Once Upon a Time in the West

Rating:
Summary: Leone's Western Masterpiece
Review: When Sergio Leone began making the first of the four "spaghetti Westerns" that are the basis of most of his reputation, A Fistful of Dollars, it was on a truly shoestring budget. The movie, though effective, shows it. And he used unknown actors, most famously Clint Eastwood as The Man With No Name. But the movie was a hit and profitable. For the next two movies, Leone got progressively more money to work with, and again, the movies show it. More elaborate sets, more diverse location work, more ambitious storylines. After the first three films, finally he'd achieved enough success to get the backing for a "real movie," big budget. This was to be his masterpiece, and he was determined it would have big name actors.

In each of the first three Sergio Leone spaghetti Westerns there are basically three main characters. The first being, of course, The Man With No Name, played in A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly by Clint Eastwood. Then we have what I call the Secondary Gunslinger, usually a thief played by Eli Wallach for comic effect. Finally we have the Psycho Gunslinger, the Man With No Name's primary nemesis for the film, played most famously by Lee Van Cleef in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

So after the first three films, in most Leone fans' minds, the breakdown went like this:

The Man With No Name = Clint Eastwood
Secondary Gunslinger = Eli Wallach
Psycho Gunslinger = Lee Van Cleef

In Once Upon a Time in the West, the Secondary Gunslinger is still a thief, but a much more competent and morally admirable character than Wallach's devious buffoon, and he's played by Jason Robards. This was a good move on Leone's part. Though I like Eli Wallach as an actor, he's no Jason Robards.

The Psycho Gunslinger is played by Henry Fonda. Another good decision. Again, while I like Lee Van Cleef as an actor, he's no Henry Fonda. Interesting to note, Fonda very rarely played a bad guy, the roles he was most known and beloved for were total nice guys like Mister Roberts or the juror in 12 Angry Men. (...) Thus, on the few occasions he did play a bad guy, it hit audiences hard because it was so unexpected.

Finally, The Man With No Name is played by Charles Bronson instead of Clint Eastwood. And this was a mistake, I think. (Yes, there was a time when Charles Bronson was a bigger movie star than Clint Eastwood. In 1968, the spaghetti Westerns were really all Eastwood had of substance in his resume.) Bronson did so much crap in the latter part of his career, there's a tendency for people to forget - if they ever knew - that early on he did some truly fine work and was taken really seriously as an actor. However, I can't watch Once Upon a Time In the West without, in every scene with Bronson, thinking that role could have been done so much better by Clint Eastwood.

In Once Upon a Time In the West, Leone adds a fourth main character, The Woman, an ex-prostitute played by Claudia Cardinale. The fascinating thing about this character is that, though she has no combat skills, her strength of will, intelligence, sex appeal and utter willingness to use it for her purposes are such she's capable of working with or against each of the three main male characters as an equal, or more than. I love the scene where Frank finds The Woman, his mind totally made up he's going to kill her. And she flatters and manipulates and seduces and sexes him to the point he changes his mind. Definitely a woman willing and able to use every weapon at her disposal to save her life.

Rating:
Summary: The greatest western ever made?
Review: That can be argued with as in a any film genre it depends on what
the film goer is looking for on the screen. A western can be viewed
as entertainment, as a message or the a sad retelling of history as
hollywood can best put together. What can't be argued is the amount
of work and love that Sergio Leone put into this magnificent epic.

Claudia Cardinale plays a recently made window desparately trying
to keep a hold on to the land her husband cleverly picked to have a
future near the path of the oncoming railroad. Henry Fonda (in his
only villianous role) is Frank the outlaw killer hired to make sure
nothing stops the trains path. Jason Robards is Cheyenne escaped
convict out to clear his name of a crime that he didn't commit &
Charles Bronson is Harmonica a man posessed by vengence.

The Director at this point in his career already estabished his
place in western history with the man with no name trilogy but he
wanted do to this as his personal project. This is not a shoot-em
up western this is an incredible portrait painted not only with a
sight and sound unmatched by any previous effort but with feeling
towards it's core of actors that make you sometimes forget that's
a movie.
The dvd is paramounts best packaging of a product to date and
gets my vote as the most awaited the widesreen captures all those
landscapes as well as dreaded closeups of it's deadly antiheros.
The sound has never been more crisp as to hear Ennio Morricone's

great score. (His greatest I think) The disc also includes three
featurettes covering the making the film by the actors who worked
on it and insight from others (ex-John Carpenter) and a spot on
location then and now,History of the locomotive and trailer.

