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Spiel mir das Lied vom Tod (1968)

C'era una volta il West (original title)
Trailer
3:02 | Trailer
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 »
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Popularity
476 ( 225)
Top Rated Movies #49 | 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 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 / edited by statmanjeff

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:

16 | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Unlike the Dollars trilogy, which were all solely shot in Spain, Sergio Leone travelled to the U.S. to shoot some scenes in the iconic Monument Valley, one of John Ford's favorite locations, making it the first "spaghetti Western" to be shot in the U.S. See more »

Goofs

When Sam is taking Jill McBain to the ranch they have to go through the construction site for the railroad. Disgusted by the construction Sam starts whipping the horses to try and speed the buckboard up. During one of the backhands with the whip Sam accidentally hits Jill in the head. Jill gives him a "what the hell" look and says something inaudible to him which one can imagine what it was. 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?
See more »

Crazy Credits

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

Alternate Versions

The opening scene is several minutes shorter in the current American print, as, according to Christopher Frayling's biography of Leone, Leone's daughters Rafaella and Francesca appear as girls playing near the station - but in my copy of the VHS, no such girls appear. See more »

Connections

Featured in The American (2010) See more »

Soundtracks

L'America Di Jill
Choir: Cantori Moderni Di Alessandroni
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

 
It doesn't get any better than this: this is movie history
24 December 2013 | by gogoschka-1See all my reviews

This one only gets better with each viewing. Leone's masterful storytelling and Morricone's crazy, beautiful, epic soundtrack; desperate, haunted faces which look like the barren landscapes the story is set in and a plot that unfolds with impeccable pacing to culminate in THE ultimate western finale.

As in Leone's previous films, music isn't just used to add to the atmosphere but is essential to the story, or perhaps even more: Morricone's main musical theme plays the actual role of a (or rather: the) protagonist in the film.

Anyone who thought that the so called "Spaghetti westerns" were nothing but cheap, violent B-movies had to reconsider after seeing this film. It doesn't get any better than this: this is movie history; iconic, classic, unforgettable, epic. For this film, I just run out of superlatives.

My vote: 10 out of 10

Favorite films: http://www.IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/

Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Favorite Low-Budget and B-movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/

Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

Italy | USA

Language:

Italian | English | Spanish

Release Date:

14 August 1969 (West Germany) See more »

Also Known As:

Spiel mir das Lied vom Tod See more »

Filming Locations:

Bavispe, Sonora, Mexico See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$112,229
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
See full technical specs »

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