Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) – S. Leone

Amon did not make it through to the bitter end (too slow, he said) which means he missed the climactic scene which reveals the mysterious motives of Charles Bronson’s “Harmonica” as he flashes back to his first meeting with Henry Fonda’s evil Frank nor the denouement which finds Harmonica and Jason Robards’ Cheyenne saying farewell for the last time, leaving Claudia Cardinale’s Jill to move forward from the Old West to the New West, as the train arrives at the station still being built in Sweetwater. Under Sergio Leone’s operatic direction, the plot moves like tectonic plates shifting each character inevitably toward this conclusion. Admittedly, it does take a while to get to this rewarding pay-off.  Who knew that this was meant to be Leone’s final Western and he had hoped to kill off Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, and Lee Van Cleef at the start of the film?  When Eastwood declined, he opted for Woody Strode, Al Mulock, and Jack Elam instead in what remains an amazing near silent opening scene (if not a cosmic joke on those hoping for another Good, Bad, and Ugly). That 10-minute scene tells us right from the outset that Leone planned to use the widescreen format as a huge tapestry with geometrically opposed characters as well as giant close-up heads (not to mention a short scene in Monument Valley, as an ode to John Ford, shot away from the regular set-up in Spain and Cinecittà). Also sweeping through the film is Ennio Morricone’s music, replete with themes attached to the characters, which builds on the Spaghetti Western soundtracks of the past decade – the sound is immediately recognizable and perfect for the final duel. Despite the determined pace, there are numerous iconic scenes where Leone builds suspense, such as when Cheyenne rescues Harmonica from Frank in railway exec Morton’s railcar. Sure, it might take a while for some parts of the plot to become lucid to first-time viewers but when viewed again (and again), one can see Leone’s full vision playing out in majestic harmony. An elegy for the Old West, yes, but also a damning critique of capitalism even if the film still somehow holds out hope for a new sense of community going forward. Masterful.