Henry Fonda was one mean bastard in this film, cold blooded, no remorse, sadistic, insane! He played that part well, to play Frank, leader of a gang of bad guys. Bronson is no spring chicken either! Tough as they come, on a mission to settle a score with a nemesis from his past. Eastwood was asked to play the role of harmonica but turned it down so Bronson got the part. One of the greatest westerns to ever hit the big screen, an instant classic! Who would argue with that?!
Souvent les hommes d'équipage prennent un albatros, vaste oiseau des mers .... et souvent les chasseurs lorsqu'ils atteignent leur cible, affichent un rictus de plaisir au bout de leurs lèvres. Bande de salauds.
Yes. Can you imagine how shocked a lot of the audience would have been when the camera slowly reveals it's Henry Fonda. Henry Fonda was well-known for playing the good guy. When Henry Fonda got this part he planned to to change the colour of his eyes with contact lenses that he had bought so they would be brown and he had grown a little moustache. He wanted to look the part of a villain. But Sergio Leone wanted none of that. When Henry Fonda turned up on set with the moustache and brown eyes he said No. He wanted the smooth skin and the baby blue eyes that the audience were familiar with.
Pure terror in a non-horror film. The scene and music when the gunslingers appear and then the face of Henry Fonda always gives me goosebums. Incredible scene.
this is the only MOVIE that will live FOREVER.... I watched it 7 times in the past 20 yrs but every time I watch it,, it was like watching the very 1st time....
when i saw this movie the first time as a kid , it seemed to me that the coats looked almost like drawings in this scene. like some coats in the lord of the rings animation where drawn with rotoshop technique
Henry Fonda is the last guy people expect to be THE BAD GUY especially back in the 60s and seeing him with that smile before he pulls the trigger is priceless.
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This scene back in 1968 shocked the world because of its cruelty not only because of the fact of killing the boy but also because of Henry Fonda's smile while killing him and that fantastic never heard before masterpiece in music. The real touching scene is really only 2 minutes.
This is my first western and the first time I watched this movie today and it was quite shocking even nowadays. Hell it's because the movie was so old that I did not expect the entire family to just get killed off. I even thought they were gonna let the kid survive and had slightly jumped when they shot him too. To put it into context, I'm an avid reader and watcher of horror. I've seen the clasics and the more modern ones and you tend to anticipate these kind of grisly scenes but this genuinely took me by surprise as I watched in horror, bewilderment and strangely enough in amazement. Legit one if not the most badass/tragic scenes ever. Gonna start watching more westerns now.
Frank was going to leave the kid, but the idiot beside him called him by his name...... You can see the change in Fonda's micro expression, what an actor he was.
That is EXACTLY why Leone was insistent on Henry Fonda who expected to wear dark contacts to hide his blue eyes. Leone wanted those icy blue eyes that simply sparkled with evil.
You know what I love about Leone? Not a word, sound, or scene is wasted. Every second of his films pushes the story along. And the way Fonda and his outlaws emerge from those bushes like wraiths entering our plane of existence from some phantom zone.
Basic screenwriting classes will tell you keep your scenes under 2 minutes. The master of not doing that is Tarantino. And for whatever reason I forgot to connect the dots and remember who he was influenced by. Such a legend.
Leone, Morricone, Delli Colli (cinematography) and Fonda together create a legendary scene. No wonder Tarantino is so influenced. Indeed Kurosawa is the master.
Henry Fonda. How could he go from an all emerican good man with sweet humble eyes to this with his sinister smile and ice cold evil eyes is beyond me. what a genius
The shot from the back where 5 bad dudes in the long coats are walking towards the kid..camera pans round to the front..the face nobody expected is there for all to see.Leone was truly a master of his craft..and that music from the maestro.Spine tingling stuff
When Leone settled on the roles, he was keen on Charles Bronson as the avenger, after Clint Eastwood dropped out. He characterized Bronson with the words: With that face you bring every steam locomotive to a standstill.
I showed this to a friend who grew up in the 60s who was a fan of Fonda but never saw this movie. Up to the last second, she refused to believe Fonda was actually going to shoot the kid. I'll never forget the look of shock on her face.