Rating:
Summary: rcg2 is an idiot
Review: A masterpiece. Amazing direction, score, action and pathos. Only "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly" is a superior Western...of course both films transcend Western and are closer to what Akira Kurosawa was doing with his Samurai epics. And man: Once Upon A Time In The West is EPIC!!! Fonda and Bronson give their best performances and Cardinale is hot as all sweaty hell. A must for any Leone fan. And for the critics: Italians made better Westerns than Americans...ironic for sure, but deal with it. Get some culture, GET this movie!

Rating:
Summary: 'the good - the bad'
Review: what great potential the DVD format has, a full and complete film could well have fitted nicely on a DVD, great music and all. The cuts made to the DVD are obvious, to suddenly jump from the train scene to a cave in some rocks is without meaning, a clean shaven Bronson suddenly gets a scar, why. A non-Directors cut version would be marvelous as I suspect that whoever had the scizzors in this version was not sober. The music of Morricone is wonderful. Frank Just.NZ.

Rating:
Summary: An Italian Western..... ?? (Give Me A Break..... !!)
Review: I sit in amazement and can't believe all the 5-star reviews on Amazon for this movie. I dig western movies (some of my favorites include "High Noon", "Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid", "The Searchers", "Tombstone", "The Unforgiven", "Open Range", "Lonesome Dove" and most anything with Clint Eastwood and/or John Wayne. It's apparent no one else here was watching the same movie as I was. Two hours and forty-five minutes of lagging dialog and unseen action. Let the buyer beware - this is an Italian made "western". While director Sergio Leone may have earned much praise with his Eastwood hits ("The Good The Bad & The Ugly", "A Fistful Of Dollars", "For A Few Dollars More"), he totally misses the boat with "Once Upon A Time In The West". It's almost like he was trying to be too "artsy" and over the top here. For example... watch any of the entrances of the actors - they all enter in the same fashion... actor enters, strike the pose, quick trademark camera close-up to the face, eyes scan left, eyes then right, then back again, wait 5 seconds, then camera pans backward to capture the dialogue. Don't let the all-star cast of Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, and Jason Robards fool you... this was pure drudgery to get through this movie. While the acting was average, everything about the sound was awful. Terrible toy pistols sound effects (not to mention most of the other sound effects); voices are dubbed; orchestra and opera as the sound track just doesn't fit; Bronson and his "harmonica" were almost maddening together. While Henry Fonda is always a treat to watch, his mind simply seemed elsewhere during the whole of this movie. As far as Fonda's performance... this is not even remotely close to his classic western roles in "My Clemintine", "Ox Bow Incident", or "Grapes Of Wrath". One last footnote... the female actress (Claudia Cardinale) got top billing in this movie... give me a break! Only in a Italian western! You've been warned... rent before you purchase.

Rating:
Summary: The essential western
Review: This is my favorite western of all time and this is the best of all the Sergio Leone films, which includes "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly". The DVD of this film is beautify remastered and looks great. The screen shots are wonderful and the plot is good. Finally the soundtrack is excellent

Rating:
Summary: amazing
Review: bluntly put, this movie is amazing. the acting is pretty much flawless, the directing is perfect, and the plot comes together nicely at the end. the viewer is pretty much kept in the dark about whats even going on, and why people are doing what they are. however, this doesnt make the viewer seem lost, but just having enough clues to not seem completely lost. those with a short attention span: STAY FAR AWAY FROM THIS MOVIE. about half of the movie is just plain character foiling (ie staring at eachother, having standoffs, boarder-line corny dialouge that really makes things dramatic etc.). as ive said before, the directing is perfect. even when there is absolutely nothing happening, things still manage to be entertaining. (i still dont know why i like the entire scene of waiting for the train). but for those of you with an appreciation of great characters and a good plot, you'll love this one. if you havnt bought this movie yet, hear this: the end will blow you away. henry fonda is the devil! my only complaint is that early in the movie, some of the dialouge has been dubbed over. huh?? i couldnt believe my eyes when i was watching the rest stop scene near the begining, and the girls words didnt come close to matching her mouth. whatever.
picture quality: 5/5 (friggin perfect)
sound: 3/5. (nothing special, but not bad at all)

