Best movie ever made, the best music score that was ever written, outstanding cinematography, one of the most beautiful women that ever walked the face of the Earth, two of the best male actors, great acting, great story, masterfull directing. 'nuf said.
This movie is by far not only the best western ever but the best movie ever ,its the only movie you could look at over and over again and never get tired of it. all the hollywood movies these days are a joke.
It's always the misinterpretation of facts like this makes thing look harder than they are. Leone was not thinking so calculating while shooting. It was rather a genuine child soul play.
@Candies Freeman... So what's the basis of your assessment there? I much rather believe this is a highly calculated and meticulously planned and executed scene, just as the video author says. Can you make an equally eloquent case to support your basically complete denial? Or is it just a random clown comment to say something different?
I remember an English teacher discussing a poem I thought I liked, only to learn under her tutelage my liking only skimmed the surface of words to love. You did the same for me with this movie. Thank you.
I love everything about this scene, especially how both sides of the tavern are almost completely in shadow. It lends a sense of mystery and potential danger, especially when Cheyenne makes his entrance.
I think that the main lesson to learn here is that movie scenes need time to develop and sink in. There's no need to have an extreme rush with overcomplicating things and flood the viewers with special effects. If just modern movie makes could understand that scenes like this might be what makes a movie memorable. And whenever you see a movie - all those details with people in the background and perspectives is what can make you feel satisfied when the movie has ended and sometimes you want to watch it again just because there are so much secondary details that you may have missed.
And then you discover more each time you watch it and learn more about the characters, and pretty soon you can't wait to watch it again! It was the third or fourth time that I watched this treasure that I realized the awesome contrast of Jill and Cheyenne. She, the most incredibly beautiful, self aware, driven woman in a strange, yet familiar world; surrounded by men, but in charge of a predetermined dream she needed help to understand. All three "gun-men" helped sharpen her awareness of the future she had in store for her. The greatest impact on her decision to stay, I think, was made by Frank. She became more resolved after Harmonica bought the land, but the visit from the rat bastard, Frank, convinced her to see her husband's dream through to fruition. Jill's time spent with the crafty, scruffy bandit, Cheyenne, layed the groundwork for, I believe, the future success of Sweetwater.. There are so many details in this great movie that are hidden from discovery until one has seen it at least once before. For me, I look forward to the next viewing!
Excellent explanation. It takes tremendous skill and effort to create an artistic masterpiece. You can't create unique artistry using an assembly line approach. These films are custom craftsmanship.
Brilliant analysis. You can't help by admire the depth of the Leone's craft. You ask advice ... just keep doing what you are doing ! I learned an awful lot watching this.
Nice analysis. I never think of such intricacies of art direction when I watch a movie but it is quite interesting to go through the steps involved in making a movie that has so much impact on the spectator and try to understand why this is so. This was my father's favorite movie fo all time. I used to watch it with him when I was a kid and it definitely grew on me.
I thoroughly enjoyed your perspective. Well done .... Henry Fonda had been a hero of mine ever since I first saw movies in the 1940s when he almost always played a heroic figure, alongside the likes of Jimmy Stewart, so it came as quite a shock when he played with such such villainy .
I've thought about this in the past and often wondered if he had a modern big budget what kind of movie he could have made, would it have been spectacular, or would a big budget have ruined the feel of his movies ? Exellent analysis. 👍
Gotta say, those sounds are actually diegetic. Here's film sound dot org's explanation: Diegetic sound: Sound whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film: voices of characters sounds made by objects in the story music represented as coming from instruments in the story space ( = source music) Diegetic sound is any sound presented as originated from source within the film's world Digetic sound can be either on screen or off screen depending on whatever its source is within the frame or outside the frame. Another term for diegetic sound is actual sound Diegesis is a Greek word for "recounted story" The film's diegesis is the total world of the story action
Wow, thank you, great great essay! It's very refreshing to have an analysis from a western film, as scenes are so much more thought through and complex with staging, with their techniques sometimes invisible... There are a lot of essays out there on youtube always revolving around the same famous films or scenes, but I never saw the analysis of film pearls like Children of Paradise (1945), The Ladykillers (1955), The Trouble with Harry (1955) or films from Bunuel... So here are some ideas, I hope it helps :) Keep up the great work, I really learn a lot about filmmaking!
good stuff. I love your analysis of the genius of the director. Stuff as one watches the movie you don't so much notice the detail that went into it, you are too drawn into the movie. That's what makes it so good. Keep up the good work.
Love the movie and the analysis, but nobody can tell what was Leone thinking when he shot these scenes. Your interpretation is really entertaining though.
