Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
C'era una volta il West (original title)

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.

Director:

Sergio Leone

Writers:

Sergio Leone (screenplay), Sergio Donati (screenplay),

Stars:

Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale

Top 250 #24 | 5 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Claudia Cardinale	...	Jill McBain
Henry Fonda	...	Frank
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

Storyline

Story of a young woman, Mrs. McBain, who moves from New Orleans to frontier Utah, on the very edge of the American West. She arrives to find her new husband and family slaughtered, but by who? The prime suspect, coffee-lover Cheyenne, befriends her and offers to go after the real killer, assassin gang leader Frank, in her honor. He is accompanied by Harmonica on his quest to get even. Get-rich-quick subplots and intricate character histories intertwine with such artistic flair that this could in fact be the movie-to-end-all-movies.

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Plot Keywords:

Harmonica | Assassin | Epic | Widow | Murder | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Adventure | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for western violence and brief sensuality

Details

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 December 1968 (Italy)

Also Known As:

There Was Once the West

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Finanzia San Marco, Rafran Cinematografica, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

175 min 165 min (international) 137 min (1970)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Henry Fonda originally turned down a role in the picture. Director Sergio Leone flew to the United States and met with Fonda, who asked why he was wanted for the movie. Sergio replied, "Picture this: the camera shows a gunman from the waist down pulling his gun and shooting a running child. The camera pans up to the gunman's face and... it's Henry Fonda." (Until then, and with one exception, Fonda had only been cast in "good guy" roles. Leone wanted the audience to be shocked.)

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Goofs

During The Man's flashback which explains how he came to possess the harmonica, the harmonica changes from undamaged to damaged and back.

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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.

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Crazy Credits

Sergio Leone's director credit swings down in an arc as if to stop the train.

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Connections

Referenced in China 9, Liberty 37 (1978)

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Soundtracks

"Danny Boy"
(1913) (uncredited)
Written by by Frederick Edward Weatherly
Hummed and Sung a cappella a bit by Simonetta Santaniello

User Reviews

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.