Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti), the power-hungry owner of a railroad company, hires Frank (Henry Fonda, playing against type), a gunfighter without a conscience, to kill anyone who... more
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after the success of his "Dollars" trilogy. The result is a masterpiece that expands the vision of the earlier movies in every way. It could as easily have been...
Westafter the success of his "Dollars" trilogy. The result is a masterpiece that expands the vision of the earlier movies in every way. It could as easily have been c...
Iorek Byrnisson's first meeting, many years ago, along with much evidence of the adventure that brought them together. When a young Texan balloonist, Lee Scoresby, comes down to earth in the harbour of an Arctic town in the North, little does he realise that he is about to be embroiled in an out-and-out political brawl. Lee and his daemon, Hester, find themselves the target of political factions trying to take over the running (and oil) of the town. And also resident in the town are huge arctic bears, ignored and patronised by the people and treated like second-class citizens. When Lee and Iorek first meet, they cement a friendship that will continue throughout their lives, as the tensions and pressure in town lead to a deadly conclusion...Another wonderful tale from a master story-teller, giving us more extraordinary insight into the world of "His Dark Materials".
Advantages: Stunning scenery, stars Henry Fonda, clipped dialogue Disadvantages: Long, lack of dialogue may not appeal to everyone,
...this is also evident in Once Upon a Time in the West. Bronson plays the part of "Harmonica", a mysterious harmonica-playing stranger with a long-held lust for revenge in his heart, a lust which is sated at the climax of the film in an unexpected plot twist. Befriending Jill, he helps her to obtain retribution against Frank and Morton, but for reasons of his own as much as for her sake. Although I do not intend to quote huge passages of script, I ... ...running through the soundtrack to Once Upon a Time in the West is minimalism: as the film is characterized by arid, empty landscapes, long silences and little dialogue, so the soundtrack matches this in its bleak, austere feel. Most tracks are very simple with few instruments the and include the disturbing, discordant "Man with a Harmonica" with the same few notes played over again on a harmonica, the melancholy, wordless female vocal of the opening ...
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Advantages: Too Many To Mention!! Disadvantages: Beware of shorter prints, go for the full 165min version
...Fonda!
Once Upon A Time in the West, is the best "western" of all time, only Eastwood's 1992 "Unforgiven", comes close. Even if you're not keen on westerns you really should take a look at this, if only for the music & the pure majesty of the camera's eye!! ...
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27.01.2001
La Nouvelle Westerne. Review ofOnce Upon A Time In The West (Collector's Edition)by
peel.rebekah
Advantages: Waaay to many. Disadvantages: Nada.
...The set detail in Once Upon a Time is just as prolific as Jeunet's films: The deco of Morton's train carriage reeks of dirty money and western whims - plush, brushed red and gold velvets hanging in an abundance of decadent glory. Mac Bain's homestead is a finely detailed replica of a recent immigrant - memories of home, cluttered with childish things and sprinkled with tenderness at the thought of the arriving new bride. Outside of the sets, the ... ...little thing I enjoy in Once Upon a Time, is the bizarre theme tunes that introduce us to the character - and then let us know when that character is lurking around the corner. The unforgettable wailing harmonica tune (and all its crescendos and descents) are thanks to Leone's partnership with Ennio Morricone - I love the music from this film sooo much, I bought a Western themes compilation tape (what the hell am I admitting to this for?).
*Other ...
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Advantages: Too many to list. Disadvantages: One or 2 scenes are a little long.
***BACKGROUND***
When Sergio Leone launched his now famous 'Dollars' trilogy in 1964 with 'A Fist Full of Dollars' he started a cult which spawned over 200 of the so called Spaghetti Westerns. However, Leone remained the man and, in most critics eyes, remained the master of the genre. The first 'Dollars' film was quickly followed by 'For a Few Dollars More' in 1965 and 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' in 1966, effectively launching the career of ... ...After the success of 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' and Eastwood's decision to begin directing his own films, Leone moved away from the Old West and ventured into other areas such as the gang wars of the 1920s with 'Once Upon a Time in America'. But the film world and the cinema goers wanted more Westerns from Leone and, in 1967, he reluctantly agreed to produce just one more. Leone turned to Sergio Donati for the screenplay, who had, uncredited, ...
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Advantages: Digitally Remastered with Widescreen version enhanced for 16:9 Disadvantages: Not for those with short attention spans
THIS HAS BEEN UP-DATED AS IT WAS ONE OF MY "POOR" FIRST REVIEWS....
"Once Upon A Time In The West" - Collectors Edition DVD
During my time at High School and at University, I seemed to blank out from my memory that I thoroughly enjoyed Westerns as a young child, until I re-discovered some culture in my mid-20's!
This DVD is a must own for all fans of the Western and was the final curtain call for the genre, as was the intention of world acclaimed ... ...move on from making Westerns to making gangster films, but felt he needed to make one final movie drawing upon all aspects of the Western, which he has embodied within this masterpiece, and given it one final lasting mark and tribute. The film captures terrific period performances from Charles Bronson as "Harmonica", Claudia Cardinale as the strong willed "Damsel" in distress, Henry Fonda as the ultimate "baddy" Frank, and Jason Robardia as rogue ...
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Once Upon A Time In The West (Collector's Edition)
Main specs
Actor(s): Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards, Charles Bronson, Gabriele Ferzetti, Woody Strode, Jack Elam, Lionel Stander, Paolo Stoppa, Frank Wolff, Keenan Wynn
Director(s): Sergio Leone
Genre: Westerns
Classification: 15 years and over
Production Year: 1969
Running Time: 2 hours 38 minutes
Video Category: Feature Film
Country Of Origin: Italy
Release details
DVD Region: Region 2 (Europe)
Studio(s): PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT; TECHNICOLOR DIST. SERVICES
Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti), the power-hungry owner of a railroad company, hires Frank (Henry Fonda, playing against type), a gunfighter without a conscience, to kill anyone who stands in the way of the completion of the railroad. After Frank murders land owner Brett McBain (Frank Wolff), McBain's widow (Claudia Cardinale) hires two killers of her own to protect her and gain revenge: a mysterious, harmonica-playing desperado (Charles Bronson) and his rogue sidekick (Jason Robards). Using techniques previously unseen in the genre, Sergio Leone utilizes close-ups, color, and Ennio Morricone's trademark score to create a tense and somber meditation on death which is widely considered to be one of the best westerns in cinematic history. Soon-to-be legendary Italian directors Dario Argento (SUSPIRIA) and Bernardo Bertolucci (THE LAST EMPEROR) collaborated with Leone on the screenplay.
Technical information
Special Features: Commentary Track, Documentaries, Cast And Crew Interviews, Featurettes, Stills Galleries, Cast Profiles, Original Trailer
Sound: Dolby Digital
Dubbing Sound: Dolby Digital English
Professional reviews
Review: "...One beautiful image follows another....Throughout, Leone is a master of the expressive gesture in celebration of an Old West that exists more in our imaginations than it ever did in reality..." (Los Angeles Times, p.C12, 02/01/2003)
"...Brilliant....Brutal, bloody and poetic, this is, without hyperbole, one of the greatest Westerns ever made..." (Total Film, p.122, 01/11/2003)