CineTV Contest: Westerns That Moved Me: Once Upon a Time in the West (1968): A stylistic Italian trip into art and film

This happens to be the same screenshot as the contest. We must be on the same wavelength!

Directed by the legendary Sergio Leone and written by Sergio Leone, Sergio Donati, Bernardo Bertolucci and Dario Argento. I had no clue the Italian horror maestro Dario Argento was involved here and am nicely surprised.

The general plot involves an escaped convict Cheyenne (Jason Robbards), a gunslinger Frank (Henry Fonda) and a mysterious nicknamed individual called Harmonica (Charles Bronson). A widow (Claudia Cardinale) becomes the owner of a plot of land and is soon involved with all three.

The plot is laid out very slowly over a film with a runtime of 166 minutes that passed very quickly! We don't even get to the point of understanding the plot until at least an hour or more into the film. The motivation for Harmonica isn't even revealed until nearly the end of the film.

Three bad hombres walk into a train station. This sounds like the start of a joke.

The opening of the film sets the tone nicely. We are greeted by some unsavory men that arrive at a train station. The camera lingers on each man doing their own little form of intimidation. A woman tries to flee and one walks closer letting her know not to budge. Another makes squawking noises at a bird in a cage. The leader of the group stares at the station agent who gives him 3 tickets. He then releases his tickets from his fingers and lets them fall to the ground. The station agent is grabbed by the back of the neck. He's promptly tossed aside.

Cut to the outside of the station while the men wait for the train to arrive.

The heat is oppressive. Time for a quick nap.

One man sits in a nearby chair and waits. His cowboy hat is pulled down to shield out the oppressive sun while attempting to doze. The telegraph machine chatters away and he rips out all the wires. Finally some silence he must think. A fly starts to buzz and lands on his unshaven face. This fly keeps landing on different parts of his face while he's trying to puff air from his breath to make this damn fly leave. This scene alone must have been three minutes and I loved every second of it.

One man stands under a water tower fanning himself with his hat. A drop of water hits him on the head. He puts his hat back on and slightly smirks.

One man sits on the edge of a horse trough filled with water. Gazing down the tracks as he runs water through his hands. A dog passes by as he starts to crack his knuckles.

The anticipation is palapable as we can only wait and soak in the atmosphere.

During this entire opening scene we hear the rusty squeaking of a windmill turning and a slight ambient noise here and there. There is no dialogue at this point and it's pure character and atmosphere building. This is only the first ten minutes of the film and the stage is now set for the type of film you're going to see.

The reverse shot of what is waiting for Harmonica in this town.

There are actually two plots going on here. The land dispute pulls in all the characters but we don't ever really know the motivation of Harmonica. We find out there's a conflict with Frank and Harmonica. Harmonica knows him but Frank does not. Harmonica is asked periodically by Frank what his name is. He responds with the names of different men each time as Frank says that person is dead, I killed him. This intense hatred is palpable.

Harmonica playing his harmonica.

The music is by Ennio Morricone, a legend and tied at the hip with Sergio Leone. The use of atmospheric sounds in this are very striking along with traditional scoring techniques. Harmonica does play the actually harmonica and is one of the most memorable cues throughout this film. A true treat to hear from the master in this genre.

I was extremely pleased with this spaghetti western film. When people think of the genre this one contains all the main aspects and clearly has a large influence over modern filmmakers. Tight blocks on faces, the music, wide angle shots, quick draws and everything that goes along with a gunslinger. Due to the longer runtime and many scenes where dialogue is minimal, the actors get a true chance to emote. A lot can be said non-verbally and we clearly see it on display often.

The look of surprise

The sets, costumes and dialogue feel appropriate for this period piece. You feel the oppressive heat and dust at every turn. The steam train is a relatively new invention at this point in time and it's carving itself across the countryside. This is a simpler but deadlier time and not a period I'd wish to inhabit.

You feel as though you're there in the west with these characters watching what's going on and hopefully you've picked the right side. While I don't think I'd ever like to live during these times they are almost always presented with a sort of romanticism. The frontier is a strong pull that many couldn't ignore and it still has some allure these days. Carve your own path and be good. The banditos never win in the end and be sure to listen for the sound of a harmonica man. He might be playing a tune made just for you.

Everything comes to this point in a proper western.

I used to steer clear of westerns at one point and now I'm glad I did. I've seen many but they rarely clicked with me at the time of viewing. This is a blessing in disguise. Now I know this is a genre I can draw from as there are so many amazing films I haven't seen it yet.

As for this film, highly recommended and well worth your time.

Thanks for the read 🙂

All media captured by myself from the original source.

Harmonica thinks you'll enjoy this film and I wouldn't argue with him either

What western films have moved you? I and everyone would love to hear about it. Drop by and take a look.

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