Once Upon a Time in the West – C’era una Volta il West (1968)

Directed by: Sergio Leone | 160 minutes | action, drama, western | Actors: Claudia Cardinale, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, Charles Bronson, Gabriele Ferzetti, Woody Strode, Jack Elam, Lionel Stander, Paolo Stoppa, Frank Wolff, Keenan Wynn

Leone didn’t really want to make a western again so soon after finishing his ‘Dollars’ trilogy, but the American financiers only wanted to give him money if he made another one. So he took the offer, then made “Once Upon a Time in the West.”

In fact, it has become a declaration of love for westerns and cinema in general. Referring to famous westerns like ‘The Searchers’ and ‘Johnny Guitar’, the film is about the joy of watching movies and the beauty of recognizable scenes. It’s a great meta-film that tells an interesting, emotional story as well as a glorious reflection on the medium of film itself.

The film is an audiovisual masterpiece whose (stylistic) theme is time or waiting. The Wild West is at a turning point in the film; the days of the traditional cowboy are over. The approaching train track that will connect the east to the west symbolizes the arrival of “civilization”, which in this case means money, power, and corruption. The rustic lifestyle of the settlers and the codes of the cowboys are dying out. This waiting for the approaching end, or at least for the beginning of something new, is the feeling that is central to almost every scene and shot of the film. According to Leone, the film’s rhythm was intended “to create the feeling of a person’s last breath, just before they die.”

For the elaboration of the film, this means that scenes often (seem to) last extremely long, because indeed the characters do not much more than wait. This is likely to create a feeling of uneasiness and impatience for many viewers, especially as we are used to lots of action and short consecutive shots these days. However, those who can concentrate purely on the images and the atmosphere of the scenes without being distracted by expectations, can count on a feast of sensations. If you allow all the interesting image and sound moments in the scenes to sink in, you will notice that the film is anything but boring and that all these impressions create tension.

Take the famous opening scene, for example, in which three men are waiting for our hero (Bronson) at a train station. They are all outside on the platform, patiently waiting for the train, with their firearms at the ready. There is no talking and hardly any movement, but everything “happens”: The windmill beeps rhythmically, we see close-ups of the faces, shots of the (still) deserted track that stretches far out. The telex machine starts to rattle. It’s quiet again. Falling water drops on a cowboy hat. The windmill starts beeping again. The men look thoughtfully at each other and at the track. A buzzing fly irritates one of the men. He has just caught the fly in the barrel of his gun when the train whistle sounds. A fascinating scene, although nothing really happens. Moments later, the moment comes for the iconic confrontation scene.

The introduction to the next confrontation scene, which introduces the great villain (Fonda), is equally captivating. Especially (again) the way in which tension is generated by sound and close-ups is interesting here. After the fierce first confrontation, we see a boy with his father on a pheasant hunt. As they walk through the tall grass, we hear the constant sound of crickets, which is ominous due to the treacherous calmness of the scene itself and the man’s wary eye on the surroundings. At some point we assume that nothing is wrong. When father and child come home and have a conversation with the eldest daughter, the crickets suddenly stop. Where before the sound of the crickets caused tension, it is precisely the absence of the sound that makes us anxious. Suddenly it’s dead quiet. The characters look around startled, but resume talking when the crickets appear to be making noise again. Moments later, the crickets stop chirping a second time. Now the viewer doesn’t know whether to be anxious or, because of the lesson learned from the earlier false alarm, to dismiss the silence as unimportant. Just in this moment of uncertainty, the villain’s pistol shot rings out.

Many scenes in the film can be analyzed in this way: as subtle audiovisual masterpieces. And then we haven’t even (or barely) mentioned the beautiful close-ups, in which the faces are portrayed as landscapes; the great compositions, in which the entire (wide) image is optimally used; or the masterful music of Ennio Morricone, which can be counted among his best work due to its beautiful melancholy and emotional resonance.

Although ultimately not much material happens in the film at the plot level, the characters are interesting (in their mystery) and often not easy to interpret. Frank, the obvious villain, despite his cunning, still lives by the honor and codes of the cowboy. The hero “Harmonica” is mainly good, but shows some (morally) dubious traits during the film. Cheyenne initially appears to be bad, then moves into a sort of gray area, only to finally manifest as a good man. Jill, after all, is both a whore and a lady; someone who is both traditional and progressive; a woman of dignity and an opportunist. This strong and three-dimensional female role, which is actually the pivot of the film, is quite unique for (Leone) westerns. Before that, the women were always madonnas or whores, but never both, or something in between.

The casting is inspired. Claudia Cardinale is the perfect embodiment of the sex bomb or lady, Charles Bronson has his best role ever as the silent, unnamed harmonica-playing hero, and Jason Robards is excellent as the lovable villain Cheyenne. The biggest surprise as far as casting is concerned is without a doubt the villainous role of Henry Fonda, an actor who before that time only played noble heroes.

This film is a great experience of image and sound. The story, while engrossing, isn’t the biggest draw. Let ‘Once Upon A Time In The West’ sink in like a cinematic work of art and you won’t be bored for a second.