Once Upon a Time in the West / C’era una volta il West (Sergio Leone, 1968)

[stanton]

Considering that we are in the field of personal tastes, having another look at this sequence I find that the cut including the Rising - almost certainly the version Leone liked best - is less abrupt and definitely preferable, even thanks to this slow, atmospheric part (I like the squeaking that introduces Harmonica waking up a lot).

But it correspondents to the similar abrupt cut between the 2nd and 3rd scene (Fonda’s gun and the shrieking train).

Jonathan, this long Italian version seems to be somehow obscure. Despite what the DVD claims about being the DC, there must be a lot of discussion in Italy if this was really Leone’s preferred version, or simply a private copy to file some stuff which otherwise would have been gone more or less lost.

When the long version was first shown on German TV it was surprisingly not sold as DC but only as a private copy from Leone’s archive, and in a German Leone book from 2009 the author only says that “it is still debatable if this is the from Leone intended version”.

I would like to read more about the origin of this 177 min version.

[Silence]

There where two topics so I merged them.

[dicfish]

[size=12pt]HAPPY NEW YEAR![/size]
Our new special is online:
[/url]
[size=8pt]http://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Once_Upon_a_Time_in_the_West_-Special[url]http://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Once_Upon_a_Time_in_the_West-_Special[/size]

[Phil_H]

Nice work as usual fellas.
Thanks for your efforts

[Mickey13]

Awesome artwork, Dicfish! And thanks for the effort.

[sartana1968]

great special but the movie so so …!!! :o

[Mickey13]

Yeah, yeah…

[stanton]

great special but the movie so so …!!! :o

Not to say very,very so so …

[sartana1968]

Not to say very,very so so …

one million times very and one bilion times so so… !! 8)

[Yodlaf_Peterson]

The greatest film of all time.

That’s just my opinion mind, before I get told I’m talking shit.

[scherpschutter]

[quote=“Yodlaf Peterson, post:410, topic:322”]The greatest film of all time.

That’s just my opinion mind, before I get told I’m talking shit.[/quote]

I agree

[Reverend_Danite]

[quote=“Yodlaf Peterson, post:410, topic:322”]The greatest film of all time.

That’s just my opinion mind, before I get told I’m talking shit.[/quote]

I agree - great film.
If I ever decide it’s a spag (despite it’s obvious Italian connection and the fact that it’s a western) - it’ll go to number one spot in my Top 20.
I’ve said it before - it just don’t feel spaghetti to me - it trancends the genre :

[stanton]

Can you not simply believe me (or Scherp or someone else) when I (we) tell you that it is a SW?

[ENNIOO]

I’ve said it before - it just don’t feel spaghetti to me - it trancends the genre :

I know what you mean, the ‘feel’ of the film for me is about 50 % Spaghetti and 50 % American western.

[Reverend_Danite]

Can you not simply believe me (or Scherp or someone else) when I (we) tell you that it is a SW?

I’ll quote Scherp here then (from his excellent latest offering)…

“A second misunderstanding is that Once upon a Time in the West is more American in feel than his previous westerns. It’s more serious in tone, and it’s dubious if it can be called a genuine spaghetti western (a genre, as Howard Hughes put it, associated with fast action and much bloodletting), but it’s deeply Italian in style and meaning.”

I’ll go along with this.
Leone was responsible for making popular a style of movie that tried in some ways to imitate American westerns, but most (when they’re good) have failed. Instead we got a generally low budget breed, tinged with an Italian flavour of war-guilt, anti-colonialism and a peculiar religious bent.
OUATITW ‘comments’ on (in a post-modern sort of way) and transcends the cliches of this genre, but neither is it an ‘American Western’. It’s slicker and better in many ways than the poor twisted-cliched world of spaghetti-land, and it’s better than any American western I’ve seen. It’s certainly the most moving western I’ve seen (although I’m in no real mood for a rewatch soon, and it’s certainly not the most entertaining) and it’s probably one of the finest films of any genre - but it doesn’t feel to me like a spag… and therefore it can’t be in my Top 20.

My top 20 reflect the films that seem to intend to play with the cliches - but for whatever reason result in being both fresh and surprising - and therefore jolly entertaining. OUATITW looks too American in parts, has too big a budget, and in being so it is detatched (partly geographically, but also possibly in intent) from some of the spaghetti ethos that I so love. Ethos and intention being the key words here.
There…

[chameleon]

it just don’t feel spaghetti to me

Well, to me it does, and it never crossed my mind that it was too American in feel and what not.
Without a doubt, this is the GREATEST spaghetti western of all time. The ultimate.
And the beautiful soundtrack even makes more special. A Masterpiece. There, just my two cents!

[tomas]

[quote=“chameleon, post:416, topic:322”]Well, to me it does, and it never crossed my mind that it was too American in feel and what not.
Without a doubt, this is the GREATEST spaghetti western of all time. The ultimate.
And the beautiful soundtrack even makes more special. A Masterpiece. There, just my two cents! :)[/quote]

i agree - almost
second greatest spaghetti - penultimate

[chameleon]

[quote=“sartana1968, post:1, topic:3130”]a masterpiece of my top 20 bottom movies
a very long bore and an empty movie[/quote]

[stanton]

[quote=“Reverend Danite, post:415, topic:322”]I’ll quote Scherp here then (from his excellent latest offering)…

“A second misunderstanding is that Once upon a Time in the West is more American in feel than his previous westerns. It’s more serious in tone, and it’s dubious if it can be called a genuine spaghetti western (a genre, as Howard Hughes put it, associated with fast action and much bloodletting), but it’s deeply Italian in style and meaning.”[/quote]

What I actually meant was, ehmm … don’t trust Scherp. The truth lies only in me …

[stanton]

Btw Scherp, what about adding a few remarks to the versions part of your review about the fact that the theatrical version (imo the DC) until now wasn’t released on DVD or Blu?
And especially that the Paramount master which is used for all versions worldwide (except Italy) since the mid 90s is still cut for a minute in the first scene, has a scene which shouldn’t be in (some will disagree), and the wrong closing music. And the Scorsese restoration has failed too.