I grew up in an italian family and i remember seeing these spaghetti westerns in my youth ... My brothers were crazy about them bc the style with the close up shots were quite raw for back then ...and the music .. There will never again be movies quite like these ... It was a magical time for movie making
This was great when you first see them emerge from the brush in their dusters, and the classic Frank "now that you called me by name" but Bronson as a kid during the duel, the hanging scene was real powerful as well.
I had hardly been born when this movie was made, but it one of the few films that makes my spine tingle, especially this scene. The music, Fonda's portrayal of Frank, Charles Bronson as harmonica. It is a true masterpiece, a work of art. Brutal, but at the same time beautiful. I feel blessed to have been able to watch such a creation.
Well i was born that very year and i have it on DVD. Seen it on tv, around 2010 or 2011, Blu Ray 35 mm or something i think they call it. Got the feeling i could touch the Herringbone fabric on Robard's trousers. And seeing Fonda as a baddie on the tv in '95 was shocking.
They used very noisy cameras here, so all audio was done separately in a recording studio. What is really genius was they actually worked out dialogue in the 5 most popular languages (Eng, Italian Spainish, French & German) that matched the same mouth movements, so it doesn’t looked dubbed, & each of the main characters had their own music score that went with their appearance on camera. Leone was a genius. Every frame was composed like a work of art. Looks like it was based on a perfect storyboard but apparently Leone had every scene composed in his own head.
Tonino Delli Colli was the cinematographer responsible for the fantastic camera work. They shot with a Mitchell BNC (so I read) and a few, at least three Arriflex 35IIC, which can be seen in the many production stills. Noisy indeed. Both were modified for Techniscope, which is a smaller and cheaper format than anamorphic, since it only uses half of the 35mm frame, but it allows for those awesome deep focus shots. The slightly grittier image is perfect for this movie.
@@truefilm6991 cinematography is indeed astonishing for this movie - as demonstrated in the opening scene at the railway station -this movie is a textbook example of the supreme art of movie-making
Verissimo!!! E Leone non pensava agli incassi. Lui pensava ai Film, per trasmettere emozioni. Ed è per questo che moltissimi li considerano più un opera d'arte, piuttosto che intrattenimento.
The german translation is like a completetly different movie. It's called "Play me the song of Death", this is said twice during the film, both times when the harmonica is put into the mouth of a dying person. (The line"keep your loving brother happy" is missing, many german viewers think it's his father). Another change: The last dialogue between Harmonica and Mrs McBain English: "Will you come back someday?" "Someday." German: "I will wait for you" "There is always someone waiting"
All the scenes in this film are the best, but I agree with those who favour the opening, and I recommend absolutely everyone to see the whole film. It is one of the best ever made!
I can go along with that. Funnily enough, I'm a huge fan of Clint Eastwood. Love every picture he ever appeared in. But Once Upon a Time in the West is my absolute favourite Western, even though Eastwood was absent. Leone may have left a few spaghetti stains around but that don't matter one iota. His westerns were the very best & Once Upon a Time is the great grand daddy of them all. I imagine Eastwood playing all of the lead roles in this epic masterpiece & I come up short. Every minute of every actor on film in this stunning & jaw-dropping work of art is picture perfect. I don't imagine Clint could have improved on any of the performers in this production. This movie is just supreme.
Leone plays masterly with the mind of his audience. First the hunting scene associating the shots with the killing of partridges and later the confusion about the shot and the flying partridges. It is no coincidence that the father's gun comes into focus when the daughter looks after the flying birds, seconds before the lethal shot. This is how to transfer thoughts and feelings of the characters into the viewer.
This is a masterpiece of a movie....from Sergio's work of art in the context of cinematography, to Moriconne's music score, and Fonda's and Bronson's acting....all three blend into cinematic perfection
The moment, the kid stumbles down the stairs, comes to a halt in the door, and the guitar does BAMMM! beginning one of the utmost beautiful and heartbreaking melodies of all times. This moment brings me always to tears.
That also happens in the Searchers just before John Wayne's brother's family are attacked by the Comanche. Sergio Leone was a fan of John Ford westerns
I was ten years old when watching the movie the first time (1985), and i will put it that way: It, and the tough action of Frank in that scene, well, could maybe have influenced me so slightly, that i had named my own Son, 28yrs later, Tim(my) too, maybe to make that murder unhappen (Enzo Santaniello were just eight in the movie, two years younger than me at first watching)... And i am a enthusiast in turkeys... Some movies shouldn't really be watched before a specific age, i guess- two more traumas to fight because of that movie ;)... Nonetheless i adore this movie, and it awakens my love for (excellent to better) Italo westerns too, which are no less than kind of a life elixir for me...
