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Summary: The best film ever
Review: Okay, so you've seen tons of movies already - forget that! This is the one to watch. We can only hope that someone decides to bring out this MASTERPIECE on DVD as soon as pos... And in it's original form. It's that good!
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Summary: Best western of all times
Review: Here in one movie has the great west of the outlaw expressed. To me it all begins and ends here. This is truly the best western movie of all time. I only wish they would release an uncut version. It's long, but worth every minute.Paul Posey Augusta, Ga
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Summary: Probably my favorite western
Review: Once Upon a Time in the West is an absolute classic.It was directed by Sergio Leone,who directed the man with no name trilogy.Charles Bronson as Harmonica,Henry Fonda as the cold blooded Frank,Jason Robards as Cheyenne,and the beautiful Claudia Cardinale as Jill McBain are some unforgettable characters.The cinematography is excellent with beautiful locations(this is the first spaghetti western filmed in America),and the musical score by Ennio Morricone is fantastic,and adds as much to this film as any musical score has to any film.The Good,the Bad,and the Ugly(also by Sergio Leone) ,The Outlaw Josey Wales,and High Plains Drifter are some of my favorite westerns,but I'd have to say Once Upon a Time in the West is my very favorite.
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Summary: A shocking role
Review: Previous reviewers of this film all seem to belong to a younger generation. For some of us the impact of dear old, sometimes soppy, Henry Fonda as a cold hearted killer was a shock we may never overcome. He proved beyond all doubt in this film that he was an actor of depth and flexibility. Having struggled to get through ON GOLDEN POND, this film reawakened the admiration felt for Fonda over many years. How could we come to hate so much the man we'd all loved so strongly? Leone's films all made an effort to portray the frontier as it was truly. Hardly pleasant, rarely the scene of direct conflict with Native Americans [who avoided the whites when possible], but the arena of conflicting white interests. The railroad was the paramount influence on how the frontier was addressed. Mining and trapping meant nothing without the railroad to bring supplies and remove products, whether hides, ore or crops. The railroaders were an unscrupulous lot [you paid four times for the laying of track], the only ones with money to hire gunslingers on a regular basis. The roles of Fonda, Robards and Bronson show how vague the definition of evil can be. Robards is never disappointing, and his role here more developed than most. The choice of Cardinale is clearly the type of glamorous element Leone favoured and it's not worth complaining over. Her role is but a sideline to the conflicts among the men. This film is a superb choice to add to any collection. It's a 'see often' type of film, given the nuances that inevitably escape detection in a single viewing. Add it to your collection, it will be valuable for years to come. You older folks will have to explain to your children about Fonda, but without his other films for comparison, words will not likely suffice.
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Summary: once upon a time in the west
Review: This film is a waste of money.It is so slow you can see moss grow on the actors.It should be called Faces.If you can stand to watch the whole laborious thing.You will know every pore in the face of the major actors.I bought this Poor excuse for anything from Amazon.
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Summary: The Eyes Have It
Review: Spaghetti Westerns have always had a bad press, despite being very popular. To give this film a throwaway tag like spaghetti western would do it a great injustice. It is full of intriging images, intelligent conversations and exciting incidents. The main actors grab hold of their roles with relish and at the end you know you have seen a great film. Watch out for the shortened versions though. The Sergio Leone film starts with a tour de force opening credits - barely twenty words are spoken, yet is on the screen for 16 or so minutes. A pesky fly steals the screen from a sinister but comic Jack Elam. Woody Strode and one other complete the trio waiting for the train. I heard that Leone had planned to have the characters from his earlier films, Eastwood, Wallach and Van Cleef as these characters, just to emphasis speed of the Charles Bronson character, Harmonica (originally James Corburn was earmarked for this part). With all due respect, to Corburn, in the final gunplay alone, Bronson could not be bettered. Watch his eyes carefully as the camera circles pass his face. He has the only face that does this shot full justice. Mount Rushmore indeed. The music is wonderous too. Each character has their own theme, and Morricone only improved on it with his later Once Upon A Time in America. Henry Fonda's baby blues are cast against type very successfully as Frank, the most evil of killers. Fonda's shooting of a whole family as a way of introduction is very brave film making, and exactly what Leone intended - to shock the audience. The film is very long and satisfying and full of humour. A joke involving Lionel Stander takes about 15 minutes to reach the punchline. My advice is for you to see this masterpiece and join millions of fans of this film.
