Once Upon a Time in the West

This disc is special features

As there is no indication on the web site I thought it appropriate to inform all that this disc is a special features disc.

One of the great films of all time - not just in terms of narrative, but the music, direction and acting is superb. This defines great Westerns and if you're a fan of the genre, you've either seen it and love it or it's next on your list. If you hate Westerns, this is the one to watch - just for Jason Robards, Chalres Bronson and Henry Fonda if nothing else, this is one to rent and cherish.

Leone’s Opera

‘Once Upon A Time In The West’ is in every aspect beautiful. Leone has set his epic on location in Monument Valley, in reference to Ford’s work, which does give the picture a strange nostalgia.

It seems that every last detail is a reference to a classic western; ‘Shane’, ‘The Searchers’, ‘Johnny Guitar’ and ‘High Noon’ are all quoted. Leone executes the film frame by frame with outstanding confidence, from the mind-numbing long shots, right down to the eerie close-ups.

Unlike a great deal of westerns, the characterization goes far, far deeper than the surface; both the brilliant screenplay, and the mesmerizing performances, notably that of Fonda, combine to present a much more complex array of characters than you might find in your average John Wayne film.

The other most outstanding element to the film is Ennio Morricone’s cinematic miracle of an original film score. ‘The Godfather’ soundtrack is the only other original film score that is capable of matching this one. It is both phenomenal and stunningly beautiful to listen to, and fits the film perfectly.

The irony behind ‘Once Upon A Time In The West’ is that in paying tribute to all of his favourite westerns, Leone actually surpasses them all. This does not discredit his effort, it only emphasises Leone’s genius. It is a masterpiece from beginning to end; graceful and elegant, gritty and savage, Sergio Leone’s opera is the finest film of the western genre.

Move along please, nothing to see here.

If you've seen one Leone film you've seen this one and why this is touted as one of the best westerns ever made is, simply, beyond me. Yes the movie looks fantastic with delicious shots of Monument Valley which outdo anything in The Searchers, and the delightful little musical tics of a Morricone score highlighting characters and significant plot points, but oh the slowness of it! The tedium! The repetiveness! Let's have a shot of Claudia gazing wistfully into a mirror. Ok, now let's hold it for 2 minutes! That's a wrap...

And it's all over this film. HUGE brooding silences and unspoken glances supposedly pregnant with meaning. HUGE close-ups of eyes (Bronson, Fonda, etc) as faces scowl and ludicrously OTT macho men do their stuff with creased brows rather than anything as sensible as talk and explain, perhaps, their motivation or - even better - what the hell is going on!

It's a mess of convoluted and badly sewn together plot (how does Bronson know so much?), unconvincing acting (like Cardinali would last 5 minutes in the real wild west looking like that) and iconic moments on film which are either stolen from Leone's previous works or so predictable that you can't believe its happening (3 silent men wait at a deserted station for an unexplained someone to appear; when the train pulls out with no-one having disembarked, we find a stranger who got out of the OTHER side of the train (shock!) and who then (again, silently) shoots the 3 men dead. Oh, and let this single opening scene take 15 minutes of screen time. Oh, and lets not bother trying to work out who this arrival is ('cos no-one in the movie does) or how on earth they know he'll be on this train).

Come On!

Throw in the awful dubbing into English of the usual family of Italian bitpart actors playing stationmasters, hired hands, etc and what you've got is a pale shadow of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly but a shadow that still clocks in at 2 1/2 hours.

It sure could (and should) be shorter and if, like me, you feel the need to watch it because it's one of those films EVERYONE should watch, then go ahead. Don't say I didn't warn you though. If you're a western lover who's never seen a Leone film before (do such people exist?) you might be impressed, otherwise it's a case of 'move along please, nothing to see here.'

I've given one star for the way it looks, and one star for the score.

A Film of its Time

On Release this film may have been a classic but I doubt any child of the matrix generation will make it half way through (Me Included) from its snails pace start to the constant background noises (Which if you have a half decent surround sound setup are going to drive you mental) Trust me look elsewhere if its entertainment your looking for I love westerns but they shouldn't be this hardwork.

Best western ever!

Yes it's a bit of a spaghetti. Yes the characters are drawn out slowly. But Bronson is the ultimate western hero - even better than the man with no name, balancing impressive understated dialog with huge screen presence.

The music is superb and really pulls you in to each character, Robards is charming as the loveable rogue, Claudia Cardinale simply beautiful, and Henry Fonda cast against type in a role that shocked audiences at the time of its initial release. Fonda plays the ultimate villain with ease, his piercing eyes belying the extreme capacity for evil.

Leone's masterpiece is beautifully shot and has been transferred wonderfully. The ending is one of the best in cinema history. Easily the best western ever, and probably my favourite film of all time.

Heartily recommended - 5/5

Outraged of Ringwood

Having thoroughly enjoyed disc 1, we were waiting with anticipation to watch the sequel, only to find this was not a film at all, but just a documentary about the film. Big disappointment!

A slice of directorial genius!

A genuine buffet for your eyes and ears, Once Upon A Time In The West is an epic tale of greed, revenge and honour. Perhaps the distinction between good and evil is too easy, though I believe it is more complicated than it first appears in this film, perhaps the characters do have sexist attitudes but it is important to remember that this is a film from and about a different era.

However, from the opening scene the sheer visual splendour of Leone's vision is astounding. It is one where every shot seems painstakingly constructed. However, Leone does not neglect the aural for the visual. From the insistent creaking that pervades the otherwise silent opening, to the haunting melody of the harmonica, Leone’s use of sound tells us much more than we can always get from the brooding characters that inhabit the volatile surroundings he depicts.

Though, I’m not a particular fan of Westerns generally, I would thoroughly recommend this for the multifaceted beauty of the movie.

They say a picture tells a thousand words, but in this picture Leone tells much more.

Classic spagetti cooked by the master chef !

Well if you are into your westerns or movies in general it doesn't come much bigger than this, Sergio Leone's masterpiece Once Upon A Time In The West pretty much encapsulates everything that was good about his previous spagetti westerns but with performances from actors who were at the height of their game. Although it lacks Clint Eastwoods cool as ice, man with no name character or Lee Van Cleef's steely glaze, the film doesn't suffer as Charles Bronson turns in a career best character as the silent but deadly 'Harmonica', combined with Henry Fonda's transformation into one of cinema's nastiest bad guys. Sweeping photography and set design that would have made John Ford happy along with an orchestral, highly moving soundtrack from Ennio Morricone that blends the movie together perfectly... essential cinema for any movie fan.

Well-shote but boring

This may be regarded by some a classic but it cannot make up for the fact that this is a mind-numbingly boring movie. I suggest you avoid it unless you need help going to sleep.