Wonderful Westerns: ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (1968)
That’s right, readers, we’re going finally look at a film from the legendary Sergio Leone, the Italian-born director who has made some of the influential movies of all time, not just in the Western genre but in general. This is a guy whose movies have crossed barriers and borders to thousands of people. His movies have reached people who have probably never seen a foreign movie, or people who probably don’t like Westerns. There’s something so grand and awesome about his films that it reaches everybody in one way or another.
Now, his most famous and most popular film is no doubt The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) and it’s easy to see why. The film has an iconic score, great characters, and an solid story. But if we had removed the popularity aspect (it’s hard to do, I know) and look at which movie is the best from a filmmaking aspect, then I would have to say that’s Once Upon a Time in the West (1968).
This epic of a Western tells the story of a newlywed-turned-widow named Jill McBain (Claudia Cardinale) who must do what she can to defend the property that her husband left behind. Along the journey she gets gains help from a wrongly accused bandit named Cheyenne (Jason Robards) and a mysterious harmonica player (Charles Bronson). While their main adversary is the railroad company who wants to chase McBain from her newly gained land, the major threat comes from the company’s hired gun, the coldhearted and relentless gunman simply named Frank (Henry Fonda). What follows is probably one of the best examples of filmmaking out there.
One reason I think that Leone is held in such high regard to me is that he knows how to use the art of cinema to convey his story. He doesn’t tell you what the characters are thinking or doing through awkward, forced-in bits of dialogue (looking at you, Christopher Nolan) but by showing the character’s actions and facial expressions. Leone apparently said that he considered all his movies as “silent movies with sprinkles of dialogue in there,” and in a lot of ways, they are.
Leone’s s cinematographer Tonio Delli Colli should have his own directing credit for this movie. The cinematography in this movie is beautiful. Even in the horrific scenes where people are getting killed, the scenery is beautiful to look at (or maybe I’m just crazy, I don’t know). They capture the size and scale of not only the expanding West but also the grandiose nature of the story. These last two points can be summarized in one of the first scenes of the film in which Jill McBain arrives in this growing Western town. You can tell exactly what her character is thinking and what a major theme of the movie is: changing times.
That’s the biggest theme of the film — time. Whether it’s the past catching up to you, ending times, or the changing times, each character represents these ideas in a way. The two outlaws of the film — Frank and Cheyenne — represent how the days of the lawless Old West are dying. Each of these guys are sporting mass amounts of grey hair, representing how their time is drawing closer to an end. “Harmonica” represents how the sins of the past came come back to haunt you. What do I mean by that? To quote River Song, “Spoilers.”
As for McBain, she without a doubt represents the changing times, seeing as how she’s now in charge of a massive land development. She’s the boss, no one is doubting that. That could been as threatening in two regards to the railway tycoon Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti): one, in that his business is in trouble; two, his masculinity. Do you think a guy like Morton would accept the idea that a girl is going to beat him at his own game?
This movie features so many great moments including an amazing villainous portrayal from Henry Fonda — which I covered in a previous article. Some amazing music by Ennio Morricone that conveys both an eerie and almost magical sense. And of course, a specful final gun duel between Frank and “Harmonica.” Pretty much everything great about Leone’s direction and style can be seen here in this duel.
I cannot recommend this movie enough. If you haven’t seen it, then you need to do it now, now, now!
