Once Upon a Time in the West

Rating:
Summary: A must see for any western movie fan!!
Review: "Once Upon A Time In The West" is one of the most well made movies of the western genre. The sweeping old west landscapes look truly amazing on the DVD's widescreen anamorphic format, its hard to believe that this movie was made 35 years ago. The plot is brilliantly developed in a typical Sergio Leone, visually narrated, story-telling style. The music is wonderful and compliments the theme perfectly. This is not a typical shoot em' up, good guy vs. bad guy western. There are great performances all around, especially by Charles Bronson, Henry Fonda and Claudia Cardinale.

A must see for all Western movie fans!

Rating:
Summary: Now THIS is a western!
Review: Though some say The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is the best western of all time, many like myself tend to give that title to his film. I feel it (just barely) beats out GBU. This is an amazing fantasy film set in western days-it grips you from the start and doesn't let go until the end credits. Unless of course you don't like westerns or like Dude, Where's My Car?-then you'll tune out before the opening credits are finished. This film has the one and only Charles Bronson as the hero of the film, and hopefully his performance should shatter people's notions of Bronson's acting ability. He's right on par with Eastwood as the embodiment of the cold, silent gunfighter. It's also fantastic to see Mr. Twelve Angry Men himself play a villian as ruthless as Lee Van Cleef, if not moreso. Claudia Cardinale was a great choice for a female lead. She's extraordinarily good looking, yet has a very strong badass-ness about her. If you're big on Leone's westerns, you've no doubt seen this a few times, but anyone who has been putting it off shouldn't wait any longer. Why? Coz this dvd is a fantastic package for the price. You certainly don't have to listen to me though; Take a look at the reviews for this film!

Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable picture quality!!
Review: It`s hard to believe after watching this DVD that this film was made over 35 years ago. Unbelievable color,picture and sound, it looks like it was just made! Must have!!!

Rating:
Summary: Fairy tale, mythic western returned to its former glory
Review: Told like some mythic western fairy tale, Sergio Leone's Once Upon A Time In The West may be his best film. It's outrageous and darker than an John Ford western. Leone's trademark sweeping camera moves and larger than life moments are all here. What makes West so memorable is the way it plays with the western genre, the myths perpetrated by cinema and the more self consciously arty European cinema (in contrast to the narrative pulp driven American cinema). It's also as simple as this; Leone fills the screen with images as epic as anything written by Homer.

The plot itself isn't as important as the way its told. In the hands of a more conventional director, West could have still been a very good western but it would have lacked the central element of all Leone's films--the element of satire that brims beneath the surface of his films. There was also a sense of irony at work in all Leone's westerns that helped to breathe new life into a moribound film genre.

Harmonica (Charles Bronson)is on the trail of Frank a ruthless sociopath and killer. We're never clued into why but Frank, despite his brutal nature, is clearly concerned about Harmonica; he sends three of his best men (two of them are played by Ford regulars Jack Elam and Woody Strode in a brilliant nearly wordless opening sequence) to meet him at the train station and kill him. Harmonica's nickname proves to be a misnomer; he plays a series of long, mournful notes almost like a funeral march as a prelude to killing all three.

Shortly after meeting Harmonica, we see just how ruthless and deadly Frank can be. He quietly attacks the McBain family who are preparing a feast to welcome their father Brett's new bride. In a brilliantly shot sequence (almost as stunning as the opening sequence), Frank and the members of his gang gun down the family. We see Frank for the first time and we're stunned as we recognize the blue eyes of Henry Fonda.

The dialog is minimal considering the epic length of this film. Also featured in a stunning cast is Jason Robards, Claudia Carindale, Lionel Stander and Keenan Wynn. The film's tone varies from absurd to quietly spooky as we watch Harmonica attempt to corner Frank. His motivation isn't made clear until near the end of the film and, surprisingly, the sequence works.

The DVD transfer is vivid and sharp. The film has some minor blemishes in the form of edge enhancement but even these aren't a major issue. The film's rich color and cinematography are finally rendered in an aspect ratio similar to the original theatrical version. None of Leone's widescreen images are cropped and we see Monument Valley in all its glory (which is important as the valley itself is an important character).

This two DVD set comes with a number of extras. Unfortunately, Leone died in the 80's before the advent of DVD's (or popularity of laserdiscs) so there's no audio commentary from him. Instead, we get commentary from other film directors (including John Carpenter and John Milius)that helps bring added depth to the film. There's also commentary from film historians Christopher Frayling and Sheldon Hall.

