C'era una volta il West (1968)

User Rating:

8.8/10   

Director:

Sergio Leone

Writers:

Dario Argento (story) &
Bernardo Bertolucci (story) ...

Release Date:

21 December 1968 (Italy)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Assassin | Widow | Epic | Man With No Name | Gang

Awards:

4 wins & 1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Tue. Nov. 17

8:00 PM

TCM

Cast

Henry Fonda	...	Frank
Claudia Cardinale	...	Jill McBain
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

Also Known As:

Once Upon a Time in the West (International: English title) (UK) (USA)
Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West (Australia)
There Was Once the West (USA) (literal English title)
Il était une fois dans l'Ouest (Canada: French title) (France) (dubbed version) [fr]
Spiel mir das Lied vom Tod (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Однажды на Диком Западе (Soviet Union: Russian title) [ru]
Érase una vez en el Oeste (Argentina) [es]
Aconteceu no Oeste (Portugal) [pt]
Batida kan var (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Bilo jednom na divljem zapadu (Serbia) [sr]
Dawno temu na dzikim Zachodzie (Poland) [pl]
Era Uma Vez no Oeste (Brazil) [pt]
Fins que li va arribar l'hora (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Harmonica - en hämnare (Sweden) [sv]
Harmonika - en hämnare (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Hasta que llegó su hora (Spain) [es]
Het gebeurde in het westen (Netherlands) [nl]
Huuliharppukostaja (Finland) [fi]
Kapote sti Dysi (Greece) [el]
Pewnego razu na Dzikim Zachodzie (Poland) [pl]
Vestens hårde halse (Denmark) [da]
Volt egyszer egy vadnyugat (Hungary) [hu]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for western violence and brief sensuality. (re-rated; rated M/PG in 1969)

Runtime:

Italy:175 min | 165 min (international version) | Finland:137 min (1970)

Country:

Italy | USA

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) (original rating) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) (re-rating) (2004) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Finland:K-16 (cut) (re-rating) (1977) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1970) | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Netherlands:12 | Norway:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (re-rating) (2000) | UK:15 (video rating) (1989) | UK:AA (original rating) | USA:M (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (re-rating) (2003) | USA:PG (re-rating) (1969) | West Germany:16 (w)

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Company:

Finanzia San Marco

Trivia:

Jason Robards showed up at the set completely drunk on the first day of filming, and Leone threatened to fire him if he ever did that again. Robards was generally well-behaved thereafter, though in June 1968, after receiving word of the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, Robards broke down and refused to perform until the day was over, and Leone decided to stop filming for the day.

Goofs:

Continuity: During Harmonica's confrontation with Frank towards the end of the movie, his hair appears to have grown significantly from earlier in the film. However, when he enters the house to talk to Jill, his hair is short again.

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Amazons and Gladiators (2001)

Fonda's favorite, and mine too

There are few movies that can combine great directing, acting ,music, cinematography, and writing into one movie, but this one does. There are no weak points. Every scene is a piece of art. I know of no other film that affects the senses as this one. Henry Fonda said this was his favorite film and role. It's easy to see why. He created 1 of the great "bad guy" roles in history. In a side note, Leone wanted to put brown contacts in Fonda's eyes,("who ever saw a villain with blue eyes", Leone said), but Fonda wouldn't have it, and the effect is magic in the famous Leone close-ups. Bronson, Cardinale, and Robards are equally powerful, all have great lines and the camera loves them. Speaking of cameras, the visuals are stunning. There is nothing fancy about this movie. Raw power is what you see and feel. Simply the best western if not film ever made.