*WARNING : SPOILERS AHEAD,DON"T READ IF YOU DON't WANT THE FILM SPOILED FOR YOU* This one film alone has influenced so many films some which include: "High Noon","3:10 to Yuma", "The Comancheros","Shane", "The Searchers", "The Magnificent Seven", "Duel in the Sun","My Darling Clementine", "Desperado","Once Upon a Time in Mexico","Inglorious Basterds" and many more. Once Upon a Time in the West was made in 1968 ,and directed by spaghetti western great Sergio Leone. The films screenplay and story were developed and written by Sergio Leone,Sergio Donati, Dario Argento and Bernardo Bertolucci. The score of the film was composed by longtime Leone friend and collaborator Ennio Morricone and the cinematography was completed by Tonino Delli Colli.
The opening credits are presented in a slow methodical fashion ,while the opening characters actions are going on at the same time. The pacing of the scene was powerfully executed in the films opening. This scene helps build tension in scenes where gun play was evident to occur in the film, which in turn adds to the dramatic elements of the film. The opening credits are in the signature Leone style white color font, so that particular element doesn't relate to the meaning of the film, but the slow pace that they are presented helps to complete this action. Leone used pacing to his advantage to create a world where villains get what's coming to them, heroes get there revenge, and outlaws can earn their redemption.
The films title does have a significant meaning in relation the film as a whole, the "Once Upon A Time..." part of the title of course is a line used frequently in storytelling as a basic common starting point to tell a story. So in essence the films title evokes basic meaning of this story whether it fictional or non-fictional occurred in the times of the old west. This is significant in that the title evokes the film is about the old ways of the west but as you watch the film , you are presented with world that is transitioning from the ways of the old west into the modernization of the west.
"Once Upon a Time in the West",opens at an isolated train station, three gunmen arrive at the station with a feeling of tenseness and foreboding. the men are waiting - waiting for some one. The train arrives and a man with a Harmonica(Charles Bronson) gets off and ask for the man he is supposed to be meeting with and his name is Frank(Henry Fonda) our films villain. But Frank is nowhere to be found, but his three gunmen are there and our first showdown occurs. This opening scene allows you to see how calculating and devious the films villain is in the film and it also sets the mood for the rest of the film.
There are numerous motifs in this film one of them is the railroad which as I studied in this film kind of represents anew beginning for this particular civilization that is the "old west". In a sense the films main voice of thematic element for the film was Charles Bronson's character Harmonica a true sense of law and order in more ways than one. As I studied this film another theme of the film that took me time to discover was (water) and how it effected the female lead character in the film Jill (Claudia Cardinale). The majority of Jill's most dramatic scenes revolve around the theme of water - when her whole family is killed while walking outside to their water-well, and in one scene she is in the bathtub, while Harmonica(Charles Bronson) burst in while trying to spot all the men that are sent by Frank's boss to come and kill Frank(Henry Fonda). Also included is the ending scene of the film when Jill brings water out to all the railroad workers that are working on the railroad in front of Jill's land, which symbolizes a fresh start for everyone in the "old west". There were also many other scenes , in particular a scene with Frank and his boss the railroad tycoon Morton, who says in that scene that he wants to see the Pacific Ocean one last time, and in a scene later on in the film after you realize Morton tries to double-cross Frank, Morton does get to see an ocean one last time in the form of a mud puddle. This scene proved that karma was alive and well back in the old west. A third theme or motif from the film was color, in particular the wardrobe the three central film characters wore. Jill at the beginning of the film had a nice white dress on, and after she lost her whole family, you see her in nothing but black for obvious mourning purposes. Cheyenne(Jason Robards) had on red and brown clothes which I believe are representation of anger,power, and a stone cold mentality and leader of his gang of outlaws and of course Harmonica has the colors of white and beige which were used to symbolize purity and cleanliness, which is extremely fitting being that he is considered the hero of the film.
The first important sequence is at the beginning of the film with the slaughter of the McBain family by Frank and his men. This scene shows you how calculating and smart Frank is as the films villain and establishes what he is capable as a person. In this whole opening sequence he murders a whole family for their land, attempts to kill Harmonica by making him think he is really going to meet with him in person, but instead send his men to kill him instead. He also in turn tries to frame Cheyenne and his men by having Frank's men dress up in the same signature brown overcoats that only Cheyenne's men wear.
The second most important sequence of the film when Harmonica discovers that Mr McBain knew that the new rail system was going to come through the direction of the land that McBain and his family owned. This scene is so important because this gives the viewer a clear cut reason why the events that happened in the beginning of the film happened.
The third most important sequence of the film is the final duel scene between Frank and Harmonica, in this scene we finally get the answer that Frank and we the viewers of the film have been wanting to know...."Who is Harmonica?" ,"What does he have against Frank?", "Why is he always playing that harmonica?". We get that answer in a flashback, when Harmonica was a young boy he was forced to hold up his older brother on his shoulders who's head had a noose around it and eventually his older brother kicks his younger brother to the ground on purpose- in turn excepting his fate of death, and the real nail in the coffin was that while harmonica held up his brother on his shoulders, Frank put something in his mouth and that thing was a harmonica.
The last important sequence of the film is a short scene that occurs after the final duel between Frank and Harmonica, in this scene Cheyenne and Jill have a conversation in which Cheyenne says he isn't the man for her and neither is Harmonica. It's obvious Jill wants either one of these men to stay with her and start a new life. But these two men aren't the settling down type and Cheyenne would have possibly settled down if not for the little health problem that you find out about after this ending scene.
There are striking uses of perspective in this film most notably that they all are presented in Leone's signature shooting style. Leone's style of shooting close-ups of the actors faces , even going in specifically on the eyes and mouths of his actors, allowed him to project the emotions that he wanted from the characters. The wide shots he did in some scenes also added to the drama in some of the gun duel scenes. It also showed that Leone wasn't afraid to use the whole frame while he was shooting the film. The sound in the film was used in many ways to vividly enhance the film. The composer responsible for the score and numerous sound cues was long-time friend and film collaborator Ennio Morricone. The composer Morricone was able to provide each of the main characters there own unique theme music, for example"Jill's Theme" and "Man with a Harmonica", and "Farewell to Cheyenne" all songs on the original film score. In studying this film I found out that Sergio Leone would actually play Morricone's film music in the background while shooting the film in order to help the actors understand there characters more thoroughly.
The film's climax ultimately displayed in the final duel scene between Frank and Harmonica. The one gesture of Harmonica putting his harmonica in Frank's mouth signified the film's climax, and with this gesture Harmonica completed his vengeance for his brother's death, Jill's vengeance for the brutal killing of her entire family, and redeeming of Cheyenne's outlaw but non cold-blooded killer reputation. In the end this film was the ultimate tale of good versus bad and the transitioning of the old west into the more modern times with the building of the railroad at the end of the film.
Randy Watson III, 10-14-2009
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