Three documentaries appear on the second disc and include interviews with Claudia Cardinale, Gabriele Ferzetti, Bernardo Bertolucci (who helped come up with the story) and cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli. Of the three I found An Opera of Violence to be the most enlightening but all three are very good. The featurette Railroad: Revolutionizing The West brings added background as the coming of the railroad is instrumental to the plot of the film. There's also a cast profile which, although interesting, I found to be less than essential.

The soundtrack is almost as good as the visuals. The film is presented in Dolby Digital (English 5.1 Surround) with a restored English mono track.

Paramount has done a spledid job of presenting the most important part of the film--it has been restored to its original running time. When the film first appeared and the box office wasn't all that great, Paramount pulled it from circulation, recut it removing about 30 or so minutes of the film. The recut film was re-released and did just as badly before at the box office. The longer cut of West hasn't been seen in the United States in quite some time.

Overall, West was one of Leone's most important pictures and has finally been returned to that position with the restoration of the cut footage. The extras and care with which the transfer was handled make this an essential addition to any collection.

Rating:
Summary: The DVD is astonishing!
Review: There's not a nick or tear on this gorgeous DVD presentation. Audio is nearly as good. Paramount has clearly put a lot of love and attention in ensuring that this 1969 film look as good as possible and they've succeeded. As for the film... it's the best western and one of the best films ever.

Rating:
Summary: Heavy Leitmotif
Review: After cutting his teeth with his own Kurasawa-morphed western, Leone pursued a truely original style by combining stark emotionality, unhurried visuals, minimilist dialogue and distinct recurrent musical undertones. He succeeded in cobbling the ultimate "horse opera" with this late 60's classic.

The two most obvious attributes of this film is Morricone's timeless score, and the brilliant casting of Henry Fonda as a sociopathic "businessman". (Leone's left of center view of expoitive capitalism probably resonates more today than ever.)

But like other great movies, there is more here than merely the some of its parts. The story, performances, scenery, editing all come together perfectly for a truely memorable viewing experience.

This long awaited DVD seems flawless and is being offered at a remarkably modest price.

Rating:
Summary: Spectacular
Review: Personal disclaimer: Once Upon a Time in the West is one of my favorite films.

Film Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
DVD Video Quality: 4 (which is very good considering it's a 1968 film)
DVD Audio Quality: 3 (ditto)
DVD Features: 3
Overall: 5 stars (for amazing film and great DVD presentation)

If you watch Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, you might notice how heavily it is influenced by Once Upon a Time in the West (among other films, of course). An ambiguous and flawed hero, very evil yet charismatic villain, the way music is used, minimal plot and dialog (later is very rare for Tarantino), and what appears to be style over substance. But I digress.

While Once Upon a Time in the West appears to be largely devoid of plot (especially upon first viewing), and perhaps even a little boring to newcomers given its generous running time, underneath its stylish layer are statements larger than life. To me, it summarizes what America was up to that point, an epitaph of the old west. When Jill's theme swells up again for the last time, I am both sadden and hopeful all at once. The effect is very powerful. Regardless of what has happened up to that point (or how little), we realize that a force larger than five central characters has taken over, signaling the end of one era and the beginning of new America.

Once Upon a Time in the West marks the first chapter in director Sergio Leone's 'Once Upon a Time' trilogy, which continues with A Fistful of Dynamite and ends with Once Upon a Time in America. In all three films, he collaborated with composer Ennio Morricone to create something of an epic opera. That is, Morricone wrote all the music before the filming began. And indeed, the film plays like an opera with careful compositions and perfectly synchronized action, sound, dialog, and music. Performances are superb throughout, with amazingly authentic looking costumes and sets (all very dirty and worn out looking), beautiful cinematography, and catchy dialogs (sparsely spoken for more dramatic effect). Note: dialog was dubbed later on, sometimes by a different actor (replacing Italian actor), which accounts for dialog and picture going out of synchronization from time to time.

Once Upon a Time in the West is heavily influenced by many other westerns (most prominently Johnny Guitar and Shane) and it shows. But it also attempts to summarize and put an end to once popular film genre (until Dances With Wolves and Unforgiven).

