Top 100: Once upon a time in the West (Sergio Leone, 1968)
"My Mother used to make coffee this way… Hot…Strong… And good"
Once upon a time in the West has a fantastic cast all playing against type: Henry Fonda was a perennial good guy in American Westerns, yet here, Leone casts him as the villain… A diabolical, cold-hearted murderer called Frank. The first time we see Frank is just after he's wiped out an entire family - kids and all.
Stunningly beautiful Claudia Cardinale (those eyes!) is cast as 'the whore', which is fairly typical for Italian-produced westerns. There is a twist, however, as Cardinale's Jill McBain character is a strong woman simply trying to make a better life for herself and her family (the unfortunately aforementioned family wiped out by Frank). It would be oh so easy for her to go back to the New Orleans whore house, but she decides to stay, and make a go of things, thus fulfilling the dream of her now dead husband. And she makes damn fine coffee, too!
Jason Robards was also known more as an all-American good guy, but here is cast as Cheyenne, a ruthless, infamous bandit with a heart. He's also been set up by Frank for the murder of the McBain family. And then there's Charles Bronson, a big hero of mine. Leone always wanted to work with Bronson, and it was he who Leone wanted to play 'the man with no name' character in his earlier western trilogy. Bronson declined to star in A Fistful of Dollars, and couldn't star in The Good, the Bad & the Ugly due to a schedule conflict (he was contracted to star in The Dirty Dozen). Unfortunately for Bronson, the films made Clint Eastwood a global superstar!
Thankfully, for Once upon a time in the West, Leone finally got his man. Here Bronson plays the role of 'Harmonica'. A mysterious stranger who knows all about Frank's past -for which he is a part of- and the reason that he wants Frank dead. His playing of the harmonica is an eerie reminder of the past, and also gives Ennio Morricone greater artistic license with his score and sound design, which is immense, by the way.
Leone carves out a masterpiece with very little dialogue. Less is more, make no mistake about it. Besides Leone, Dario Argento and Bernardo Bertollucci came up with the original story, which is mesmerising, epic and grandiose, a film clearly made by a man who had truly mastered his art. A flawless cast, one truly great soundtracks by Morricone (not forgetting the beautiful vocals of Edda Dell'Orso), vast locations and one of the most miserable death scenes in cinema history, Once upon a time in the West is a masterpiece, and the greatest of all westerns. Majestic.
About The Blu-ray:
After what must've been a long, meticulous restoration, Once upon a time in the West looks beautiful on Blu-ray. There is also a choice between two versions: The original Theatrical version, or a restored version with 30-odd seconds worth of lost-then-found footage re-inserted into the final cut.
