Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
"C'era una volta il West" (original title)

Epic story of a mysterious stranger with a harmonica who joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad.

Director:

Sergio Leone

Writers:

Sergio Leone (screenplay), Sergio Donati (screenplay),

Stars:

Claudia Cardinale, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards

Top 250 #24 | 5 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Claudia Cardinale	...	Jill McBain
Henry Fonda	...	Frank
Jason Robards	...	Cheyenne
Charles Bronson	...	Harmonica
Gabriele Ferzetti	...	Morton - Railroad Baron
Paolo Stoppa	...	Sam
Woody Strode	...	Stony - Member of Frank's Gang
Jack Elam	...	Snaky - Member of Frank's Gang
Keenan Wynn	...	Sheriff - Auctioneer
Frank Wolff	...	Brett McBain
Lionel Stander	...	Barman

Storyline

Story of a young woman, Mrs. McBain, who moves from New Orleans to frontier Utah, on the very edge of the American West. She arrives to find her new husband and family slaughtered, but by who? The prime suspect, coffee-lover Cheyenne, befriends her and offers to go after the real killer, assassin gang leader Frank, in her honor. He is accompanied by Harmonica on his quest to get even. Get-rich-quick subplots and intricate character histories intertwine with such artistic flair that this could in fact be the movie-to-end-all-movies.

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Plot Keywords:

harmonica | assassin | widow | epic | death | 

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Taglines:

There were three men in her life. One to take her... one to love her... and one to kill her.

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Genres:

Adventure | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for western violence and brief sensuality

Details

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 December 1968 (Italy)

Also Known As:

There Was Once the West

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Finanzia San Marco, Rafran Cinematografica, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

175 min 165 min (international) 137 min (1970)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The McBain house was built of solid logs that remained following production of the Orson Welles' movie Falstaff - Chimes at Midnight

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Goofs

When Harmonica arrives at the McBain ranch and plays his harmonica at night, he lights a match, which is shot out by Mrs. McBain. In the shot of Harmonica the next day when he confronts Mrs. McBain, he has a cut on his left cheek from the earlier night with the gunshot. In all following scenes, the wound has disappeared.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Station agent: Hey - hey hey hey hey, if you want any tickets, you'll have to go around to, eh, to, eh, the front of the, eh... oooh, well, I s'pose it'll be all right.

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Crazy Credits

Sergio Leone's director credit swings down in an arc as if to stop the train.

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Connections

Referenced in I Spit on Your Grave (1978)

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Soundtracks

"Danny Boy"
(1913) (uncredited)
Written by by Frederick Edward Weatherly
Hummed and Sung a cappella a bit by Simonetta Santaniello

User Reviews

One of the best

There's two things that stand out to me always about this movie, and indeed about all of Sergio Leone's movies. One is his understanding of pacing events, and the other is using his actors/actresses to actually act. When you see Claudia Cardinale riding up to the ranch, all you see is her face, but you can tell instantly what she is looking at and everything she's feeling. You know Henry Fonda's the bad guy, but when he smiles faintly at the young boy, you feel there's something more to him, a personality and human qualities, even if he is evil. The final shoot-out itself is a masterpiece. The two protagonists say nothing, but as they face off the music lets you know the moment as come. As they stand ready the scene that's been hinted at throughout the movie plays out like a dream, revealing what the whole story was about. Then, without warning, they draw and fire. Just as in real life, it's over before you notice it. What today's movies lack is how quickly they cater to MTV video inspired nonstop action and endless clichés. The bad and good guy duke it it out, the violence is so extreme that no human could actually survive it, and always just when you think the bad guy is dead he gets back up for one last shot. How much I wish today's film makers would learn Leone's lesson about TIMING, and let suspense build rather than force it in. The music score, which had certain pieces and sections for various moods and to signify the main characters, is one of my favorites. Even if Clint Eastwood wasn't in it, Charles Bronson fills the role of the mysterious stranger and adds his own elements to the character. How I wish they still made movies like this