Paramount has done an outstanding job with this DVD set. Minor signs of edge enhancement notwithstanding, the film has never looked better. The print looks amazingly clean with great shadow details and beautiful range of color. Restored soundtracks, both original mono and remixed 5.1-channel surround sound very good for a 1968 film. I recommend the 5.1-channel track to better appreciate Morricone's beautiful score, which thankfully leaves the dialog and sound effects anchored to the center channel most of the time (instead of gimmickry repositioned mix).

The supplemental materials are few in between, but effectively presented. The audio commentary track does a nice job giving newcomers background information (by Leone biographer Christopher Frayling, directors John Carpenter, John Millius, and Alex Cox, Claudia Cardinale, and few others). 3-part short documentaries feature interviews and footage giving background information about the filmmakers, film's origin, makings of the film, and its aftermath. Still photos (particularly noteworthy for showing how much the locations have changed), documentary short on the railroad revolution, and trailer round up the package.

Rating:
Summary: Monumental Achievement of Cinema as Art
Review: Ever since movies started being transferred to DVD, this is the one I was waiting for. And boy, did I wait. And it sure was worth waiting for. I can't express enough my excitement of having this DVD finally.

This is a great transfer. Images are crisp and clear. You can even see the details of the back lit Mitten Buttes of Monument Valley. Now, you can kiss goodbye to the VHS tape you had for years.

When I saw "Once Upon a Time in the West" for the first time, I was 14. Seeing Cardinale's buggy cross Monument Valley made me shed tears. It's such stunning beauty! I could feel Leone's deep affection to the western in this scene. This is his homage to John Ford and all western movies.

There are not so many directors who know how to use wide screen effectively. In Leone's films, space seems to expand to form massive cosmos. No other director could perform this type of magic (perhaps with an exception of David Lean).

This is a movie that deserves the word "masterpiece" in every sense. And this is an utmost form of film as art. The tempo throughout the movie is meticulously calculated. Camera movement and editing are extremely creative and cinematic. Morricone's haunting music flows with the images (I don't hesitate to say Jill's theme is the most beautiful music on earth). Dialogue is limited to optimize its dramatic effect and superbly well written. Movements of actors are deliberately slow and stylish. Carlo Simi's art direction for set and costume designs plays a great role also to help Leone's perfectionism and realism.

This is not just the best spaghetti western. Some dare to say this is the best western ever made. And so do I.

Three documentaries on the second disc are wonderful treat to Leone fans. Through numerous interviews, you can learn how "Once Upon a Time in the West" was started and how it was produced. Very briefly, you can see Leone himself in one of the documentaries. My only regret is that other key people like Charles Bronson, Jason Robards, Ennio Morricone and Sergio Donati were not interviewed.

One of the noteworthy special features is Location Gallery. I'd like to thank Don Bruce for contributing valuable photos of locations used for "Once Upon a Time in the West" to make comparisons to actual scenes in the film.

This is one great DVD made with passion to reflect diehard Leone fans' never-ending love for this monumental film.

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: Best transfer quality I've seen for a film of '60s vintage
Review: This DVD set rocks. Image quality is better than some recent film DVD's. And yes, it's full 2.35:1 (I don't know how you can show this film any other way, given Leone and Cinematographer Colli's use of frame-- Not to mention the "John Ford" vistas.). I have MGM's THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY for comparison, and the image quality of that DVD doesn't even come close. And what's crazy (after all my raving about the image) is that the sound is even better. I've NEVER before heard Ennio Morricone without it sounding like it's played on a mishandled LP.

I'm too young to have seen this film when it was in the theaters. I bought it to see it with my dad, who's a big Western fan (It was either this or DJANGO). Suffice to say, it did not disappoint. It's the first time he's seen the ENTIRE Sergio Leone masterpiece, uncut. It's all there: the tedium, the off-pacing, the weird camera angles, the extreme depth of field, all of the wonderful stuff that throw "purist" Western fans into a tizzy. Claudia Cardinale in her prime can still clober any current model/actress in vogue in the looks department. And no matter how long it's been, there's still a small gasp when you realize that it's Henry Fonda in the black hat-role (The role freakishly DOES fit the blue-eyed actor.). And the two (until-now) missing scenes with Jason Robards-- the film wouldn't be complete without them, added length or not.

Now if they could only release Leone's A FIST FULL OF DYNAMITE with this much quality, then we'd all be happy. I want to shock my dad again with how good DVD's can be with old(er) flicks.