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Summary: A long leisurely stroll to stardom
Review: The first thing to note is the number of versions of this film that were around in the late 60's. I saw the butchered British version in late 1969 and it's quality still shone through. It was 5 years of seeing the film at every opportunity, including in Finland, that I saw the long version and Leone's vision mostly became clear. The longest opening in (then)movie history; Jack Elam and a screen stealing fly - a marvellous musical score, with each main character having their own theme. It is Charles Bronson's who is referred to in my review title. He is introduced in a shimmering heat haze on the screen, along with his harmonica playing, the latter mostly replacing speech. Stardom perhaps but in my opinion, he has unfortunately done nothing to equal or surpass it since. Ennio Morricone has rarely written better music and it takes the whole film to hear the harmonica piece in proper context and why Bronson's character wants to kill Fonda's evil killer, Frank. Leone places the themes cleverly throughout the film and it was a must buy record. Add to the mix a beautiful lady in peril, Cardinale; a kind hearted rogue, Robards, a misplaced Monument Valley deputising as Sweetwater and old fashioned trains and you got a Western that is, and also listed as, a classic. All this despite its uncertain start and rotten editing by timerous producers. Do yourself a favour - see it! One previso; see only the long version. It is a more downbeat ending but will explain why only two ride off into the sunset and a lot of men have their thirsts quenched. One question. Is Jack Elam's voice used or is it dubbed? I have never be sure. You decide
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Summary: BEST FILM THAT WILL EVER BE MADE
Review: With this brilliant, epic masterpiece, Sergio Leone made not only the greatest western but the greatest film of any kind that has ever been, or ever will be made. Influences-yes, and they are obvious-High Noon, the Searchers, Kurosawa's films--but these are all great films, right, and Leone builts on the essential greatness of these to create his own TOTALLY UNIQUE and incredibly powerful vision. Honestly, I have never seen anything to match this one. Best cast, score, photography and DIRECTION ever! A million stars! Please, somebody, any body, HEAR MY PLEA-release a letterboxed, alternate-ending, DVD version of this one! THE GREATEST FILM OF ALL TIME!
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Summary: One of the top ten movies ever
Review: This is with out question the best western ever made. At first when i saw it i did not think much of it but i saw it a few more times and it grew on me. This is a great work of art and one of the best 10 movies ever made. It is also Henry Fonda's best performance.
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Summary: Aesthetically and Cinematically Awesome
Review: Sergio Leone's masterful western experience remains one of filmdom's most passionate creations. Every frame is lovingly made to create a film that is mythical, enchanting, and poignant. No other western is this beautiful. This is a mix of the imagined and the real aspects of the Old West. The good guys are easily recognized and the bad guys are really BAD! Henry Fonda plays probably one of the most despical villains of all time. He is one whose path one definitely would not want to cross. Leone basically designed the persona that Charles Bronson would have the rest of his career: the lone, silent individual always on a quest for vengeance. Bronson has many "quiet" scenes that are enhanced by the memorable Ennio Morricone score. Veteran character actors Jack Elam and Woody Strode are brilliantly used in the opening credits which is worth the viewing. Claudia Cardinale is an intentional contrast as the sole female in a cast of rugged guys. Her beauty is illuminating to the stark grit of the western settlement to which she returns. Jason Robards, Jr. and Lionel Stander round out the memorable character roles. If Leone did so well with the Old West, just think what he could have done with The Civil War.
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