Once Upon a Time in the West. (15.)
Directed by Sergio Leone. 1968.
Starring Claudia Cardinale, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, Charles Bronson. 165 mins.
Having concluding the Eastwood trilogy with The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Leone attempted to make the ultimate spaghetti western, one that would take on, encompass and ultimately surpass, all the western westerns he loved. In effect, Leone was attempting to create a knock off that would be better than the original. Once Upon A Time has a great cast, great music (from the maestro Morricone), great sets, great locations (shooting partly in Monument Valley): it looks like a masterpiece, sounds like a masterpiece but somehow eludes its destiny to be a masterpiece.
Scene for scene it’s magnificent in every possible way, but such is the desire to cram everything in, to be the ultimate western sabotages the storytelling. A whole host of writers including Dario Argento and Bertolucci all threw their ideas into the pot and the burden of allusion and references almost flatten the plot. You aren’t greatly invested in the narrative or the characters because everything in simply a means to an end, a set up for another fantastic set piece or crane shot that the brains trust has devised.
You knew where you were with the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, there was clear demarcation. The Harmonica, the Cast Against Type Baddies, the Character Actor and the Girl never quite work their dynamic out. There always seems to be someone surplus to requirements.
It’s still a marvel though and having blue eyed goody goody Henry Fonda play the villain is a master stroke. Indeed he gives the character of Frank a layer of leering lasciviousness that is a little too convincing.
Directed by Sergio Leone. 1968.
Starring Claudia Cardinale, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, Charles Bronson. 165 mins.
Having concluding the Eastwood trilogy with The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Leone attempted to make the ultimate spaghetti western, one that would take on, encompass and ultimately surpass, all the western westerns he loved. In effect, Leone was attempting to create a knock off that would be better than the original. Once Upon A Time has a great cast, great music (from the maestro Morricone), great sets, great locations (shooting partly in Monument Valley): it looks like a masterpiece, sounds like a masterpiece but somehow eludes its destiny to be a masterpiece.
Scene for scene it’s magnificent in every possible way, but such is the desire to cram everything in, to be the ultimate western sabotages the storytelling. A whole host of writers including Dario Argento and Bertolucci all threw their ideas into the pot and the burden of allusion and references almost flatten the plot. You aren’t greatly invested in the narrative or the characters because everything in simply a means to an end, a set up for another fantastic set piece or crane shot that the brains trust has devised.
You knew where you were with the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, there was clear demarcation. The Harmonica, the Cast Against Type Baddies, the Character Actor and the Girl never quite work their dynamic out. There always seems to be someone surplus to requirements.
It’s still a marvel though and having blue eyed goody goody Henry Fonda play the villain is a master stroke. Indeed he gives the character of Frank a layer of leering lasciviousness that is a little too convincing.
