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Once Upon a Time in the West | 
 enlarge | Director: Sergio Leone
Actors: Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards, Charles Bronson, Gabriele Ferzetti
Studio: Paramount
Category: DVD
List Price: $9.98
Buy New: $4.08
You Save: $5.90 (59%)
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Rating:  340 reviews
Sales Rank: 1882
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 165 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 1
MPN: PARD068304D
ISBN: 0792172728
UPC: 097360683042
EAN: 9780792172727
ASIN: B0000AUHPG
Theatrical Release Date: 1968
Release Date: November 18, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
An outlaw working for a railroad magnate fights a stranger for a new orleans widows land. Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 02/13/2007 Starring: Henry Fonda Frank Wolff Run time: 165 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: Sergio Leone
Amazon.com essential video
The so-called spaghetti Western achieved its apotheosis in Sergio Leone's magnificently mythic (and utterly outlandish) Once upon a Time in the West. After a series of international hits starring Clint Eastwood (from A Fistful of Dollars to The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly), Leone outdid himself with this spectacular, larger-than-life, horse-operatic epic about how the West was won. (And make no mistake: this is the wide, wide West, folks--so the widescreen/letterboxed version is strongly recommended.) The unholy trinity of Italian cinema--Leone, Bernardo Bertolucci, and Dario Argento--concocted the story about a woman (Claudia Cardinale) hanging onto her land in hopes that the transcontinental railroad would reach her before a steely-eyed, black-hearted killer (Fonda) does. (The film's advertising slogan was: "There were three men in her life. One to take her ... one to love her ... and one to kill her.") Meanwhile, Leone shoots his stars' faces as if they were expansive Western landscapes, and their towering bodies as if they were looming rock formations in John Ford's Monument Valley. --Jim Emerson
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| Customer Reviews: Read 335 more reviews...
 once upon a time in the west November 4, 2008
Alan Tiensvold (Rushville, Nebr. USA)
I thought that the service and product from amazon was outstanding. I was very happy to get this old movie and enjoyed it a lot and found that the quality was very good, I was real very pleased. Thank you, Alan Tiensvold
wonderful October 22, 2008
G. Meed (Los Angeles)
I have seen this movie over and over again, and never tire of it. It is Sergio Leone at his best. Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, and Charles Bronson show what made them stars. The characters are very gritty, as well as the story itself, and at times, downright disturbing. If you liked Unforgiven, you will LOVE this movie.
Leone's Finest Western October 10, 2008
Michael B. Druxman (Los Angeles)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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Director Sergio Leone may always be best remembered for the three westerns he made with Clint Eastwood, but, without doubt, his finest work in that genre came later with ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1968), available on DVD in a superb 2-disc special edition from Paramount Home Entertainment.
It may be a bit on the slow side, but ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST is never dull. Charles Bronson, Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale and Jason Robards star in this magnificently photographed epic that is part "spaghetti western" and part homage to John Ford. (His westerns were also "slow").
Indeed, Leone's footage of Monument Valley is as stunning, if not more so, than anything that Ford ever put onto the screen.
The story concerns Cardinale, a New Orleans whore who has married one of her customers and come West. Upon her arrival, she learns that her new husband and his children have been murdered...by Fonda. (A brilliant bit of reverse casting.) He works for the railroad, which wants her late husband's land.
Robards is cast as a likable outlaw, framed for the killings by Fonda, and Bronson is a harmonica playing gunfighter who is stalking Fonda for some enigmatic reason.
The film is enhanced with an exceptional recreation of frontier life, fine performances and many unforgettable moments, such as the 10-minute opening sequence, in which three gunfighters, including veteran bad guys Jack Elam and Woody Strode, wait silently at a desolate railroad station for the train carrying Bronson, their prey, to arrive.
"Did you bring me a horse?" Charlie asks them.
Elam glances at the three horses behind him. "Guess we're one shy," he says with a nasty grin.
"No," replies Bronson, "you brought two too many."
Elam's grin disappears. And then, the gunfire erupts.
Ennio Morricone wrote the background score for this truly great western.
