ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST

Italy, 1968, 165 minutes, Colour.
Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards, Charles Bronson, Frank Wolff, Gabriele Ferzetti, Jack Elam,, Woody Strode.
Directed by Sergio Leone.

Once Upon a Time in the West is a Sergio Leone western, made after the Clint Eastwood westerns, especially the successful The Good The Bad and The Ugly. Leone made a fortune filming these westerns. He has an Italian view of the west (later called the spaghetti western) and generally focuses on individual toughness of good or bad or ugly. Tongue-in-cheek, he enjoys the poses of the west as well as satisfying them. But in this film he becomes much more serious, at times perhaps too serious, saying that this is a typical picture of those days. His tongue is still in his cheek with Henry Fonda as a very evil villain and Charles Bronson as a man playing a harmonica, the enigmatic hero. Claudia Cardinale is present as the focus for this old style, grim fairy tale of the western heritage.

1. The overall impact of this film as a Western? Some consider it a minor classic. Does it merit this reputation?

2. The importance of an Italian view of the west? How does it differ from an American view in terms of issues,, people and their characters, the influence of environment and place? The harsh and rabid West? The humorous and ludicrous aspects as well as the heroic and adventurous?

3. The importance of the Italian style of filming for the Italian view-point: the use of Panavision and colour locations. the dusty and harsh atmosphere, the laconic styles of speech,, the slow movement,, the use of close-ups and extreme close-ups at great length? The overall effect? The importance of the musical background and the varying styles for each character?

4. How important is characterization in this kind of film? The fact that it is unavoidable with so much film attention to close-ups of each character? Giving the audience time to reflect on the character and respond? Does this delay the film or enrich the response?

5. The importance of the prologue: the use of faces and profiles. the atmosphere of waiting and delay in the West, the detail of the West, the location the station, the men and the guns. insects etc.? The impact of the arrival of the train? The sudden transition to shoot-ups and deaths? The meaning and meaninglessness of the West?

6. The importance of the build-up of the happy way of life at the homestead? The father and his children? The anticipation of the new wife? The hopes for the pioneering in the West? The effect of the sudden slaughter? Especially the appearance of the gunmen, their laconic attitudes Frank's shooting of the boy?

7. These two shoot-ups as ways of introducing the man with the harmonica and Frank? Setting the themes and the momentum of the confrontation into motion? The introduction of Cheyenne by his being blamed?

8. How was Jewel central to the film? Seeing the west through her eyes? Her arrival and the audience knowing of the slaughter? Her gentleness waiting at the station. the importance of her ride and seeing the railway workers, her picture of the West? The impact of her grief?

9. The sequences of her coping.. trying to understand what happened? Her gradual understanding of the truth and its effect for vengeance? The audience understanding the truth about her and her past her hopes and ambitions? What kind of woman was she? The wife and/or prostitute?

10. The importance of her encounter with the nun with the harmonica? Saving her life? Audience identifying with this man as the hero?

11. The contrast of audience repugnance for Frank? Seeing him with the railway boss? His ambitions for taking over? His gun-slinging background? His ruthlessness and harshness?

12. The importance of the theme of the railroad? So many sequences on the train? The picturing of the men at work? The building of stations? The railroad boss and the irony of his illness and his dying? His dreams and the sound of the sea? The crooked deals and the power hungry ruthlessness? The irony of his death near water? The film's condemnation of this kind of big businessman?

13. Cheyenne as the human and humane element in the film? The humour and irony of his character? His encounter with Jill and his admiration for her? His linking himself with the nun with the harmonica and helping him?

14. The crisis of the capture of the man with the harmonica, the confrontation with Frank in the train, the humour as well as the violence of Cheyenne's rescue and the fight on the train?

15. How well did the film come together dramatically as the truth was revealed, the truth about building the station, the irony of the auction and Frank's men being around? The run with the harmonica buying the station?

16. From then on how well did the film build up to the confrontation? The importance of the man saving Frank's life, only to destroy it later? Frank and his liaison with Jill? To what effect for both? The visual presentation of the mystery of the man confronting the man with the harmonica?

17. How effective and telling was the showdown between them? The revelation of the truth? The violence of the flashback with the brother hanging and Frank's ruthlessness? Did he deserve to die? The justice and violence of the West?

18. How inevitable was it in such a West that both the man with the harmonica and Cheyenne would go?

19. The final significance of Jill remaining in the West, giving some enjoyment to the workers, serving them with water etc.?

20. Was this the appropriate moment for the title to appear? Its meaning in terms of facts and realism, myth and legend? An Italian myth about the West?

21. How well did the film present and explore themes of people, places, the times, violence and cruelty, the American heritage?