Review movies: Once Upon a time in the west | Sergio Leone | 1967 | Charles Bronson | Claudia Cardinale | Shirley Maclaine

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The Review - AT THE MOVIES with DAN CARRIER
Published: 23 July 2009

It’s time to revisit the West

ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST
Directed by Sergio Leone
Certificate 15

THIS is a masterful piece of storytelling, a gorgeous film to look at, an atmospheric voyage that lulls you gently into a dreamy desert landscape then shakes you out of your trance with the crack of pistol shots.
While all Western buffs will no doubt have seen this 1967 Sergio Leone flick countless times, it’s worth a re-visit just because it’s on a big screen – it has been beautifully re-mastered. From the very start we are shown the best of Leone’s storytelling techniques.
He uses virtually no dialogue to set the opening scene. All we hear is the crank of a windmill swinging aimlessly in a dry Sierra breeze, the tip-tap of a leaking water pipe, the wobble of wooden planks and then a hiss from a steam engine as it pulls in and drops off Harmonica (Charles Bronson). A gun fight ensues and sets the tone for what unravels next.
It’s a tale of murder and revenge: we learn Harmonica is looking for a hired gun called Frank, who does the bidding of a disabled industrialist called Morton. Frank has slaughtered a family in a bid to grab their land – Sweetwater Farm, as it is fittingly called, has a well the railroad needs as it pushes west.
The plot meanders beautifully, with New Orleans prostitute Jill McBain (Claudia Cardinale) playing a pivotal role in the future of Sweetwater, and providing a strong female role rarely found in Westerns before Shirley Maclaine took on a role in Two Mules for Sister Sarah.
A classic, with the screen prints beautifully re-done.

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