Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

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

As the railroad builders advance unstoppably through the Arizona desert on their way to the sea, Jill arrives in the small town of Flagstone with the intention of starting a new life.

Directed by: Sergio Leone

Written by: Sergio Donati, Sergio Leone

Music by: Ennio Morricone

Starring: Claudia Cardinale, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, Charles Bronson, Gabriele Ferzetti, Paolo Stoppa, Woody Strode, Jack Elam, Keenan Wynn, Frank Wolff

Genre: Drama, Western

Released: 1968-12-21

Runtime: 166 minutes

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Once Upon a Time in the West (1968): trivia & fun facts

Fun facts

• This part of the scene had been originally cut by director Sergio Leone for the worldwide theatrical release.
• Leone commissioned Bernardo Bertolucci and Dario Argento to help him devise a film treatment in late 1966.
• Otherwise, one scene was slightly longer in the US version than in the international film release: following the opening duel (where all four gunmen fire and fall), Charles Bronson's character stands up again, showing that he had only been shot in the shoulder.
• "Once Upon a Time in the West" was voted in at number 14, the highest Western on the list.
• In 2017, it was then ranked at number 52 on Empire's poll for "The 100 Greatest Movies" (the second-highest Western on the list).
• However, Leone accepted an offer from Paramount Pictures providing Henry Fonda and a budget to produce another Western.
• The original version by the director was 165 minutes when it was first released on December 21, 1968.
• Leone said he cast Claudia Cardinale in part because she was an Italian national and, as such, they could get a tax break.
• The music was written by composer Ennio Morricone, Leone's regular collaborator, who wrote the score under Leone's direction before filming began.
• The film was a massive hit in France, and was easily the most successful film released there in 1969, with 14.8 million admissions, ranking seventh of all time.
• The English-language version was restored to around 165 minutes for a re-release in 1984, and for its video release the following year.
• The critical consensus reads: "A landmark Sergio Leone spaghetti Western masterpiece featuring a classic Morricone score".
• In the 2012 Sight & Sound polls, it was ranked the 78th-greatest film ever made in the critics' poll and 44th in the directors' poll.
• The men spent much of the following year watching and discussing numerous classic Westerns, such as High Noon, The Iron Horse, The Comancheros and The Searchers at Leone's house, and constructed a story made up almost entirely of references to American Westerns.
• Leone had Morricone compose the score before shooting started and played the music in the background for the actors on set.

Source: Wikipedia

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