Once Upon a Time in the WestRight and wrong don't mean much when you're staring down the barrel of a gun. Once Upon a Time in the West is, unsurprisingly, a Western (of the "Spaghetti" variety) co-written and directed by Sergio Leone. It follows four individuals whose paths cross (and collide) in the Wild West. There is the nameless, stoic avenger--credited as "Harmonica" (Charles Bronson)--the cold villain with steely blue eyes, Frank (Henry Fonda), a bandit and criminal named "Cheyenne" (Jason Robards), who is implicated for the murder of the McBain family, and the woman who has to confront all three: the widowed Jill McBain (Claudia Cardinale), ex-prostitute and now inheritor of the McBain ranch and holdings, which Frank and his employer are after to claim, no matter who has to die for it.
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Following Leone's The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West is an operatic action movie, right down to the gorgeous musical score by acclaimed composer, Ennio Morricone. In fact, the music of the movie is integral to it, especially where it concerns Harmonica, who is identified as such because of the harmonica he carries around and plays at times. His tune is a haunting one that sets the hairs of your arm on edge. And the story of the harmonica is explained at the climax of the film, so no spoilers here about that. In addition to the plot to steal away the McBain property--called "Sweetwater"--from the widow Jill, the other story arc concerns Harmonica on a quest for vengeance against Frank. Interestingly, the reason for his need for revenge also isn't explained until near the end, but given that Frank is such a bastard--enough to gun down the youngest McBain child in cold blood--it shouldn't come as a surprise that someone is out to get him. At over two and a half hours long, Once Upon a Time in the West could be considered a "Western epic". It is patient and uses quiet moments to bring the tension in scenes to a boil. There are rarely large scale shootouts or outlandish set pieces--they do exist, like Cheyenne's infiltration of a mobile base of operations (a train) where Frank's boss, the infirm Mr. Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti), presides. But compare this to the very opening of the film, with nary a line of dialogue for almost ten minutes as the credits pop up and slide past like targets in a carnival shooting gallery. A few hired guns meet with Harmonica at the train station in lieu of Frank, yet Harmonica gives them a steely glare and a one-liner before blowing them all away (even if he takes a bullet in the arm for his troubles). We already know that this is one cool customer from his chiseled expression, but this seals the deal.
Once Upon a Time in the West is a bold and visually driven movie, so it can be forgiven when smaller details of the plot don't always gel. For instance, Frank deliberately dresses his men in long dusters so as to suggest that the killing of the McBain family was the work of Cheyenne instead of him. And yet, the strange part about this is that Frank leaves no witnesses, so who would report that Cheyenne was behind the mass murder? And consider when he is offered up by Harmonica for the bounty to pay for his bid of the McBain property. He is arrested by the sheriff (Keenan Wynn), but somehow escapes his clutches off-screen to show up in the finale. The relationship between Jill and her late husband, Brett McBain (Frank Wolff), is told only through small pieces of backstory here and there. She says that she comes from New Orleans, and she is remarkably pretty. She wears plenty of makeup to draw the eyes of men to her, and there is the suggestion throughout the film that any of the three men might end up with her in the end. In more than a few scenes, her clothes are torn or removed entirely, like when Harmonica deliberately rips off the collar off of her dress and uses her as bait to distract a couple of gunmen waiting just outside the ravaged ranch. The most shocking of these moments comes after Frank ambushes her at gunpoint. The next time we see them, they are kissing and she is disrobing for him. Despite this being the man who slaughtered her family, she not only acquiesces to his advances, but she acts like she enjoys it. Why? Opinions vary, but the prevailing one is that she is keenly aware that this is her only means to avoid him murdering her, too. After all, the insinuation is that her erstwhile trade as a prostitute has allowed her to put aside her feelings to deliver her product unto her clients. But would a woman deprived of her newfound family and (literally) under the gun really be able to put aside all of her feelings to seduce their killer? Simply put, I have to say that I think that the reality of why she does this is simpler: it is because the film prefers to fawn over the lovely actress in various states of undress. As it is with the covers of romance novels, Once Upon a Time in the West is a larger-than-life, heightened take on the genre. A fantasy of an era with many of its tropes represented in giant--even exaggerated--scale, and that includes the buxom farm girl at the mercy of a cruel man in black. Virtually every character is an exemplar of another from some of the most famous Westerns ever made, especially those Sergio Leone made himself. If you look, you can see shades of Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, and Lee Van Cleef in Bronson, Robards, and Fonda respectively, and it's unmistakably intentional. It is said that Leone never intended to make another Western after The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, but he did with this movie, and how! Furthermore, Leone wanted to adapt a book called "The Hoods" instead--which would later become his Once Upon a Time in America--so one wonders if the filmmaker made this movie to be deliberately evocative rather than logical by design.
The legacy of Once Upon a Time in the West can be felt in many films--not necessarily Westerns. Many filmmakers, from Quentin Tarantino to George Lucas have cited it as an inspiration. What helps make this such an endearing classic is its mastery over visual language and how effective it is in creating a mood. All four characters are dynamic in each scene they are in, and they are in pretty much all of them. They bring a quality that helps make each moment inspired, from Cheyenne's roguishness and gallows humor, to Frank's sneering viciousness. Scenes are burned into the memory of its audience, because they are so effective at painting a picture of the Wild West...not the way it was, but the way we mythologize it. Even scenes that might not have any greater importance than to drive the plot forward on paper are given to intense cinematography, deep focus, and a crescendo of powerful music. One example is when Frank discovers Morton's train has been devastated by Cheyenne and his men, leaving everyone dead, although Morton is only barely hanging on to life. Earlier, he admired a painting of the Pacific Ocean, and said that he would like to live to see it once before he dies. All that he can manage in his final moments is to crawl to a filthy puddle for his last gasp. And Frank cruelly looks on to watch him die, a bitter smirk on his face. Perhaps it didn't happen exactly this way, but that's how I remember it. And I think that's the larger point that Once Upon a Time in the West is making. We think back on these moments in history and wonder about the adventures that filled those days. Our memories come from imagination, and this will always live longer in our minds than the reality of things.
