Sergio Leone directed seven feature films throughout his career. Seven films out of which six, grouped in two trilogies, are enough for his name to be considered today among the most important directors of the 20th century. ‘Once Upon a Time in the West‘ (1968) is the first film of the second trilogy. In the previous years he had made the three spaghetti western films which are today considered a revolution in the history of the western genre and perhaps the films that saved this genre and demonstrated its vitality, ensuring it a future. The first films were made with the modest financial means typical of European films. In 1968, for ‘Once Upon a Time in the West‘, Leone obtained financing from one of the major American studios, Paramount. With their money he afforded a lavish production and he was able to approach first rank Hollywood stars for casting. Henri Fonda responded, and his inclusion in the cast is a nice homage to classic American westerns. Asa reward, Leone cast him in the first big ‘bad guy’ role of his career and gave him the opportunity to play for the first time … in a bedroom scene. He filmed lavishly, with many extras and super production sets. Some scenes are filmed in the American state of Utah, in the desert area where the story of the film takes place. However, most of the filming was again done in Spain, as in the previous films, and the studio scenes at Cinecittà. After changing the destiny of westerns, Sergio Leone inaugurates with this film the ‘Once Upon a Time …’ trilogy and opens a new perspective to the genre of the great American epics.
The original script is signed by Leone together with Sergio Donati, but Bernardo Bertolucci and Dario Argento also took part in the writing of the story on which it is based. We are in a dusty town on the edge of the desert, on America’s moving frontier. Construction of the railroad that will cross the continent to the Pacific is nearing. If there are laws, they aren’t really followed, and everyone kind of makes their own law, often with the help of guns and gunmen gangs. Jill McBain is a beautiful woman from New Orleans who arrives in the city to meet her future husband. However, she finds herself in the situation of a widow, because the man she had married by correspondence had just been assassinated along with his three children. The reason and the stake is the land in his property, through which the railway line is to pass, land which the tycoon Morgan wants to seize with the help of the gunmen gang led by a bad fellow named Frank. Jill decides to stay to fight for the inherited property and to make her husband’s dream of building a prosperous city around a future train station a reality. She will be helped by other characters always on the edge of the law and by a mysterious man who plays the harmonica and seems interested in Frank’s person. They all wield their guns with dexterity, and these don’t stay unused too long time throughout the story.
Sergio Leone narrates as if he and his audience have all the time in the world. A scene can last ten or fifteen minutes, culminating in a gunfight lasting a few seconds. Each scene, however, is a story in itself, with characters that we know to the whites of their eyes and a setting in which we seem to be absorbed. Today a duration of more than two and a half hours for a film is something common, but in the 60s it was an exception. Sergio Leone actually sets a kind of standard in terms of running time for films depicting great American stories. To accommodate the format of American screenings, producers and distributors created shorter versions, and this also happened here and with other of his films. Each of the actors is given plenty of time to develop their character, and this happens even with the supporting roles, and there are many memorable ones in ‘Once Upon a Time in the West‘. The big roles cast is outstanding. Sergio Leone chooses first-rate actors, but counter-casts them in roles different than the usual in their careers up to that point, which reinforces the freshness feeling that we get while watching the film. Henry Fonda abandons the character of a man of justice and good causes and crosses over to the other side of the law. Charles Bronson on the other hand gives one of the best roles of his career as a positive character in the role of the mysterious man with a harmonica, proving what a good actor he was in addition to his acting talent in action films. Claudia Cardinale develops with charm and charisma the role of the widow, a role that was originally written for Sophia Loren. Ennio Morricone‘s music is organically integrated into the complete visual and emotional experience this film provides. ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ is a timeless masterpiece.