This sequence is so just fucking perfect! Could be the beginning of a thriller movie ...A Horror story or whatever.... The suspence is so palpable ....
TGTBATU has nice character devlopment and some cool settings, but the plot isn't as good, the soundtrack isn't as good, heck even the acting isn't quite as good (and that's really saying something btw), perhaps helped by the casting. What I meant by comparing the duels - TGTBATU's final duel is simple staring each other down then shooting. Though I'd admit the location is pretty cool. Someone tune that guitar though it's just annoying. Shooting the hat and gun into the grave are just plain silly (exact same sound effect played twice too). Meanwhile OUATITW's final duel contains a major plot point that unravels with the duel, getting the absolutely epic shot panning out from the arch in the middle of nowhere as you 'get it' - then ending with that brillaint bit of acting from Fonda as the last thing he ever thinks is remembering exactly who Harmonica is, the music this time going out of tune for an actual plot related reason.
+chiffmonkey Using the final scene to say OUATITW is better than GBU is absolutely crazy, that final standoff in GBU is one of the greatest movie scenes of all time. 3 unbelievable actors playing 3 brilliant characters, the music in that final scene is as good as can get and you have goosebumps because the movie buildsup to that scene amazingly well, the adventure they have gone through and it pays off sooooo good. With GBU the last scene was also less predictable than OUATITW, we knee the good guy will win and yes a plot point unraveled in that final scene but it was obvious that was coming. GBU you had 3 characters and everyone could guess that the bad will die but the intrigue was in wether or not the ugly would die who was such a great character. I also love OUATITW but it cannot compare however a big problem with the movie is the casting, Fonda was awesome but Charles Bronson gave an extremely wooden performance and I believe he single handedly held back the movie, it could have been so much bigger and well known if Eastwood was playing that role.
In a Carson interview in the 70's,I believe he said the one character,which he identified with.Was Mr.Roberts,I agree on TomJoad,I was surprised to learn in all those years he never won an Oscar,until On Golden Pond.I thought Lancaster should have won for Atlantic City.He should have won for Tom Joad.
The scene where they all emerge out of the bushes was so badass. No slow motion, no VFX, literally just a bunch of menacing cowboys emerging from the shrublands.
Might very well be the best movie of all time. It's a masterpiece in every way. The story...the acting...the cinematography....the way its shot.... The music! In every way....Cinema Perfection.
BUENAS TARDES CIUDADANO DEL MUNDO.. SERÁ ACASO QUE " EN EL ANTIGUO Y SALVAJE OESTE", HABITABAN OTROS SERES, MALIGNOS, DE OTRA CIVILIZACIÓN O CULTURA, CON AVANCES TECNOLÓGICOS SUPERIORES, PERO MUY MALIGNOS !!! Y CUYA REALIDAD DE SU EXISTENCIA, FUE OCULTA AL MUNDO... ???
I saw the tail end of this movie on TV. Was captured by the shootout and goodbye to Cheyenne. Didn't catch the movie's name, but the closing scenes and the music haunted me until one day I saw the title in my mind's eye. I immediately went to Amazon and bought the DVD. I still watch it again every year or so, and even now, after many viewings, it still takes me hours to get back to reality after watching.
Esse filme foi muito criticado em Hollywood que nunca reconheceram os talentos de Leone e Morricone por eles serem italianos. O lema sempre foi : "A América sempre em primeiro lugar."
There was a look of 'i feel sorry for for this kid he's so inocent' on Fondas face then within seconds a look of evil. Class acting by fonda and all the cast involved brilliant movie
It isn't sympathy, Frank wants a surviving witness to tell everyone what kind of coats the killers were wearing. The plan is ruined when one of his compatriots calls him by name, which is what causes his annoyance. But then he remembers how much he loves his job, and that unsettling smile reemerges.
The way the camera captures the scene and then introduces Fonda is ICONIC! The slow beginning at the station with the gunfight after 13 min is even better for my taste. If you are a photographer or like photography ...just watch some stills...these are awesome image compositions!