Rating:
Summary: CLASSIC WESTERN / CLASSIC VILLIAN now on 16:9 DVD!
Review: Director Sergio Leone presents "Once Upon A Time In The West" a 1967 original uncut (165 minutes) masterpiece is a momumental western epic. This film is a big as its Monument Valley locations, as grand as its fine distinguished cast. As tough as we pictured the Old West to be. Henry Fonda plays the blackest character villian (perfectly cast) of his long distinguished career and is utterly convincing as Frank, the ruthless, murderous psychopath who suffers no conscience after killing an entire family. Jason Robards plays a half breed falsely accused of that terrible slaughter. Charles Bronson plays "Harmonica" the man seeking revenge remembering how his brother was savagely tortured by Frank. And Claudia Cardinale the widow who holds what Frank wants.

This classic western is presented for the first time on a 2 DVD set with digitally remastered video and 5.1 Surround Sound in WideScreen Format (enhanced for 16:9 HDTV). The picture is clear and vividly reproduced for your home theatre experience.

Special Features; Disc 1 - Feature and Full Commentary. Disc 2 - 3 Documentaries that include exclusive interviews with Claudia Cardinale and many film cast & crew. Film Shorts - An Opera of Violence, The Wages of Sin and Something to do with Death. Featurette - Railroad: Revolutionizing the West. Galleries of - Production and Cast Profiles. Theatrical Trailer.

This is an outstanding Western movie and Henry Fonda's performance is worth the price of admission alone!!!! Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: The Stuff Legends Aspire To Be...
Review: OUATITW takes place in a weird part of American history. With that said, it's not even a bit ironic that a visionary Italian filmmaker orchestrated it all. Director Sergio Leone had done it before, of course, with the classic "Man With No Name trilogy" featuring western vet Clint Eastwood. But OUATITW is a completely different animal compared to the Eastwood series. While that pulpy, hard-boiled trilogy feels raw and uncontrollable at every turn, OUATITW is much more epic and somber in feeling. There's plenty of fierce gunplay and hard stares, yet that's not what's most memorable about this western masterpiece. Leone's nearly flawless vision of conflict amid an American west on the verge of modernization feels satisfying to both the eyes and the ears thanks to Ennio Morricone's terrific score and cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli's rich and haunting capture of the red and dusty Wyoming landscape.

The main story revolves around five characters who cross paths with each other throughout the film, with sometimes tragic results. Harmonica (Charles Bronson) is a wandering vigilante, playing his harmonica more than he talks and on the hunt for Frank (Henry Fonda). Frank's a cruel, heartless monster of a man that kills without any feeling or remorse and just so happens to be in league with railroad tycoon Morton (Gabrielle Ferzetti) in a land-snatching plot involving the inheritance of Jill (Claudia Cardinale), a big-city girl thrust into the wild west, now alone and struggling to simply stay alive. Last but not least, there's the dangerous but lovable bandit Cheyenne (Jason Robards), fresh out of captivity and ready to swing things his way, whatever the cost.

The expansion of the railroad is the key element of this story. The ghosts of westerns past haunt the proceedings as the money of the railroad barons and thirst of the land developers evaporate the mystery and beauty of the frontier. Revenge, greed, betrayal, lust, love and hatred are all themes synonymous with this film that could be expounded upon in pages and pages of dissertations, showing how dense and well-constructed the whole show is. Morricone cleverly composed a distinct score for each of the five main characters, with Harmonica's being the most intimidating, Frank's the most conflicted, Jill's the most tender, Morton's the saddest and Cheyenne's the most deviously playful. It adds a whole new level to the film and will leave you humming Cheyenne's theme long after the movie is over.

I'm not giving away any more plot points because that will ruin the experience for those who haven't seen it. Watching it unfold without any knowledge of what's to come is a big part of the enjoyment of OUATITW.

There's really not much more to say that hasn't already been said about this amazing work of art. It's especially welcoming to see OUATITW presented on such an outstanding DVD presentation. Leone's masterstroke will forever be remembered as one of the greatest westerns as well as overall films ever made.

Rating:
Summary: Worthy DVD of great film
Review: The clarity of the image and sound make this an excellent buy even leaving out the documentary etc on disc two. A rich cinema experience.