Once Upon a Time in the West

Last time I saw this movie, I was a little boy who loved cowgirls, and Sergio Leone's classic inevitably seemed strange, protracted, not very "dramatic"... It took a few years, and it occurred to me that Once Upon a Time in the West is much more than an absolutely riveting western example of drama, where wild west genre supplements serve only as backdrops. Leone concentrated the focus of the narrative perspective on the detail and semi-detail of Tonino Delli Colli's superbly composed camera; it's almost unbelievable that maybe half the film is concentrated on the faces of the actors. The weight seen in the facial expression is unreal, and the grace with which the actors bear it is equally unreal. Bronson and Fonda manage the expressionist emphasis on the eyes with a breath-taking statuette rigidity, while Claudia Cardinale's sexy face has an ageless charm – fragility, treacherousness, seductiveness. The archetypal story of the avenger is done by Leone so incredibly personally, in a focused way and with feeling that it would be hard to find a stronger film. Moreover, Ennio Morricone's brilliant soundtrack amplifies all the emotions tenfold. How does Once Upon a Time in the West trump all the other westerns? It's not the story, the effectiveness of the shootouts... it's what a classical philosopher would call the cinematicity of the film. Once Upon a Time in the West is one of the most cinematic films I know. (19/06/2005)

The best western ever, there is not a single ingredient out of place. Very imaginative direction, great actors and a soundtrack that has long since transcended "mere" film music and become a musical treasure and legend. Leone had a very lucky hand in choosing the actors (as always). Henry Fonda handled his only one role as a villain with aplomb (the American audiences couldn't get over the fact that the model good guy was playing such an asshole), Charles Bronson played perhaps the best role of his career, Claudia Cardinale is a delight to the eye and Jason Robards as Cheyenne is one of my favourite movie characters ever. A must see in widescreen format, the VHS crop amounts to a crime on this cinematic gem. (02/03/2003)

The music improves the image. To be honest, at the beginning, when a dirty, hirsute bloke is shown swatting a fly for three minutes, I thought that in the next 160 minutes I would die out of boredom. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case, and in the end this film entertained me a lot more than The Godfather, for instance. Mostly thanks to the music, the direction and the performances, because the contents don’t stand out. I can’t get rid of the feeling that I will never be a fan of western as a genre. (02/01/2009)

Once upon a time there were two Italians who already knew each other well and whose collaboration was apparently a fateful affair. One of them had no problem writing six hundred pages with detailed descriptions of individual scenes and even the actors' movements, so that the visual and narrative aspects of his upcoming project would not contain a single flaw. The other, for his part, reached to the bottom of his musical talent and wrung from it a repertoire of the most breathtaking melodies that not only chill throughout the film, but above all elevate the story of a classic western with taciturn characters into the realm of the most admired and unsurpassed cinematic art. Then there was one beautiful Italian woman, who only had to stand still in front of the camera to the accompaniment of majestic music, to provide an unprecedented, almost soulful experience. And then there were three very charismatic Americans, whose interactions and intrigues seem to get more subtle and spectacular with each viewing, making any other western become mediocre in comparison. Well, this wild bunch is behind the creation of a groundbreaking film that not only changed the look of modern westerns, relegated the old ones to a worn-out commodity and set an unbeatable bar for upcoming ones, but most importantly, it prepared for me such an exotic and untold delicacy that after each new bite I get even hungrier and ask myself if it is even possible to digest and absorb all these different tastes in one sitting. But I won't know unless I taste it again and again... 100% (05/07/2014)

Someone might mind that the genius music loops throughout the movie until you’re blue in the face. And someone might mind that it’s not very comprehensive at times and it’s very hard to watch out for details for those nearly three hours. But I don’t mind, because I’d rather get a temporary paralysis of the eyelid if that meant that I can watch every single second of a movie as genius as this western. (01/07/2014)