4 года назад
You most certainly can play the entire scene for the purpose of commenting abd critiquing under the fair use act. So it's not copywrite laws that would stop you
You didn't stipulate one of the most fantastic aspect of Once upon a time in the west, at least, for me= when Claudia Cardinal leave the train station (Shooted in Spain) and been driven into the death valley landscape. In one countershot 2 continents, 1 story, 1 travel. It is the magic of Cinéma !!
i know but it is connected to the first images of your video, could make nice preambule. I could not stop to think about this anecdote when I watch those death valley sequences. Anyway, thanks for all your work, it is very instructive to follow you.
About the anaysis of this sequence, we could talk about the Triangle diynamic (in a narrative aspect) wich is a basemant of Leone cinema (like in any cinema or Greek tragedia) and wich is visible on the picutre composition, for exemple people in the background. Music is sometime a part of this triangle, for exemple in a closeup (caracter-Audience-music)
Could you analyses the scene where Claudia is waiting for Harmonica to decide to stay with her, but he just walks out and She is heartbroken, really powerful and sad. Shyann smacks her bottom and she wants to kill him, and he tells her to act like it's nothing, he is dying and she is too, women die from lack of love and men die from physical bullets. but she is strong and as always women must continue on.
Leone's movies are such cinematic treasures, camera work, lighting, staging, sound, characters, acting, wardrobe... so much goes into a work of art such as this. Excellent presentation Wolfcrow...BRAVO!
Beautiful analysis. Saves the cost of film studies.I grew up in the movie business. My father was Rex Harrison. Your take on Leone's visual mastery and the principles of his style is superb.
Sadly, Leone is no longer with us, but he did leave us with one final masterpiece _Once Upon a Time in America_ (1984) scored by his longtime collaborator and friend Ennio Morricone. Between them they've created some of the most memorable cinematic experiences beginning with _A Fistful of Dollars_ in 1964.
WOW. I knew there was a system to his movie making. Maybe that's why his films Still stand today!!! Keep pointing out things. Proof that today's generation appreciate the Man's work.
Please do the bar scene in 'For a Few Dollars More" where Lee Van Cleef Lights a match on the hump back of Klaus Kinski in the tavern. Its one of my favorite scenes of all the spaghetti westerns.
This being one of my favorite films of all time , I appreciate a different perspective and insightful analysis. The hidden depth of genius isn't always so obvious to the near sighted.
I consider Leone one of the very best of directors, especially his visuals. I'm also very big on Kubrick for similar reasons. It feels like each shot is an individual piece of artwork. Thank you for explaining some of the terminology and what the director is delivering to the viewer in each shot. Leone in particular had the unique idea of shooting a film to an existing score, and Ennio Morricone is about the best in the film business (in my opinion as a composer). Once Upon a Time in the West remains in my top 10 favorites, and I must have watched it a hundred times over the last 35 years, and I discover something new each time. More of us "common folk" should learn about the arts, and film in particular, as it heightens one's appreciation when we learn how a great film is made.
i would bet everything i own..you dont even know the names of any great director...of hollywoods golden age...one of your favorite directors...sure when you dont have a clue who the great ones were!!...lol
I swear I have watched this movie six times in the last week, with the lock down and all. I look forward to the next time to find out new aspects of Lione's genius! Something I wonder about; Two scenes in the very beginning. The first was Jack Elam and the fly. The very first time I saw this, I laughed my butt off as he tried to shoo the fly away with as little effort as possible! Then, I would have bet the farm that he was gonna blow that freakin' fly to kingdom come! But, no! He captures it and, for all practical purposes, it looked like he was going to keep it! Only the obviously serious nature of why he was there made him release it. The second was in the very next scene. After Henry Fonda's arrival, and with the massacre at the farm, and especially the slaughter of the youngest son, the contrast of these two killers was gut wrenching.. One couldn't hurt a fly, literally. The other repeatedly took pleasure in destroying boys before their prime! Does anyone else have any observations about either or both of these scenes?
I’m glad I found a comment comparing the cinematography and flow of this movie to that of a Kubrick epic like 2001 a space odyssey. I will go as far as saying this movie is Leones 2001 a space odyssey.
A very well thought-out essay video on a beautiful film. Just one nitpick-y thing: at 11:47 I think those sounds are technically diegetic because while they're offscreen, they do have a source in the world of the film. That would just be offscreen sound. I love the analysis of the close-ups and long shots and their effects on the story!
Thank you! I wrestled with the same question about diegetic sound, but then I asked myself: Any sound introduced into the film can be diagetic, once it's been introduced! Now it's part of the film. So in this case no one has seen the horses or bullets - even during the exterior shots prior to the scene. So I decided to follow the definition strictly. I'm not saying I'm right, just explaining my decision.
