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Once Upon A Time In The West | Year: 1968 Classification: Western Directed: - Sergio Leone Actors/Actresses: - Charles Bronson - Henry Fonda one of the greatest westerns of all time I was going to say that this is the greatest of the spaghetti westerns but truthfully, this movie is bigger than that. Every single thing about is incredible. The theme, the filming and the music is almost operatic. The casting of Henry Fonda as one of the most vicious villains ever seen in a movie was brilliant. Fonda tears into the role. Claudia Cardinale never looked as gorgeous again and Jason Robards, as the movie's wise man takes what could've been just a supporting character and makes him a hero. Finally, there's Charles Bronson, playing a man with no name, a man with only one thing to live for. When the camera leans in for a close up of Bronson's eyes they are cold, empty and seemingly dead. The only time he allows them to light up is when he looks at Claudia and when he and Fonda finally have their little chat. Every time I watch this film I see something that I never noticed before. It's great. One of the best westerns of all time Once Upon a Time in the West is a classic epic western that can be watched repeatedly and still the viewer finds something new everytime. The movie tells the story of the railroad as it moves farther west. A widow, Jill McBain, owns much of the land where the train will go through, but she is being pursued by a ruthless railroad official and his sadistic gunman to give up the land. At the same time, a mysterious gunman shows up seeking revenge, but we don't know why until the very end. This classic spaghetti western blends familiar storylines from past westerns but gives it a new spin. Director Sergio Leone uses his usual extreme close-ups and wide shots perfectly throughout. The opening sequence with three gunmen, Woody Strode, Jack Elam, and Al Mulock, waiting for Bronson to arrive is classic cinema. For almost ten minutes there is no dialogue, but there is so much there with the natural sounds of the scene. This is a great movie, not just a great western, that gets better with every viewing. Claudia Cardinale gets top billng as the widow Jill McBain, a rarity in spaghetti westerns. Besides being incredibly beautiful with her big brown eyes, Cardinale can act and is very good here. Henry Fonda gives one of his most startling performances as the sadistic gunman, Frank, who is trying to drive Jill off her land. His introduction is one of the most surprising scenes in movie history. Charles Bronson gives one of his best performances as Harmonica, the gunman seeking revenge for unknown reasons. Jason Robards is equally good as the outlaw, Cheyenne, who joins up with Harmonica to save Jill. The movie also stars Gabrielle Ferzetti, Frank Wolff, Keenan Wynn, Lionel Stander, Woody Strode, Jack Elam, and Al Mulock. The two disc DVD is truly great. It offers a cleaned up widescreen presentation, theatrical trailer, three documentaries about the making of the movie, a featurette about the railroad, a then and now gallery of movie locations, and a still gallery of on production photos. MGM did a great job in releasing this fantastic DVD. Once Upon a Time in the West is a great movie that fully deserves this great DVD release. If you haven't seen it, I fully recommend buying it. Check out Once Upon a Time in the West! STUNNING NEW TRANSFER OF A VISUAL MASTERPIECE! "One Upon A Time In The West" is Sergio Leone's epic spaghetti western that pits Charles Bronson - playing sort of the good guy - against evil incarnate, Henry Fonda - as the psychotic Frank. The murder of Claudia Cardinale's entire family at the beginning sets off this power keg of action, coupled with stunning cinematography and a methodical pacing, that only a director like Sergio Leone carry off without coming off as slow or contrived. This is the spaghetti western sublime. Buy Once Upon A Time In The West at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Once Upon A Time In The West Search with the Priority Search Engine on Once Upon A Time In The West This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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