Of course 70-100 times. It's not like other films where you watch it once or twice. Once upon a time in the West is a work of art and should be revisited and appreciated often.
This movie will not appeal to comic book movie fans with the attention span of a strobe light. The action plays out deliberately, the plot builds meticulously, you really get inside the heads of each character, then when the action finally happens, it's abrupt and over just as quickly. I love everything about this movie for just these reasons. It's right there comfortably in my top five of all time, alongside "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Blade Runner." To call "Once upon a Time in the West" a masterpiece does not do it justice.
Nice. I, too, didn't appreciate the film until I saw it again as an adult. Suggestion: One of Michael Mann's films, especially Heat, Last of the Mohicans or Thief.
This was one of those movies I frequently saw at my local video store back in the early 90s and the cover always intrigued me. It took me a great while to finally rent it but it certainly left a lasting impression on me. I remember reading the movie summary on the back of the display box and noticing it was Directed by the same guy who Directed The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. That's what sold me and I was glad I rented it. A fun treat was to have Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill saga serve as a flashback to this movie thanks to the use of Morricone's score. On a final note, there was another of Sergio Leone's period pieces that caught my eye just as Once Upon A Time In The West did at my video store and that movie was Once Upon A Time In America. ✌️
The Kill Bill movies will always be among my all time favorites because of Tarantino's homage to Morricone. I'll watch movies just because he's the composer for them. Sergio was a fantastic director, and now I hear Tarantino's filming "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood." I wonder what that's gonna be like.
I too love when the pupil follows in the Master's footsteps. Tarantino and his longtime pal Robert Rodriguez have paid their dues going from independent visionaries to household names (well maybe Tarantino more than Rodriguez in that respect). It's definitely been on my list of highly anticipated films when I first heard of Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. Another Tarantino period piece...can't wait!
I love this movie. I’ve seen it more times than I can count. I think your interpretation of it was really good for me. Though the protagonist is not harmonica, but it is Jill McBain, watching her as the protagonist in this movie bring home the point of the whole movie. That the time that was is no longer. Now we must live in the new world.
Watch the movie again. Charles Bronson's character isn't seeking revenge. In fact, he's not really a protagonist. He's not even a character -- he's a plot device. Notice while you're watching that he doesn't have an arc, he isn't developed. Frank is the character with the arc, and "Harmonica" is actually Frank's fate. Despite all their broken appointments, Frank's fate catches up with him.
Carve names of SL and SC with pride. Timeless priceless par excellence hypnotic spellbinding mesmerising i saw this movie not less than 25 times. Music of Ennio Morricon play in my funeral please.
The television premiere was during my 1972-73 school year and I skipped some of it because it seemed foreign and over the top, unfamiliar. Could not imagine how many times I would eventually watch this or that something called The Internet would allow me to edit the firearms database for this film(Internet Movie Firearms Database). Check out that webpage if you have any firearms related questions.
Great video. I too enjoyed this movie. However, many people have complained about this movie. Perhaps those people like the easily defined characters and simple plots of the old typical westerns
revenge is one of the motivations that is most easily identified with. I believe that all the favorite characters from novels and movies are "Count of Monte Cristo".
Okay, the very best Western ever made was The Wild Bunch. This is a very strong and definite number 2. Unforgiven is number 3 and Tombstone number 4. Number 5 is the Searchers.
I feel like Once Upon a Time in the West is history lesson that we should reflect on through the eyes of our 4 Characters and what they represent. Frank: Manifest Destiny aka American Expanison which is also represented by the Train and railway tycoon Mr. Morton Cheyenne: The dying of the West and how the charactistics of old fashioned cowboys are about to be settled down by the ways of life like Law and Order taking over. Harmonica: a sort of Angel of Death figure. Jill: The future of the West but America as a Whole at th End of the Film.
7:00 - "This films wouldn't have been the same without"... Well... Ennio Morricone was DIRECTED by Sergio... So the film is 100% Sergio's genius, EVEN the musical score.
I've seen this movie twice now, and it just doesn't click for me. I like all the four main characters, the score and the cinematography, but even with all of that, it's just kinda boring to me. And I don't know why.
@@nhmooytis7058 Sergio Leone shows the audience who shot the family because he wanted and got the reaction: 'Jeez, that's Henry Fonda!' And then he shoots the boy.
Without a shadow of a doubt, this is not only one of the greatest westerns ever made, it is one of the greatest films ever made, alongside its 80s counterpoint, Once upon a time in America. Ennio Morricones music captures the mood in both films absolutely perfectly, both films are genius.
