7/9/2023 0 Comments Turn off clipboard historyAny aspiring director would certainly learn a lot from the exacting nature of Leone’s direction. Once Upon a Time in the West is an epic that is deserving of immense praise its placement on the 2022 Sight & Sound poll of the greatest films of all-time indicates that its fan base spans far beyond genre aficionados, as the only other Western to make the list is Ford’s The Searchers. Quentin Tarantino’s affection for it is evident in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, a film that similarly reflects upon the end of an era Inglourious Basterds’ similarly intense opening scene is titled “Once Upon a Time in Nazi-occupied France” as an obvious tribute. Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan seems to be influenced by Leone’s approach the meticulous attention to detail in the Better Call Saul episode “Bagman” and Jesse’s ( Aaron Paul) quiet menace during the shootout in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie have the same nauseating aura of suspense. The influence of this scene has grown significantly as Once Upon a Time in the West continues to be lauded as an all-time classic. Harmonica guns down his would-be assassins in cold blood, and while it finally breaks the suspense that had been building, it doesn’t offer the viewer the sort of energized thrill that generally comes after the death of an antagonist. Leone doesn’t do anything to break from the realism, and the subsequent violence is just as shockingly blatant. ![]() The resulting shootout that follows comes after a brief exchange of dialogue where the men discuss the quantity of horses in their company while Harmonica’s line “you brought one too many” hints at some sort of intentionality, the rest of the conversation is fairly plain spoken and dull. However, any further expositional notes are expunged the scene is presented like the introduction to a fairy tale or fable, which makes one re-consider the “Once Upon a Time” context of the title. Scant dialogue indicates that they’re under the employment of Frank, a character whose ruthlessness would be depicted momentarily during the disturbing house raid sequence. Their impatience only adds to the tension the audience is weirdly in the same position as the bandits, as they’re waiting for some sort of declaration to break the ice. It’s fascinating to see how Leone appears to mirror his past work by recreating the iconic ending sequence of The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly as the killers assemble to face off against Harmonica. Within the opening moments, Leone doesn’t try to turn Harmonica into an empathetic character like everyone else who makes a living as a killer, he’s someone to be feared. ![]() While Eastwood certainly had a signature dark edge to him, Bronson lacked the subtle sense-of-humor and casual decency that had made “The Man With No Name” so beloved. The opening of the film introduces the main protagonist simply known as “Harmonica” ( Charles Bronson), a character who is only honorable in comparison to the even more ruthless outlaws that surround him.īronson was not the type of actor who would traditionally play these types of heroic roles Western heroes tended to be popular, charismatic stars like John Wayne, Gary Cooper, or Steve McQueen, and not character actors like Bronson who tended to work on B-movies and darker revenge thrillers. Leone used the development of the railroad system as a way to explore the end of ranching and the “Western era” as cinema had depicted it up until that point the violence was also more extreme, and the performance of Henry Fonda as the film’s main antagonist Frank was an interesting case of casting an actor known for playing heroic roles as one of the most detestable characters in screen history. While the “Dollars Trilogy” was an action-packed series of adventures, Once Upon a Time in the West was more reflective.
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