The Crowning Achievement of the Western. (Once Upon a Time in the West (DVD))

Member Name: rmay666

Product:	Once Upon a Time in the West (DVD)
Date:	30/12/08 (30 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great Music, Fantastic Charactisation.

Disadvantages: None

C'era una volta il West (Once Upon a Time in the West) (1968)


Henry Fonda
... Frank

Claudia Cardinale
... Jill McBain

Jason Robards
... Cheyenne

Charles Bronson
... Harmonica


Gabriele Ferzetti
... Morton (railroad baron)


When a mysterious stranger turns up at the railway station he is greeted by a gang of hired guns who are determined to make sure that he doesn't make it into the mining town. At the same time just outside town a gang attack a defenceless family, just as they are organising a party to welcome their father's new wife.

The past and hopes of the future will clash as the harmonica playing stranger and the widowed wife will be plunged into a showdown with the murderous gang and their mysterious backer.

Critically overlooked on its release, Once Upon a Time in the West has been rightly recognised as both a classic film and the culmination of the 'Spaghetti Western' cycle of films.

Sergio Leone decided after the success of the 'Dollars' trilogy to concentrate on the broader setting of the Wild West and to focus on aspects of the period which had been covered in the post war 'classic' western period.

The screenplay was written with Dario Argento and Bernado Bertolucci with the express intent of pulling together all of those influences from the early western period, hence the appearance of Henry Fonda.

The film itself is probably the most complete film that I have ever seen, the music interacts so perfectly with the action on the screen that is seems to be almost organic, each character getting their own mini-theme tune which changes with their mood.

It is arguably the crowing achievement of the 'spaghetti' western cycle of films both in its scope and in its ambition. Multi layed in its story telling it explores aspects both economical and political.

A film that cannot come high recommended enough.

Summary: The film that was waiting to be made.