I think the disco narwhal is right here. Since all the characters react to the sound, the sound has a source in the world of the film, meaning it is diegetic :). Otherwise out standing video ! Please keep making more, it's quite rare to see this level of film technical analysis on youtube. Thank you for your work !
Ha! I commented before reading the comments, I'll repost here (from film sound dot org): Diegetic sound: Sound whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film: voices of characters sounds made by objects in the story music represented as coming from instruments in the story space ( = source music) Diegetic sound is any sound presented as originated from source within the film's world Digetic sound can be either on screen or off screen depending on whatever its source is within the frame or outside the frame. Another term for diegetic sound is actual sound Diegesis is a Greek word for "recounted story" The film's diegesis is the total world of the story action
The video is great, but you really are mistaken in this one thing. The sounds are most definitely diegetic acording to every learnbook definition. They are part of the world. There is no need to actually see the source or know what it is until we know it exists in the world. But there are many cases of combinations of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds in Once Upon - mainly the harmonica theme which sometime is diegetic and sometime not. And sometime Leone plays with it. Even the first time in this scene, when we hear it we can think about it as just non-diegetic film music. Than we see reactions and know it is diegetic. And then the orchestra comes in and the diegetic and non-diegetic music plays together - which is one of Leone's trademarks. But the shooting - diegetic. Or go argue with Bordwell. :-)
I really wish you'd do a breakdown of the final confrontation. I've always loved how Frank blinks frequently and even looks around as if expecting an ambush; Harmonica never looks away and seemingly never blinks.
When Cheyenne is holding the lantern up close to Harmonica... I love that the shape of the lantern perfectly lines up with Cheyennes face down to his cheekbones. Like that specific lantern was chosen just so it could be lined up in that shot
I have never learned more about film making in 22 minutes in my life. In fact I don't think I have learned as much about anything. Pure genius from wolfcrow and of course the master Sergio himself. Nobody does it better.
Always remember, there are no accidental scenes in movies. Everything is there for a reason. Every prop, every item, every background. All carefully selected.
We have a little bit of skewed perception: these great old movies were relatively rare even in their day. It's just the banal drivel above which they rose has been forgotten. Hopefully, 50 years from now the good stuff from our own time will be remembered, while the garbage is ignored.
@@DidivsIvlianvs - It used to be that studios picked up the cost of shooting a movie, but with the expense of movie making through the roof, those days are gone. A lot of movies these days require outside funding and the investors want their money back plus a profit. So they go with what is likely to make money, which is why you see a lot of movies with simple plots, computer generated action scenes and tits and ass.
The only film I have ever seen that is a better film the second time around....Charles Bronson should have gotten an Academy Award if only for the fight with Fonda at the end,what he gives the viewer through his face and eyes is astounding,hate,love for his brother,his life long quest for revenge and his solace at getting the revenge as he relishes seeing Frank die after he killed him....absolutely astounding without saying a word.
Thanks for making this. I've always felt that this scene was the original Creature Cantina from Star Wars (1977, 9 years later). Also, I thought it was worth nothing the sympathy Cheyenne shows for Harmonica when he sees the bullet wound.
wolf crow My understanding of non diegetic sound is sound that's does not emanate from the world or environment of the movie such as soundtrack or theme music. The sound outside before shine walks in is part of the environment of the movie although we don't see it. so I'm thinking that's diegetic sound.
The reviewer of OUATIAmerica described Leone's work as silent films with signature narrative scores. Your break down of every visual element fits like a glove. Thanks!
Wonderful video and very educational, thank you for your effort! Also can you please do an episode of the uniqueness of widescreen/anamorphic (2.35) cinematography compare to the normal aspect ratio (1.85) cinematography, in the manner of framing or the camera moving, etc.That would be just fantastic!
"Inside those three dusters, there were three men, inside those three men ,there are now three bullets". Excellent choice man, Leone was a true master. As for the drinks ,my opinion is that it is mainly practical. You would not expect a woman to drink, while Sam had to do something instead of just standing and the need for drink for Sayenne shows he has been through a lot. The heat shows on the sweat on their faces ,the dust and the warm colors in all the scenes. What is interesting is how often they have to cover their mouths. To me this is done for us to focus on their eyes (again very Sergio Leone) and add mystery at the same time. With Charles Bronson keeping his mouth from sight you can't tell if he is smiling or not. Same thing with the drinks none of which comes in a transparent glass. We could go for ages about the detail on this film ,nothing was put randomly and for sure this story was a perfectly written one.
Very wonderful analysis and I thank you for bringing it to us. You have mentioned that the cinematographer used zooms....How should one read the DOF to determine the relationship of camera to subject?
