Cinema
Once Upon a Time in the West
C'era una volta il West
Sergio Leone · 1968
Synopsis
The American West, at the time when the railway is advancing. Jill, a former prostitute from New Orleans, arrives in Flagstone to join Brett McBain, whom she has married, and learns that he has been killed along with his children at their ranch in Sweetwater. Morton, a railway magnate, employs a killer, Frank; a man who plays the harmonica is pursuing him, and the outlaw Cheyenne, accused of the massacre, enters the game.
Context
The story is by Dario Argento, Bernardo Bertolucci and Sergio Leone, the screenplay by Leone and Sergio Donati. Ennio Morricone composed the music before shooting, and Leone had it played on set. Henry Fonda plays, against type, the killer Frank, opposite Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale and Jason Robards. The exteriors were shot in Spain, in the Almería region, and in Monument Valley, in the United States; the cinematography is by Tonino Delli Colli.
Who it is for
Nearly three hours in its long version, with very drawn-out shots, carried by the composer's score.
Prizes and reception
A failure in the United States, where Paramount had cut it, it was a great success in Europe, with nearly fifteen million admissions in France.
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