Yes but unfortunately the American distributors slaughtered once upon in America plus they didn’t enter morricones music score to the Oscar nominations. It would’ve won. Hands down. It’s one of the greatest film scores of all time. Italy gives. The world takes. 🎩
@@ginomazzei1076 Can't argue. The gold standard on film directors - Scorsese,DePalma,Coppola,Leone,Bertulluci,Zefferelli,and on and on. Lightweight boxers and mobsters - can't beat Italians. Soldiers - not so much.
The Hollywood distribution gangsters didn’t include Morricone’s music for Oscar nomination for once upon in America. It would’ve won. Also they absolutely butchered the film which nearly killed Leone. Today you can see the film restored and in its full length majesty. 🎩
@@hennagaijin100 Well, I guess truth is always in the middle.....to be true, Scorsese, De Palma, Coppola, Tarantino are americans with italian roots.....there are great americans with german, austrian, french, ukrainian, mexican, etc... roots..... This is America ! Talking about soldiers, I wouldn't be so sure...your judgement (a well spread judgement, actually) is based on the general misfunctioning of the italian war machine during the XX° century. From this perspective and considering the history of XX° century, you may be right, but history have been very different in other times, as you certainly know. I'm not a sovereign, at all.....I just like the truth.
If there is one scene of any movie, that I will always remember: It is the sequence, where Jill gets off the train and syncronises her moves to the music. To me she was the perfect example why men love women but often cannot be happy with them.
In every Sergio Leone western there is one theme he uses and uses it well. The main character has no name. like Clint Eastwood in the western trilogy 1.A Fistful Of Dollars 2.For A Few Dollars More 3. The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly. He was the man with no name. And Charles Bronson's Character in "Once Upon A Time In The West" is only known as Harmonica. Brilliant!
What I like about Sergio's films as well, is that the protagonists aren't always as good and perfect...they're more anti heroes and they don't necessarily do things for the greater good but rather to fulfill a selfish goal or because something stands in the way of achieving that goal.
Basically the first scene is a representation of the old classic Dollars trilogy being replaced by the Once upon a time trilogy. Starts punchy, funny. The fly disturbing, the guy drinking from his hat, the nervous old man. Classic Sergio Leone. Until Harmonica enters the scene. A creepy sound and a bitter serious face representing the new era of Leone's movies. Even the man with no name drops some clever phrases, but Harmonica is almost mute. OUAT trilogy asks, Dollars trilogy shouts a joke and OUAT trilogy answers with a death threat. Harmonica shoots first and kills the three men, but this is not the Dollars trilogy, you ain't shooting three men and get away harmless. So one of the guys shoots Harmonica back. At that point I was like "WTH, they all just died!!" But this is not the Dollars trilogy. So, you don't die with one bullet. If you're lucky, you can continue your way.
The american people used to call the italian western movies through a bad way, “The Spaghetti Western”. An italian genius, Sergio Leone, made the best western movies of all the time/cinema.
I watched it the first time it came on television sprawled out on the living room floor ...best western I'd ever seen and in the 60's there was no end to westerns. I'm 67 now and it's still at the top of the best . I've watched it several times since the first time and Is watch it again .
Sergio leone and ennio morricone, best ingredients for a true classic western but this one is different, it’s slow and in no rush to get to the end… it’s not in your face if you get my drift.
You are not alone, Jack. It's in mine and my husband's top five. And for the musical score, it is definitely number one! Have you seen "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Dr. Zhivago?" If you have not, you will love them, too. Enjoy!
@@lillybloom1590 i know both movies exist and that they are good, and my parents loved them. i will watch ! just saw "Barry Lyndon" the first time few weeks ago, think i missed out some of the great movies
@@lillybloom1590 this is also my favourite film of all time. But your recommendations of Lawrence of Arabia and Dr Zhivago are both AMAZING films. All epics in the truest sense. Anyone who hasn’t seen these: they deserve to be talked about in the same sentences as Once Upon A Time In The West. I can think of no higher praise.
Love this movie. I have three copies on VHS one on DVD and the original soundtrack ..I read this movie played for almost a year in Paris. The long dusters worn in the movie became a fad in Paris. Frank's horse was used when Jill was fixing to leave the barn. Most of it was filmed in Spain and in the US in monument valley. :-)
Brilliant, one of the greatest movies ever made!!! Charles Bronson was made for this movie. Much like Clint Eastwood in his Spaghetti Westerns, he doesnt need to talk to tell a story!
Impressive work, I concur with your observation. Once Upon a Time In The West is the finest of the genre. It was Charles Bronsons moment and I reckon he knew it.
