Once Upon a Time in the West

dionysus67

From the majestic deconstruction of Western iconography in the masterful opening sequence to the liturgical expansion of detail, Leone's Western 'anti-Western' is conducted with unparalleled bravura. Capitalizing on the inflation of quintessential symbols in the genre it stretches them across the extremes of parody-tragedy and manages to turn them towards the collective forces of history. The stellar cast is superb!

Michael H. CLAES

Les 1res paroles ne sont échangées que 11 min après le début du film, 1 des plus longues scènes de silence du cinéma. Séquence de générique la plus longue de l'histoire du cinéma. Plan-séquence où la caméra démarre de loin pour traverser la fenêtre et arriver au lit sur Claudia CARDINALE. Scénario sur 1 idée originale de Bernardo BERTOLUCCI, Dario ARGENTO et Sergio LEONE. 1r Volet de la trilogie "Once upon a time"...

josé neves

It seems clear that the formal magnificence, so clearly exposed by Leone, has a counterpart in the deviation of his cinema from a more popular perspective to a pomposity exalted with itself, where any detail is detailed to the millimeter, enlarged and highlighted. Like its contemporary "2001" by Kubrick, this is the meta-cinema that would begin a despotic and authoritarian tendency of some "auteur" cinema.

ASHES IN THE HOURGLASS

Greatest Intro ever. At last Leone learned how to pace himself(something his pupil Tarantino should also take note of) and saved us from of all the drown out part that seriously dragged what could have been a Masterpiece with THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY. Here, his style is at an apotheosis and blended perfectly with actually interesting people, each with deep backgrounds.

Matthew Martens

Opening with a sequence as stately and time-stopping as any in cinema -- and featuring, incidentally, what may be the most notable performance by a fly in film history -- Leone's essay in epic sprawl succeeds on the strength of its awe-inspiring, panoramic compositions; the deadly, infinitely held gaze of its male leads; a blushingly overwrought Morricone score, and the ever-astonishing beauty of Claudia Cardinale.

mpho3

With the daring to go where the genre had not yet been, what's not to love? Says The Spaghetti Western database's Phil H., "More of an epic than an action adventure. More of a work of art than a commercial piece of cinema. On those terms it is peerless and a masterpiece not be missed, a film that doesn't so much set the benchmark for a genre as for film making in general." I agree

Graveyard Poet

Leone's epic masterpiece, an ode to the lost frontier of the old West as the railroad changes the landscape, featuring a career-best performance from Henry Fonda as one of the most brutal villains in cinema, Claudia Cardinale (the most beautiful woman in Western history), sweeping cinematography of Monument Valley, stirring and heartbreaking Morricone score. My favorite Leone film.

Francisco R.

This is such an inspired work from Leone, everything from the beautiful, sweeping cinematography to Morricone's memorable score and great performances make this an essential viewing for everyone who actually cares about movies.