The Western: Ford or Leone
OK, I guess there is a thread on this topic.
I haven’t read through the thread, but my preference goes to Ford—but let me say this: my feeling is that Leone doesn’t seem as interested in narrative, and I saw his films before I had a better handle of dealing with non-narrative films. Some have mentioned that his films are commentaries on Westerns. Also, I suspect that viewers will find the “meat” in the formal qualities of his films (something I haven’t been good at appreciating in the past).
Are we talking about an apples-to-oranges comparison here? Do the preferences for one over the other indicate more genral preferences of the individual?
Ford is more important, but Once upon a time in the West is the best western of all time.
Leone never met a telephoto lens he didn’t like.
Leone did one thing better than anyone else if film history – make Leone films. If you’ve seen them, you know what I mean. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is my all time favorite Western and the rest aren’t far behind.
Ford had the ability to call on many more aspects of the language of film. His great Westerns are rich and varied and, frankly, he’s got lots more of them.
So, stacking the best few of each would lean me towards Leone, but for overall career greatness, I gotta go with Ford.
Sergio Leone not close!
this is all over as soon as jerry shows up
The Leone Western would not exist were it not for the Ford Western. In fact, the Kurosawa films that were Leone’s other major influence would not exist without Ford either.
So all the old things are always better than the new ones?
Ford and Leone are just as style driven and just as artificial. I go with Leone because he’s so much more fun.
spaghetti westerns are for people who don’t like westerns
>>Ford and Leone are just as style driven and just as artificial,<<
More style driven and artificial, please!
How about: westerns are for people who don’t like spaghetti westerns
what if i like them both?
You said you can’t
when did i say that? haha.
as someone said on the first page, it’s like apples and oranges.
leone’s are extremely stylized and they could not exist without traditional westerns
One word for Team Leone: Music
haha that isn’t fair as music in most westerns is horrible
^ Exactly.
it still doesn’t matter because without ford leone doesn’t exist. it’s a post-modern deconstruction of the traditional western. and now i will bow out and let jerry handle this whenever he turns up. u can love spaghetti westerns but someday you’ll appreciate where they came from. at least it worked that way for me
“So all the old things are always better than the new ones?”
Well, some people enjoy reading the footnotes and appendices more than the text.
“Ford and Leone are just as style driven and just as artificial.”
Sure, but the differences are style and artifice are pronounced enough that they’re relatively easy to describe.
Re: use of music. The scores for Ford films aren’t usually impressive, but his use of traditional tunes and folk songs is out of this world. Leone can’t touch him on that.
Sorry kids, I’ll take the Sons of the Pioneers over Morricone any day of the week.
Matt, i don’t know what are you talking about, who cares if Ford was the teacher and Leone the student? we know that. Some of you act like we don’t know John Ford’s filmography, we know it pretty well but we like Leone better, visually and philosophically.
Philosophically? Explain.
Uh huh.
Ford is a humanist, respects family tradition etc..
Leone has a more nihilist point of view in it’s movies, just like Kubrick, Scorsese etc..
Hmmm… except Ford is way, way, way more complex than that. This guy needs some Tag Gallagher. Jerry, please jump in if you’ve been reading this!
Please… I know all the metaphors in Ford cinema, don’t make a fool of yourself.
Generally I would agree with that distinction, but have you seen Ford’s last film, 7 Women? It’s pretty nihilistic.
Nathan M.
Leone’s nice, and I like his movies, but…uh, I can’t take the opening question seriously. John Ford is the king of westerns, hands down, no questions asked.