Excellent analysis as always! This movie definitely is in my top 5. Seen it three times on theatrical re-releases on fresh 35mm (of course anamorphic blow ups from 2-perf Techniscope) prints. Leone out-hitchcocks Hitchcock here in terms of the camera being a character. Thanks for the very insightful breakdown including the pecking order and audience surrogate - please keep them coming! BTW: didn't know he was using mainly zoom lenses - looks impeccable for 2-perf spherical (just a little coarser grain of the then available film stock, which actually adds to the gritty look)! Thanks for sharing all this very valuable information!
Absolutely! We have a direct comparison regarding spaghetti westerns: Sergio Corbucci's "Django" (1966), considered a classic and a huge inspiration for Tarantino (including a 'Reservoir Dogs' scene which I won't spoil!). Even with budget restraint in mind: the "flat" and cheap looking lighting, less than perfect editing, way too much zooming (O.K. It was the "thing" back in the mid-late 1960s, but still: less is more) and the way too tight and odd framing of the 1:1.66 ratio (I use the recent restored BluRay edition as the reference) with crucial details placed on the very edges top and bottom - no headroom, all reveal that it wasn't the work of a master. Leone always leads the eyes in a very comfortable way and even in his long drawn out scenes not one frame is wasted. His films look fantastic on the big screen, as well as on the small one. Thanks for reading!
Brilliant analysis of a brilliant movie. I love the movie, but I don’t have the artistic knowledge to see what makes it so great. Your analysis has helped a lot to better understand the nuances. Keep up the great work.
Tarantino has been obviously inspired by Leone's good old spegetti westerns but there is a very big difference between the two styles. Tarantino uses extensive long dialogues to make his stories. Leone doesn't, instead he used master cinemagraphy to make great movies. Personaly, long dialogues bores me to death. If i want to listen to dialogue,i just put the radio on.
Wonderful movie. The music, scenery, actors, camera man and everyone else. No wonder there are so many holes in the tavern roof and side walls with so few people actually drinking there. Very good review
Saw this classic film in the drive-in theater when I was fifteen years old, it made an impression! This discussion of set and setting, the disciplined use of angle of view, of chiaroscuro, of depth created by motions and the significance of meticulous details as well as depth of field rings true as brass. Brilliant analysis of technical deatails that are truly the brushwork in this painting. Was always struck by the music, owned the soundtrack... but I learned a good bit from your points on the sounds, music and diagetics as well. Thank you ever so much.
Uuughhh please don't compare a Michael Bay film to a Sergio Leone one. Even if there is the slightest of slightest bit of comparison in certain things, lets not go there! lol
Good thoughts here. But disagree with the assertion that Leone's women are "props." Also that "manliness" in these films is correlate with the "ability to ignore women." It is refuted by Cheyenne's musing to Jill later in the film about "what the sight of woman like you can do to a man." I feel like this is practically the voice of any Italian director speaking. The film ends with Jill as the leader and proprietor of a new township. Beyond that I personally find her to be one of the most interesting and enigmatic characters in the movie, with the widest moral compass, and no few secrets of her own. Cardinale's face acting alone is astonishing in this scene.
A substantial part of Jill's beauty is the result of her efficiency in speech. One's imagination can run rampant when a ravishingly beautiful woman glides into a room with a total lack of chatter or banter. For all practical purposes, the only men Jill was visible to in that bar, was Sam and the bartender. The woman, most likely the bartender's wife, was surely aware of Jill, also. Harmonica and Cheyenne were focused on each other. Neither one fully acknowledged Jill's presence.
Wonderful analysis! Thanks a lot for sharing it. I strongly believe you could squeeze a lot of juice out of The Age of Innocence. It´s so rich and full of cinematic nuances.
My favorite Movie, Just watched it about 4 weeks ago now I want to watch it again, too late tonight 10:15 pm Christmas Eve. Waah. Oh yeah, don'y fergit Outlaw Jossie Wales 2nd favorite?
I was 12, at the Highway 39 drive-in in Huntington Beach, and with my parents when I saw this movie. I must have tortured them as I remember asking a million questions. It was just so different from any western I had ever seen. I remember the lack of dialog threw me. It was too complex; nothing in this film was identifiable to my inexperienced frame of reference. But that didn't stop it from becoming one of my favorite films. It made a huge impression on me
NOV 2018 - Keep GOING - there are always NEW students out here wanting to unlock the secrets of cinematic mastery. Thank you very much for ALL this work (BETTER than anything our 'teacher' has produced!) 😎🏆
Brother you nailed it with degrees of depth that blew me away. Please continue your work. Your work should appear as commentary clips on TCM or other platforms. Keep it up!
