HTF REVIEW: Once Upon a Time in the West (Very Highly Recommended!) (2 Viewers)

[Randy A Salas]

Ron, be sure to watch it again with the commentary track, which doubles as a fun guide to all the film's references to classic westerns.

 

[Estevan Lapena]

Silly Amazon has not shipped it to me yet. Arrrrrrr...

 

[Walter Kittel]

Ron - I envy you for your first experience with this magnificent film.

And welcome to the fan club.

- Walter.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Ron - I envy you for your first experience with this magnificent film.

And welcome to the fan club.

I stake my claim as the youngest member.

 

[oscar_merkx]

Glad to see that you liked it Ron. I can imagine that you were left speechless

It has my vote for best DVD Release of the Year

Ofcourse I should have said Deborah's Theme is very much like that of Jill's Theme.

The fact that OUATIA was released 15 years later does come into play. Leone was already planning to film OUATIA much earlier.

 

[Carlo_M]

As someone who is about to watch this for the first time:

Which soundtrack should I watch?

The restored mono track or the DD track?

 

[Randy A Salas]

Which soundtrack should I watch?

The restored mono track or the DD track?

I'd vote for the latter. It's very well done--spacious without sounding artificial, and the gunshots have a nice oomph to them.

 

[JohnRice]

I agree that the 5.1 track is fine. They did a pretty good job with it, not trying to make it sound like it was originally mixed that way.


Randy, I agree with your assessment on DVD of the year, but I was referring specifically to the HTF award. While TTT will almost undoubtedly win the prize, there is also the element that it is a new film and was intended for the deluxe release treatment from the very beginning. The whole tiered release of the FOTR series leaves a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth. It's all that more disappointing that everyone seems to eat it up with a spoon. To me, this is one of the best packages in the history of DVD, maybe the best when you factor price in.

 

[Matt Pelham]

I went ahead and picked this up blind today based on everyone's praise, I'll watch it tomorrow and let you know what I think.



If I do end up joining the fanclub I might give you some competition for that title.

 

[Justin Bauer]

I blind bought this on tuesday and cannot wait to see it. I love westerns and the Man with No Name Trilogy. I cannot believe that I have never seen this. I am really looking forward to it now after this thread.

 

[Simon_Lepine]

Just watched my copy and can say it was worth the wait. Superb transfer for of my favorite and at bargain price to boot. Good job Paramount, you made me a happy man

 

[Lewis Besze]

Carlo,
I would go with the 5.1 track,the music score greatly benefits from it.The surround effects were "conservative" conserving the original style.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

The whole tiered release of the FOTR series leaves a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth. It's all that more disappointing that everyone seems to eat it up with a spoon.

John, two things.

One, let's just talk about Once Upon A Time In The West DVD.

And two, we know you hate the LOTR films on principle, but you don't have to go and insult the people that love those DVD's.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I blind bought this on tuesday and cannot wait to see it. I love westerns and the Man with No Name Trilogy. I cannot believe that I have never seen this. I am really looking forward to it now after this thread.

Justin, please let us know what you think.

I had a lot to write today, but I'll be brief for
now as I wish to wait till more of you have seen
this film first. I don't want to introduce spoilers.

I really sat down last night and gave this thought.

For years, I considered Braveheart to be
my all-time favorite movie. Being a child of
the 70s, most of the film I know is between the
decade before and those that followed.

I have a been a fan of Sergio Leone for quite
some time. I grew up on all his Eastwood Spaghetti
westerns. I am well aware of his unique style.

Once Upon A Time In The West had all the
elements of The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly,
but it looked as if Leone had refined all his
talent over the years as if just practicing to
make his masterpiece.

For those yet to see this film, you may not want
to read past this point...

The very first 10 minutes of the film is where
I was grabbed. That entire train station scene
is perhaps one of the greatest in cinematic history.
It's full of Leone's trademarks -- lots of various
wide shots and reaction shots. What makes the scene
so incredible is that all of it moves to the beat of
natural sound -- a telegraph, a rusty windmill,
creaking floors, etc.

The bad guys are mean. The good guys are straight
faced. The dialogue is clever. Never before
have I watched a western that plays so cool. This
was a grand piece of entertainment that I look
forward to watching again later this week.

 

[John Hodson]

Ron; have you ever seen the uncut A Fistful of Dynamite / Gui La Testa? If you haven't, can I suggest that you do yourself an enormous favour and do so - and then fire off an email to MGM to persuade to get a complete and pristine print transferred to R1 DVD as soon as humanly possible?

BTW, I consider The Searchers - a much more complex piece of cinema than it first appears - to be one of the finest westerns ever committed to film, and it comes as no surprise that there are several very heavy nods to Ford in the quite magnificent OUATITW.

---
So many films, so little time...

 

[oscar_merkx]

Hi John

I have never seen The Searchers from John Ford, so I will try to get a copy and see for myself

 

[Robert Crawford]

Then you have something to look forward to because I consider "The Searchers" as one of the greatest films ever made. It is in my top ten favorite films of all-time and it's probably a film, I've watched more times than any other.







Crawdaddy

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Then you have something to look forward to because I consider "The Searchers" as one of the greatest films ever made. It is in my top ten favorite films of all-time and it's probably a film, I've watched more times than any other.

As far as Westerens are concerned, I think The Searchers is pretty good. Lots of people share the opinion that its one of the greatest films of all time, but I fail to see what elevates it above say Stage Coach and My Darling Clementine let alone great westerns like High Noon, Rio Bravo, Once Upon A Time In The West, and the Man with no name trilogy.

What do people think of the commentaries? I'm dying to hear what John Carpenter has to say about this, given that he loves westerns and this isn't Rio Bravo.

 

[Randy A Salas]

What makes the scene so incredible is that all of it moves to the beat of natural sound -- a telegraph, a rusty windmill, creaking floors, etc.

Ennio Morricone had a role in that natural rhythm. He helped "orchestrate" those sounds, a result of the influence of concerts he attended in which all of the "music" was created by objects, such as a ladder, not traditional instruments. It's discussed some on the commentary.

I love the windmill.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Randy,

I love that windmill, too.

I love the the fly inside the gun barrell --
the sound of its buzz as it streams into the
sound of the incoming train. Classic stuff!

One of the biggest surprises off the bat for
me was Jack Elam, who we recently lost. I
love that man! I have never seen him play a
tough guy, and I really had to take a double-take
at first to make sure it was him.

Then there's Fonda. Who would have ever thought
him to be a bad guy. I love the way the camera
pans around him at the Sweetwater ranch, as we
get a glimpse of his piercing blue eyes. This
transfer was so immaculate that all I noticed
above all else was his deep blue eyes.

One of my favorite parts is the canteen scene
in the beginning where Robards throws a lantern
to the back corner where we see Harmonica.

Just classic stuff all the way through.

I can go on all day.