New Orleans whore, taking advantage of a marriage proposal in order to begin again. She projects alternating facades of toughness and fragility, concealing real durability. she's unafraid to do whatever is required for survival but does spend a lot of time being bullied by the men around her and she immediately elicits our concern. The brilliant Jason Robards plays local outlaw, Cheyenne, who has cowed the entire community, but finds it in himself to care about Jill and to take up her cause. Laconic Charles Bronson is Harmonica (so named by Cheyenne), a man who is tailing Frank. Beyond this we know nothing and learn little until the end.

Like most Leone works, "Once..." is a visual treat (one should consider the surprising aesthetic effect his visuals had on an audience used to the comparitavely tepid Hollywood Western). The director outdoes himself here, using Montana's Monument Valley to great effect and rendering his characters true to period (grimy, unkenpt and probably malodorous) and simultaneously visually arresting. He uses lengthy shots of the actor's eyes, particularly in the climactic scene. Fonda's blues convey the icy murderousness of his character and a little squint by Bronsonsets up the "why" of their relationship. Leone's long stills, whether of people or scenery do not bore, rather small tics, gestures and movements become heightened in importance.

In addition, the score by Ennio Morricone is brilliant. Each major character has a musical motif which supports without being intrusive. Much of the incidental music is also well done (listen to the percussion/piano background during Frank's shootout with his former employees). Morricone's score also seems to heighten its absence. Long stretches of silence or desert sounds create a tension which slowly builds, then either climaxes or ebbs.

I first saw this movie in 1970, not too long after is was released. When I left the theater I found it occupying my head more than just about any film I'd seen to date. I've seen it on late night television about a half dozen times but bad editing turns it into nothing more than a pretty good movie (kind of like trimming "La Guernica" to make wallpaper). I was thrilled to see that it had been released intact and have watched it several times since getting a copy. It still occupies my head for a long time afterward.

Rating:
Summary: A Truly Great Film and Western
Review: The opening ½ hour title sequence is one of the best ever filmed. It sets the eerie mood for the entire film. The skill in which suspense is built using the the camera and ambient sound is astounding. It's almost too much at some points. The photography, including crane shots, combined with Ennio Morricone's excellent score also add greatly to this film, as with the earlier Clint Eastwood "Dollars" Trilogy. Leone's style just kept developing. There are significant differences between this film and the Dollars Trilogy. The Eastwood films are action based and have more humorous elements. Once Upon a Time In The West is deadly serious--there is no humor. But this film also has elements in common, such as the importance of the score and the way the story is conveyed with very little dialogue. The grand scope is reminiscent of "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly." Much has been made of Eastwood being Leone's first choice for the Harmonica character. In retrospect, however, Bronson was the perfect choice. Its hard to imagine anybody playing this role better. For example, when he responds to being one horse short with "You brought two too many" he makes this character his own. Bronson's character is more brooding than Eastwood's more enigmatic character and has a deep grudge that motivates him throughout. This film needs a re-mastered DVD release.

Rating:
Summary: First movie of the second trilogy
Review: Leone went to America and started his second trilogy with this Western. Then came A fithful of dynamite and finally Once upon a time in America. The title for the second movie in France was Once upon a time the Revolution. This second trilogy had this in common, titles started with the same words. Leone was once again majestious choosing the right characters, Fonda for an unusual role in a depictable character and Bronson as the guy who doesn't talk much, like Eastwood in previous movies. The music accompanies the image in a beautiful way like when Cardinale arrived at the train station and the camera goes up to reveal the entire city with the music taking off with the choirs. The dust, the shootings, the rocks of Monument vallee, everything reminds of the wild west. The first scene is perfect with these 3 men with their own story, the fly, the water drop etc...Leone wanted Eastwood, Wallach and Van Cleef to play these 3 guys. It would be have a nice cameo after the Good the bad and the ugly. Eastwood didn't want to be remember in Leone's movie as a guy who gets killed. This shows how much characters are important, how much actors got involved in these movies. Bronson plays perfectly the guy who remembers how his brother was killed. Almost all violent scenes are not shown, just suggested, like the massacre, we only see dead bodies. This movies was made like a Greek drama, very slowly, without a lot of dialogues, and in a very theatratical and solennal way. This is a must see for western lovers.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic Western -- the Best by Sergio Leone
Review: This is one of the all-time classic westerns and my favorite "spaghetti western" from Sergio Leone. It features outstanding performances by Claudia Cardinale, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, and Charles Bronson. Claudia plays the character of Mrs. Jill McBain, whose husband and stepchildren were ruthlessly murdered by a gunman named Frank (Henry Fonda) who works for a business tycoon named Morton. Before dying, Mr. McBain purchased a large piece of railroad land by a big waterwell which he hopes to build into a big town called Sweetwater. Jill inherits this property but Frank and his henchmen try to wrest it from her. The mysterious lone gunfighter Harmonica (Charles Bronson) and the outlaw Cheyenne (Jason Robards) come to Jill's aid. Harmonica has something of a personal vendetta in mind while helping Jill and hooking up with Cheyenne.

The movie pays homage to the great American westerns in the past (movies such as "The Searchers" and "Shane", plus many others), while putting on a revisionist twist of its own in the story. Curiously, among the spaghetti westerns made by Leone, this is the only one which features a woman as its central character. This movie talks about the passing of the era of gunfighters into the modern industrial era (represented by the advent of railroads). One of the great features of this movie is the classic soundtrack by Ennio Morricone.