Damn.. that's so intense. When the other guy says "what's we gonna do with this boy" the expressions of Henry fonda says it all. His smile disappeared and it looked like he's so disappointed but he looked for himself first. So many emotions in 10 seconds frame. This is Gem.
Ryan Osbourne, I agree. Like scenes in William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist,” there is a darkness to this scene. And despite the increasing amounts of obscene, visceral content Hollywood can show in movies, this scene is exactly what you said it is.
I was shocked when I first saw the bad guy being played by Henry Fonda, playing such an evil, heartless, dirty, and merciless character. This is a masterpiece of a western movie.
Like scenes in William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist,” which I will not mention, there is a darkness to this scene. And despite the increasing amounts of obscene, visceral content Hollywood can show in movies today, this scene is still atypically powerful in the “hard to watch” sense.
Absolutely true Sergio Leone was the best but we has someone following his steps cinematography Quentin tarantino is genius too his special atention to audio and visual detail is genius
@@santinho212 Tarantino is a genius but his strength is in dialogue - Leone used very little dialogue but could create an entire story with no words at all - look at the opening scenes of The Good the Bad and the Ugly
Poor little kid...... I thought at first sight that he was the only survivor of this family and he was going to revenge when he will be grown up. He was so innocent.... made me cry a lot just by seeing the scene cutting off when Frank shoots.....:-( Anyway it's a great movie.
When it was first aired, i wasnt born yet. I've seen this masterpiece 5 times. I think its the best western ever made. And everytime i watch this film, around @7:50 to @7:58 always shivers me, and it feels like its the first time i'm watching it. Its crazy!
I saw this at Fort Braggmovie theater in Sumner of '68 and while frank was having his way with Mrs. McBain while she was laying topless in the bed on her stomach a guy called out "turn her over Frank" and got a round of applause.
Imagine being in the cinema in 1968 waiting in all that silence and diegetic sounds for almost 20 minutes and all of a sudden the theme of the movie at 6:35 attacks your ears.
This scene is just one of many masterful set pieces that is present in this movie which in itself is a masterpiece,the Frontier setting, the festive table and a family preparing for a celebration….then a peaceful scene turns into a massacre…the curtain (dust) lifts to reveal the evil behind the horror…a devil with a benign smile….perfection…!!!
So many nuances in this scene. For instance, Frank's content expression mirrors that of the Irishman after shooting the birds. Both signify satisfaction with a job well done, yet it vivdly contrasts the difference between them. It is a remarkable introduction of Fonda's character.
Interesting bit from Wikipedia that adds to the scene: "Fonda did not accept Leone's first offer to play Frank, so Leone flew to New York to convince him, telling him: 'Picture this: the camera shows a gunman from the waist down pulling his gun and shooting a running child. The camera tilts up to the gunman's face and… it's Henry Fonda.'" For context, Henry Fonda almost always played heroes and strongly moral characters in movies. So the reveal that he's actually the villain, and a pretty twisted one at that... would be like watching a movie where it's revealed Tom Hanks is the villain. Very against type, but all the better for it!
I watcheeeed Once Upon a Time in the West full mоvie here twitter.com/1a0f3f2c2c721d8c2/status/795841575083311104 Once Upoooon AAAA Time In The West 1968 Best Sccene
Henry Fonda, the most underrated actor there was. Jesse James, Jezebel, Grapes of Wrath, My Darling Clementine, Mister Roberts, Failsafe, The Wrong Man, Twelve Angry Men, There was a crooked man, Once Upon a Time in the West. So many more.
The camera pan around to reveal Fonda is one of my favourite shots ever. Explaining what makes this scene so great to someone, and them still not grasping it, is damaging to the health.
I didn't get it at first either, but later, it makes sense that Frank was pretending to be Cheyenne, and the boy would rat him out if he lived. Frank only kills him after the henchman calls him by name.
7:40 I love how the music' part perfectly fits in this moment. It's fascinating, how Morricone wrote his music, it's gave more then dialogs and with the combination of Leone's filming it's a masterpiece. I think, the only modern composer who can do the same is Hans Zimmer. Think about the last scene from the movie "Inception", also almost only music, less words.
