HTF REVIEW: Once Upon a Time in the West (Very Highly Recommended!) (1 Viewer)

[Gordon McMurphy]

The greatest Western ever made. Morricone's score is monumental. A true director's movie - Leone's paints pictures and weaves them together like no other filmmaker before or since. Once Upon A Time In The West is Cinema at it's finest.

This one belongs in every collection.


Gordy

 

[Steve K.H.]

Hmmm, color me stupid, I didn't know this was on the horizon either.

Q4 is ridiculously expensive but you gotta do what you gotta do.

 

[Simon_Lepine]

Can't wait for this one, I'm really getting excited. I want now!!!

 

[Damin J Toell]

(the script was written in Italian, after all, and doubtless some of the original ‘vision’ will have been lost in the translation)…

If the nuances of the Italian dialogue were so essential, they probably should've hired Italian-speaking actors instead of mostly English-speaking lead actors and a massive Spanish-speaking cast of locals. Much more likely is that much of the dialogue in the film was undecided, even as they filmed (and you can be sure that Charles Bronson wasn't rattling off polished lines of Italian dialogue during his scenes). No original vision was lost in the subtleties of translation, as no original vision really existed. Leone (as well as Argento, Bertolucci, and Donati) knew quite well that the film would be dubbed all over the world, and they wrote a film that was designed for it.

DJ

 

[Robert Crawford]

It might have been nice to compare this version with the Italian version, but since I've never seen it, I'm more than happy with a good dvd presentation of the version I've viewed before. Also, though, it might not be the case in this situation, a longer version of a film might not necessarily mean it's the ultimate version of a particular film.





Crawdaddy

 

[oscar_merkx]

Gordy you're right about Morricone's score although he almost outdid himself with OUATIA

 

[BruceKimmel]

Everyone in the film, if I remember correctly (I've only seen this thing about fifty times, having worked as an usher in a theater that was showing it way back when) is speaking English. I understand that other voices were dubbed in for many of the Italian actors, but watch their mouths - they are speaking English, no?

Paramount has released the theatrical cut of the film as originally seen in the US. I am not so certain that the film was thirteen minutes longer in Italy on its initial release. Certainly Frayling is unclear on many things - I'm sure there was a much longer rough cut, as there is for just about every film ever made. So what? Leone cut the film and scenes were discarded. Should they all be put back into the film? Mr. Leone isn't here to answer that question. As I said, I HAVE the Italian DVD and my memory is that the significant difference, as I wrote, was the longer shot at the end before the credits roll. It's just a continuation (no cuts) of what's in the US long version - it makes not one whit of difference to anything except there's a really bad music edit in the American version when it goes to Cheyenne's theme.

I will, I suppose, watch the opening again tonight and compare it with the Italian DVD. Of course, watching the Italian DVD (which IS in Italian) is a completely unnerving experience - it's actually awful not to hear Fonda, Elam, Bronson, Robards, etc. and, of course, the Italian actors who were in the film are speaking Italian while their mouths are speaking English. Quite strange.

 

[JustinCleveland]

I can't wait! Well, I can, but I don't want to.

 

[SteveGon]

I saw this for the S&S Challenge, and I'm definitely getting this one. I haven't been this impressed with a film since The Third Man.

Scott: great review. I can't believe we're getting this AND Criterion's La Strada on the same day. Woo-hoo!

"You brought two too many."

 

[Dome Vongvises]

And who do I have to thank for that one?

 

[BruceKimmel]

Dear Roderick:

I have now compared the opening of the US DVD to the longer Italian DVD. The "game with the fly" is exactly the same in both cuts, TO THE FRAME. So, it would seem that Mr. Frayling's memory errs here, unless he was comparing it to the shortened US version of 140whatever minutes. The opening of the Italian version does contain a handful of shots which are missing from the US version (very minor - several additional closeups of Woody Strode, and, when the train arrives, an additional close shot of Jack Elam's holster, complete with the sound of a buzzing fly. That's about it.

I don't have the time or the energy to go through the rest of the film like this, but just a quick perusal of the train sequence (Cardinale's arrival) reveals additional shots, including one significant and lovely dolly shot along the windows of the train which leads to Cardinale coming out the door (in the US version it cuts directly to the door) - visible in the train windows are two little girls - so I wonder if these are, in fact, Leone's daughters and if Frayling has just mis-placed them, scene-wise (the way Roderick quotes Frayling it appears that they were in the opening, a virtual impossibility).

 

[Frank Ha]

Good reveiw. Thanks.
I'll be getting this in January from Amazon when "My Darling Clementine" comes out. I haven't seen either one before, so I'm certainly looking forward to seeing both in a couple of months.

 

[Estevan Lapena]

I've had this pre-ordered from Amazon for awhile now, can't wait until I get it!

 

[Vincent Matis]

Slightly OT, but in an insert in the "Dances With Wolves" R2 DVD, in the "Coming soon" section, there's a 2 disk SE of "A Fistful Of $$$"

Vincent

 

[Randy Korstick]

I can't recommend this film enough. For the newbies it is a film that may require 2 viewings to really appreciate. I know for me I was mediocre on it the 1st viewing. Liked it alot on the second viewing and it became one of my favorite movies on the 3rd viewing. Its one of the few movies that I never tire of watching. Its a deeper and much more textured movie than it appears on 1st viewing.
I also can't recommend the soundtrack enough. Morricone's best and one of the most beautiful and haunting pieces of music I've ever heard. This music is in my soul.

 

[Jim Rykel]

I have anxiously awaited for this movie since I first bought a DVD player because The Good, The Bad and The Ugly DVD had additional scenes on it.

Nov. 18 will be like a holiday for me. I can't wait.

 

[Rosano]

Wow....what a pleasnat surprise...Just received my copy...one week early!!! The cover on this DVD is beautiful.

 

[JeremySt]

I have never seen this movie, and because of this review, im going to buy it. Sergio Leone? How can I go wrong?

 

[oscar_merkx]

You're not wrong there. It is the best western imo

 

[Craig Robertson]

All of the special features are anamorphically enhanced!

i'm extremely happy to see this, it should really be mandatory on widescreen enhanced features.