I really love this Western and it only gets better through the passage of time. The 2-DVD set is great -- it features a commentary on the first disc and several featurettes (a 3-part documentary which interviews cast members, the director, cinematographer and admirers of the movie; another documentary on the revolution of the railroad) on the second disc. There are some scenes included in this DVD which were absent in the video version (the complete version). The picture and sound quality are excellent. If you love classic westerns and are a fan of Sergio Leone's westerns, you will definitely love this movie. It is a must-have!

Rating:
Summary: An experience not to be missed
Review: Sergio Leone. Just hearing that name sends a thrill through the hearts of cinema fans everywhere--or at least it should. This Italian director only made a handful of films during his career, but nearly every one of them is a masterwork on an epic scale. Obviously, the spaghetti western genre, that much venerated collection of Italian films paying homage to the American West, is Leone's playground. His name towers over every other contributor to that genre, so much so that you can't even discuss it without mentioning this film, "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," "A Fistful of Dollars," and nearly every other spag Leone made with Clint Eastwood. Sergio Leone didn't even invent this particular genre--that honor goes to Sergio Corbucci with his groundbreaking "Django"--but Leone gave it a scope few others did. Even more surprising is the discovery that none other than Dario Argento helped draft the screenplay for this film (with Bernardo Bertolucci). If you're not a scary movie buff, Argento went on to define the Italian horror genre with classic shockers like "Deep Red," "Tenebre," "The Bird with the Crystal Plumage" and a number of other deeply disturbing films. Throw in composer Ennio Morricone and this movie serves as a critical nexus of Italian filmmaking.

Goodness, how to write a summary of this film and do it the proper justice? Leone introduces us to the principals right from the start, beginning with the arrival of a sinister, harmonica playing figure (Charles Bronson) at a train station. Three men wait for him, two of whom are played by veteran character actors Jack Elam and Woody Strode. The scene unfolds with a sureness and deliberate pace that tells you right from the start that this film is something different. Then we meet the McBain family, a hardy bunch of Irish pioneers living out in the middle of nowhere. The patriarch of the clan, Brett (Frank Wolff), and his children are setting up an outdoor feast to welcome Jill (Claudia Cardinale) to her new role as wife and stepmother. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes in the form of a vicious gunslinger known as Frank (Henry Fonda), a man whose unspeakable atrocities committed at the McBain household speak to his immorality and pure meanness. Then Leone shows us Jill heading out to the meet her new family only to run into the outlaw Cheyenne (Jason Robards) and the aforementioned Harmonica at a seedy watering hole. At this point, we're far into the film and have no idea of where Leone is taking us. Don't worry; his hand is steady and his goals pure.

It turns out that everyone in this corner of Arizona thought Brett McBain was an utter fool to plunk down so much money to buy up a bunch of property out in the middle of nowhere. But they were wrong. McBain knew exactly what he was doing when he moved his family out into the blasted desert climes. It has something to do with the railroad, and if things go his way he will soon become an extraordinarily wealthy individual, perhaps the richest man in the Arizona territory. These plans come to a screeching halt with his sudden demise, but Jill McBain decides to stay on at the house and make a go of things. She doesn't know about her late husband's plans, not at this point anyway, but Frank and his big shot railroad boss Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti) know exactly what is at stake. Morton unleashed Frank on McBain, and now he plans on doing the same thing with Jill. This straightforward plot becomes complicated with the arrival of the enigmatic Harmonica, who has an ancient score to settle with a certain wicked gunslinger, and also when Cheyenne throws his chips in with Jill. Romance, violence, atmosphere in spades--"Once Upon a Time in the West" simply oozes everything that makes a movie a classic.

Where to start? How about Henry Fonda, a beloved actor for decades due to a number of personable roles who strays about as far from his usual niche as possible here. Fonda turns in what constitutes one of the great onscreen villain roles as the cold-blooded Frank. Charles Bronson--whose Harmonica character is essentially a good guy--is often just as chilling as Frank in word and deed. Jason Robards strikes a more personable chord as the helpful outlaw Cheyenne, and Claudia Cardinale is strikingly beautiful as a woman with a past who becomes the epitome of the frontier spirit through gritty spirit. These characters move in a beautifully photographed environment that soon becomes a character with as much importance as the human actors. Ennio Morricone's score, especially Jill McBain's theme, is breathtaking and adds considerable depth to the proceedings. It's literally impossible to give this lengthy masterpiece credit in a short review. In fact, multiple viewings are absolutely necessary to appreciate fully the various plotlines and character motivations. I think it's obvious Sergio Leone had a great love for America, or at least the archetypes that made America what it is, and in these times it's refreshing to see a profession of fondness for my country on such a grand scale.

Leone also loved American westerns, according to comments made on the commentary track, and he lifted many of his scenes both large and small from other films. That might make the film sound derivative, and in some respects the film historians relating this information on the audio track make it sound that way, but nothing could be further from the truth. This film reinterprets the western in a way that breathes fresh life into the genre. What we see and hear looks and sounds more realistic, more in tune with how the Old West actually functioned, than any film about the time made on these shores. If you haven't spent any time watching spaghetti westerns, you need to put this one at the top of your list.




Rating:
Summary: One of the Masterpieces
Review: If you like movies put "Once Upon a Time in the West" on your list.
If you are a Henry Fonda or Charles Bronson or Jason Robart's fan move it to the top of your list.
If you are a fan of Westerns, long epics, and cinematography get this movie right now, cancel your appointments and let yourself be drawn in by a western that is at or near the top of the "best westerns ever" list.
Enjoy!!