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

Director:

Sergio Leone

Writers:

Sergio Donati (screenplay by), Sergio Leone (screenplay by) | 3 more credits »
Reviews
Popularity
648 ( 364)
Top Rated Movies #48 | 4 wins & 5 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
Claudia Cardinale ... Jill McBain
Henry Fonda ... Frank
Jason Robards ... Manuel 'Cheyenne' Gutiérrez
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
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Storyline

Jill McBain travels to the wild frontier; Utah - where she and her new husband planned to settle down. Upon arrival, she finds him and his children dead. There's a lot of land, and potential, but there's those who want to take it - at any cost. Even if it means killing a man and his kids. Written by DrGoodBeat

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

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

Genres:

Western

Certificate:

13+ | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was dubbed into several languages following its completion, including Italian, English, Spanish, French, and German. For the Italian track, Gabriele Ferzetti and Paolo Stoppa dubbed their own dialogue, while Claudia Cardinale was dubbed by her regular Italian voice-over artist, Rita Savagnone. For the English version, Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Jason Robards, Jr., Frank Wolff, Keenan Wynn, and Lionel Stander dubbed themselves. While none of the voice actors who re-voiced the other characters in the English version received a screen credit, it is known that Bernie Grant and his wife, Joyce Gordon, dubbed the voices of Ferzetti and Cardinale, respectively. See more »

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. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Cattle Corner Station Agent: Hey. Hey-hey-hey-hey, if you want any tickets, you'll have to go around, eh, to, eh, the front of, eh, eh... oooh, well, I s'pose it'll be all right. The hell am *I* doin' around here if they walk in and can do as they damn please?
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Crazy Credits

Lionel Stander receives on screen credit in the original U.S. theatre release prints even though his part was completely cut out of this shortened version. See more »

Alternate Versions

The Italian DVD contains an extended version of the movie with the running time 171 minutes. (The standard version used in other countries running time are between 155 to 165 mins.) The principal differences are the opening sequence, which is much longer, - Jack Elem game with the fly - and the closing sequence, as well (the panoramic shoot is complete before the title appears). Another missing scene, which has disappeared from all the European edits, is in it: after the station scene, Harmonica take his arm because he has a terrible pain in it, and return on his horse. See more »


Soundtracks

In Una Stanza Con Poca Luce
Composed By, Orchestrated and Conducted by Ennio Morricone
Published by Universal Music Publishing Ricordi srl
(P) 1969 Sergio Leone Productions
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User Reviews

 
I Never Get Tired Of Watching...
13 November 2019 | by mattywohSee all my reviews

I won't go into the story, but it's true, I never tire of this movie---At first i thought Charles Bronson wouldn't be able to keep up with acting heavyweights Henry Fonda and Jason Robards, but Bronson's physical abilities, combined with his minimalist close-ups practically steal the show---His goodness came through in the close-ups toward the movie's end, I thought it was Charles Bronson's greatest screen work.


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

Italy | USA

Language:

English | Italian | Spanish

Release Date:

21 December 1968 (Italy) See more »

Also Known As:

Il était une fois dans l'Ouest See more »

Filming Locations:

Bavispe, Sonora, Mexico See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$5,321,508

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,434,825
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (extended) | (1970) | (theatrical) | (U.S. theatrical)

Sound Mix:

Mono | Dolby Digital (2003 DVD release)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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