Once Upon A Time In The West

Where do you start with a film that is consistently rated in the top 100 of all time?
Once Upon A Time In The West is what many consider to be the greatest western film ever made. The 1968 classic has stood the test of the time, and despite not being as popular as the Dollars trilogy to the general population, it easily better from almost every sense.
Sergio Leone's gritty tale transports us back to the America's fabled Old West, where cowboys ruled and all quarrels, no matter big or small, were settled with the sound of a gunshot and another body to bury.
A story told over 166 minutes, Lenoe's epic spaghetti western centres on a hired gun named Frank (Henry Fonda) and his nemesis known only as Harmonica (Charles Bronson). The struggle for a piece of land near Flagstone called Sweetwater is the driving force behind the film. Brett McBain (Frank Wolff) bought the land as he foresaw the railroad would have to pass through the area to replenish the steam locomotives' water supplies. Railroad tycoon Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti) finds out about McBain's land grab, and sends Frank to intimidate him off the land. Instead, Frank kills McBain and his three children and plants evidence at the scene to frame bandit Cheyenne (Jason Robards) and his gang.
While all of this is going on, Harmonica is in pursuit of Frank for an act the details of which are revealed near the end of the film (no spoilers, but it's heavy).
Just about everything about the film is perfect.
The vast, expansive landscapes of the Old West are translated to screen by Leone and cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli in such a way it reflects the way we imagine that era to look. The dirty faces of almost all of the people in every shot merely increase the realism, with Jill McBain (Claudia Cardinale) the only person who gets to keep a cleanish face throughout. The rest are saturated with sweat, speckled with dirt and mud in a true representation of the conditions. It is a minor detail Leone and crew pay a lot of attention to, and the reward is Once Upon A Time In The West looks every bit a tale of the Old West.
One of the greatest Western genre composers of all time Ennio Morricone is responsible for the soundtrack, which again lives up to his ever high reputation. Two major features of the film's sound stand out: the lonely harmonica of which Bronson's character gets his name, and the composition that takes centre stage as Frank and Harmonica face off towards the end of the film. The former acts as a cue for Harmonica's character, usually playing whenever he makes an appearance on screen - the first time of which he plays the tune himself at the train station near the opening (second scene). The latter is the climactic scene of the film, and Morricone's piece reflects the importance of the showdown - it's epic in every way.
As great as it is having one of the greatest film composers of all time in charge of the soundtrack, there is a long time Morricone is not used at all. The first 10 or so minutes of the film uses only natural sound - a turning wheel in the wind, footsteps, shotgun blasts and a train just to name a few. There is a great sequence where three men sent to kill Harmonica in the opening scene arrive, and wait, at a train station. In addition to there being only natural sound (and minimal dialogue), one part in particular is etched into memory. Jack Elam plays Snaky, who comes across as the leader of the trio. While waiting for the train, he is sitting back in a chair when a fly starts buzzing around and landing on his face. Whether its genius by Leone or a strange fetish, we watch Elam and this fly interact for what feels like an eternity - I haven't quite seen anything like it in any other film.

My words do not do Once Upon A Time In The West justice. The only bad thing is the run time which forces you to set aside three hours to watch it, but even then, it is a film worth making the time for. A must.