Production Year: 1969 - Westerns - Director: Sergio Leone - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Jason Robards, Charles Bronson, Gabriele Ferzetti, Woody Strode, Jack Elam, Lionel Stander, Paolo Stoppa, Frank Wolff, Keenan Wynn, Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale more
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 would ...
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Advantages: Riveting, four main stars, the score, the direction, where shall I stop? Disadvantages: None for me, although it's long and slow, which may not be your cup of tea
A film only review:
Every now and then, along comes a film to make you stop and think. One that makes you wish you had been there. One that reminds you of things you have seen in different snippets of films and books more recently. Essentially, one that is so good that it inspires others and creates future elements in films that are so subtle that you only notice them restrospectively.
And this is how I would class Sergio Leone's epic 'Once ...
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Advantages: Too Many To Mention!! Disadvantages: Beware of shorter prints, go for the full 165min version
Sergio Leone's "Once Upon A Time In the West", flopped at the boxoffice when it was originally released back in 68/69. One reason was the length of the movie, a bum-numbing 165 minutes! Another reason was the slow pace and breadth of the film along with the complexity & mult-level storyline that differed so radically from the standard western fare for an unsophisticated 60s audience brought up on John Wayne & Gary Cooper.
The story is sweeping ...
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27.01.2001
La Nouvelle Westerne. Review ofOnce Upon A Time In The West (Collector's Edition) (DVD)by
peel.rebekah
Advantages: Waaay to many. Disadvantages: Nada.
...of revenge.
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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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Advantages: Sergio Leone style, pace and excellence! Disadvantages: Very long.
****Contains Spoilers*** Right, where do I start? On the back of the DVD case is written 'From start to finish, a dance of death'. That's exactly where we will begin. The whole movie is similar to one big Mexican standoff. From the tension, to the quick and brutal violence that the director Sergio Leone had introduced so well by this time in the commonly called 'Spaghetti Westerns'.
The story is all about three men. As the tag-line reads, 'One ...
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Advantages: Outstanding photography, tremendous score, Henry Fonda Disadvantages: A bit overlong
Sergio Leones' Greatest film conveys all the viciousness, and harsh reality of the old west but still manages to be an almost ghostly poem. The story of a hired assassin (Henry Fonda) targeting a beautiful landowner (Claudia Cardinale) is as simple as his previous Dollars trilogy yet has much more depth. The photography is typically stunning - you can barely take your eyes off the screen, it has a classic score by Ennio Morricone and it has one of ...
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14.07.2000
Haunting Masterpiece Review ofOnce Upon A Time In The West (Collector's Edition) (DVD)by
slooth
Advantages: Rivetting stuff! Disadvantages: The plot meanders (as ever with Leone!)
If you are a lover of Spaghetti Westerns you cannot help but be impressed by this film. Sergo Leone's first part of an incomplete trilogy (the third was to be on the Russian Revolution but sadly he died before it could be completed) encompasses all that we know and love in his films. This film differs somewhat in that the characters are less 'black and white' than they are for instance in the 'Dollars' films. For example, his choice of Henry Fonda ...
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20.07.2000
Westerns galore Review ofOnce Upon A Time In The West (Collector's Edition) (DVD)by
yorkie2
Advantages: Easy to navigate and very informative Disadvantages: Will take weeks to get through it all
Having a disabled wife who is a western film fanatic as kept me busy surfing for suitable sites to fuel her interest. I have now found a site which has hundreds of western films listed and reviewed. The site, www.us.imdb.com/sections/genre/western
features just about every western film ever made.
On reaching the site the front page contains the alphabet and, after selecting the letter of your choice, all film titles beginning with that letter are ...
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05.06.2001
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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...
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...
all-time Western masterpieces. The picture itself is as big as its Monument Valley locations as grand as its fine distinguished cast. Henry Fonda plays the blac...
Production Year: 1959 - Westerns - Director: Howard Hawks - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring: John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickinson, Ward Bond, Claude Akins, Walter Brennan, John Russell