Well, you’ve nailed it. There is nothing more to add to the three words you’ve written on the character of this film. There is nothing speculative about your comment which is more than reasonable Reasonable Speculation.
Speculation, I strongly agree with those three words, as pointed out by T Jena. But may I cast a fly into the beautiful ointment? Kinda funny, actually: The alarmed horse sound that follows most of the gunshots seems to be the same horse and same response every time. That poor horse, hahaha! Those lazy sound people!
ok, because youre young you dont know this. when the audience saw for the first time that henry fonda shot a kid, they gasped. This was a major event. people saw henry fonda a s everyman, grapes of wrath henry fonda not henry fonda who said quote, :" people scare better when their dyin'"
It’s the movies that you fist watch, gain an initial impression but eventually they speak to you in a way that other movies can’t. Once upon a time in the west is - after 10 years of western film renting and watching - my favorite western. No preachy John Wayne, no presumptions about the audience, no glory in the end, just a story.
What just happen? I watched it yesterday, I didn't realize when about 3 hours passed. I just watched it because of music I heard in RU-vid, but I watched one of the best movie's I've ever watched. I watched it tnx to Ennio Morricone's music.
Absolutely the best Western movie, and maybe one of better movies ever.....I believe the way Sergio got the music to work with the acting, was have the score done first and film and edit to match the movie..
I read an interesting theory some time ago about Bronson being the same character as Eastwood some years later.. There are some things that tie them together; this is a number of years later than the Eastwood films, which took place around the Civil War. They are both men with no name who were ruthless when the situation warranted it.....
She is one of the most enticing women I have ever laid eyes on. She has made over 150 movies....a very talented beautiful woman, still going at it in her 80's.
I am from Perú and I watched a lot of western movies with my dad. The very first time I watched this movie I said "what a good western". I visualized it again as an adult and thought: "damn, what a perfect MOVIE". You can enjoy OUTITW even if you don't like western movies.
It surprised me as I had never seen it til a few weeks ago, the filming really gets you in with the music pushing the adrenaline on, til you hear Who are you? Haven't seen a movie that is better...
I remember stumbling across this flick a few years back and ended up watching the entire thing. And that's coming from someone that's not much of a movie fan in general
The first time I seen this movie was with my Dad...(fond memories of him everytime I watch the movie now) I consider this the greatest western period. When I grew up and had my own son, I asked him to sit down and watch it with me which he did and now loves the movie as well. He's grown now and has 2 boys ... I hope I've started a tradition of excellence.
For many years this has been my favorite movie of all time and I think I've seen most of the best. Fonda should have been cast as the bad guy a lot more - his entry is murdering an innocent kid - SHOCKING - you want to kill him yourself. Bronson's eyes!!! Fonda too! Without the plot you could have named this film 'a study in eyes'.
Unfortunately for me, the first time I saw Once upon a Time in the West it was the severely cut down version. So cut down that it did not make any sense, and I thought just another spaghetti Western, good music though. Wonder what it's doing in this? Fast forward 40 years and I see that the theme song is now being sung by female opera singers. I began to realize just how beautiful the song was. I searched RU-vid and found a reconstructed version of the movie, it was almost 3 hours long. Although I hadn't intended to I watched the whole thing and then I knew this was the Best Western, the best movie that had been made in my life. Sergio Leone is a genius director and the man who composed the music will someday be reckoned to be in the same league as Mozart and Chopin.
Best movie ever! Best movie score ever by Ennio Morricone! Most beautiful woman ever....Claudia Cardinale! I must have seen it 100 times and I'm in tears at the end....every time again.
I wanted the theme tune , played at me and my wife’s wedding , in Skiathos Greece , as my future wife walked into our wedding service. But when I played it to her she burst out crying , and said it was to emotional . So I will have to have it played at my funeral. Brilliant film but an even more Brilliant soundtrack. God bless Mr Morricone 🙏
You mean Jill's Theme? Yes, it's the greatest piece in the entire score, but everyone always talks about 'The Man With the Harmonica'. While it's great, it doesn't have the emotional grandeur or power to move you to tears like this does.
@@AndrewGivens I hope it was Jill's theme. For a second there I pictured in my mind playing the Final Duel theme at a wedding. Imagine the bride enter in time with the guitar and walk slowly towards the groom. It would make it a hell of a wedding. :)
Very good review! I've watched this 3 - 4 times and usually see something new I've missed..I think this is one Fonda's best roles. I don't think he ever played such a bastard.
I just saw it and it was my first western movie. I had it for long time I just wanted to see why did I have it? I am proud of younger me it was an experience. And you should watch it.
