4 of 10
Cinematography by Tonino Delli Colli
Henry Fonda
Claudia Cardinale
Jason Robards
Charles Bronson
Gabriele Ferzetti
�How can you trust a man who wears both a belt and suspenders? The man can't even trust his own pants!�
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| Once Upon a Time in the West 4 of 10 |
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| Directed by Sergio Leone Cinematography by Tonino Delli Colli Henry Fonda Claudia Cardinale Jason Robards Charles Bronson Gabriele Ferzetti |
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| A strange Western from one of the great masters in the genre, Sergio Leone. Certainly not on the level of his other works, like A Fistful of Dollars and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Fonda was fairly one-dimensional, although it was a highly-praised role, probably because it was so much out of the ordinary for him. I felt that there wasn�t a whole lot to his character, but it definitely was out of the ordinary. Bronson was his usual character; enigmatic drifter who has some hidden purpose no one knows. And for good measure, he plays a random harmonica. Way too over the top for me. There are far too many random scenes, and way, way too many long shots of nothing. The 2.30:1 ratio does not help at all here. Reminds me very much of the words of John Grierson: �When a great director dies, he becomes a cinematographer.� That�s what has happened here; Leone is merely composing shots, there is no life any more. It was clear from this film that Leone desperately needed an editor. Some things dragged on way too long. And that was the good stuff. The other shots made you feel like you were being given a small glimpse of eternity. On a brighter note, Robards was excellent. His character had some real complexity, and he brought it out very well. It was the only really interesting performance.
�How can you trust a man who wears both a belt and suspenders? The man can't even trust his own pants!� |
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