Recommended for: Fans of a vast and grandiose Spaghetti Western that exemplifies some of the most exciting aspects of the genre. Once Upon a Time in the West is a tale of revenge and survival, of cold-hearted killers and hot-blooded lust, of dusty ranches and leather dusters, of guns and gunslingers. In short, it is the kind of Western to watch if you want to appreciate just how much the Westerns of yesteryear inspired filmmakers like Sergio Leone, and how his contributions have inspired those who came after.
Once Upon a Time in the West is a bold and visually driven movie, so it can be forgiven when smaller details of the plot don't always gel. For instance, Frank deliberately dresses his men in long dusters so as to suggest that the killing of the McBain family was the work of Cheyenne instead of him. And yet, the strange part about this is that Frank leaves no witnesses, so who would report that Cheyenne was behind the mass murder? And consider when he is offered up by Harmonica for the bounty to pay for his bid of the McBain property. He is arrested by the sheriff (Keenan Wynn), but somehow escapes his clutches off-screen to show up in the finale. The relationship between Jill and her late husband, Brett McBain (Frank Wolff), is told only through small pieces of backstory here and there. She says that she comes from New Orleans, and she is remarkably pretty. She wears plenty of makeup to draw the eyes of men to her, and there is the suggestion throughout the film that any of the three men might end up with her in the end. In more than a few scenes, her clothes are torn or removed entirely, like when Harmonica deliberately rips off the collar off of her dress and uses her as bait to distract a couple of gunmen waiting just outside the ravaged ranch. The most shocking of these moments comes after Frank ambushes her at gunpoint. The next time we see them, they are kissing and she is disrobing for him. Despite this being the man who slaughtered her family, she not only acquiesces to his advances, but she acts like she enjoys it. Why? Opinions vary, but the prevailing one is that she is keenly aware that this is her only means to avoid him murdering her, too. After all, the insinuation is that her erstwhile trade as a prostitute has allowed her to put aside her feelings to deliver her product unto her clients. But would a woman deprived of her newfound family and (literally) under the gun really be able to put aside all of her feelings to seduce their killer? Simply put, I have to say that I think that the reality of why she does this is simpler: it is because the film prefers to fawn over the lovely actress in various states of undress. As it is with the covers of romance novels, Once Upon a Time in the West is a larger-than-life, heightened take on the genre. A fantasy of an era with many of its tropes represented in giant--even exaggerated--scale, and that includes the buxom farm girl at the mercy of a cruel man in black. Virtually every character is an exemplar of another from some of the most famous Westerns ever made, especially those Sergio Leone made himself. If you look, you can see shades of Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, and Lee Van Cleef in Bronson, Robards, and Fonda respectively, and it's unmistakably intentional. It is said that Leone never intended to make another Western after The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, but he did with this movie, and how! Furthermore, Leone wanted to adapt a book called "The Hoods" instead--which would later become his Once Upon a Time in America--so one wonders if the filmmaker made this movie to be deliberately evocative rather than logical by design.
The legacy of Once Upon a Time in the West can be felt in many films--not necessarily Westerns. Many filmmakers, from Quentin Tarantino to George Lucas have cited it as an inspiration. What helps make this such an endearing classic is its mastery over visual language and how effective it is in creating a mood. All four characters are dynamic in each scene they are in, and they are in pretty much all of them. They bring a quality that helps make each moment inspired, from Cheyenne's roguishness and gallows humor, to Frank's sneering viciousness. Scenes are burned into the memory of its audience, because they are so effective at painting a picture of the Wild West...not the way it was, but the way we mythologize it. Even scenes that might not have any greater importance than to drive the plot forward on paper are given to intense cinematography, deep focus, and a crescendo of powerful music. One example is when Frank discovers Morton's train has been devastated by Cheyenne and his men, leaving everyone dead, although Morton is only barely hanging on to life. Earlier, he admired a painting of the Pacific Ocean, and said that he would like to live to see it once before he dies. All that he can manage in his final moments is to crawl to a filthy puddle for his last gasp. And Frank cruelly looks on to watch him die, a bitter smirk on his face. Perhaps it didn't happen exactly this way, but that's how I remember it. And I think that's the larger point that Once Upon a Time in the West is making. We think back on these moments in history and wonder about the adventures that filled those days. Our memories come from imagination, and this will always live longer in our minds than the reality of things.
Recommended for: Fans of a vast and grandiose Spaghetti Western that exemplifies some of the most exciting aspects of the genre. Once Upon a Time in the West is a tale of revenge and survival, of cold-hearted killers and hot-blooded lust, of dusty ranches and leather dusters, of guns and gunslingers. In short, it is the kind of Western to watch if you want to appreciate just how much the Westerns of yesteryear inspired filmmakers like Sergio Leone, and how his contributions have inspired those who came after.