DVD extras include audio commentary with contributions from directors John Carpenter, John Milius, cast and crew, three documentaries including interviews with Cardinale, Gabriele Ferzetti and others, plus much more.
Michael B. Druxman, author of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (available December 2008)
Majestic Western, one of the greatest Westerns ever made...one of the greatest films ever made... September 24, 2008
Grigory's Girl (NYC)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is arguably Leone's masterpiece (even though some prefer the magisterial Once Upon a Time in America). It is one of the most astounding Westerns ever made. It can stand next to any of the great Westerns (Stagecoach, The Searchers, Unforgiven, The Wild Bunch), and it is such a unique, moving, and brilliant experience that you can see this film over and over again, and it never gets boring.
After Leone's "dollars" trilogy was wildly successful (and is still adored today), Paramount decided to bring Leone to America and let him direct the ultimate Western. This is the masterpiece he came up with. Leone wrote the original story with the great Bernardo Bertolucci and the great, underrated Dario Argento. It has one of the greatest (and longest) opening credits sequences in movie history, and it's also one of the most tension filled and actually quite funny at times. It also has one of the most cold blooded villians in Western history, played brilliantly against type by Henry Fonda. Reportedly, when Fonda accepted the film (based on his friend Eli Wallach's endorsement of Leone and Fonda's screening of the dollars films), he grew a mustache and got brown contact lenses. When Leone saw this, he said "no, no, no!". He wanted the Fonda that the American movie going public loved to be the villian.
One can't talk about this film without mentioning the great score by Ennio Morricone. It's one of the most famous scores in movie history, and Leone's and Morricone's relationship is one of the most unique in cinema history. Rarely has a composer and director been so closely linked (and done so well together) like Morricone and Leone. The film has one of the greatest final shootouts in movie history, but it's made even greater by the music score. Leone was so taken by Morricone's music (who wouldn't be?) that he played the score during the actual final shootout so Charles Bronson (who is excellent as Harmonica) and Fonda would move to the music like a ballet.
The film is surprisingly realistic in its depiction of the West. Many American critics hated the spaghetti Westerns, but this was extremely shortsighted. Leone's films are actually far more realistic than many more famous Westerns. The clothing worn by the men of Cheyenne (played brilliantly by Jason Robards) were long, yellow dusters. Many asked Leone where he got the idea from. He said he went back to the original source. Men didn't wear the tight leather pants and fancy cowboy outfits as much as Hollywood would lead you to believe. The dusters worn in Once Upon a Time in the West were worn because they were very practical for cowboys to wear. They shielded them from the rain and kept them warm during the cold nights in the desert. The trading post scene is also very realistic. It's very dimly lit, like it would be back in the old West. Leone was very well read on the West, and maybe there was some resentment from old timers that this upstart Italian director knew more about the West than they did.
It's quite ironic that the first time I saw this film, I didn't fully get it, but something said to try again. I did this, and the film got better each time I saw it. Paramount stupidly cut it from 165 minutes to 144 in its initial theatrical run (it was restored for VHS, laser, and DVD releases to its original 165 minute running time), and it really tanked at the American box office. But it was a major hit in Europe, especially France, where the dusters worn by Cheyenne became a fashion phenomenon and the film ran in Paris cinemas continually for FOUR years. The film is also beautifully paced. As Leone's career progressed, his films became longer, more leisurely paced, and quite melancholic and contemplative (especially his final film Once Upon a Time in America), and this one is a prime example of the genius of Sergio Leone.
An Absolutely Awe-Inspiring Western! I Can See Why This One Is So Critically-Acclaimed!!! September 16, 2008
M. B. DaVega (Columbia, SC)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Sergio Leone's monumental western epic, 'Once Upon A Time In The West' (1969) is a western movie that truly has to be seen to be believed and fully deserves its reputation as a classic. Visually, this film is a treat for the eyes, as the beautiful cinematography and photography are unmatched by anything else of its time (with the exception of perhaps, Hell in the Pacific) and combined with the excellent sound editing, makes for a very realistic-looking vision of the American Old West. This is especially true in the movie's opening scene, where three villainous goons lie in wait for a train supposedly carrying their intended quarry for a good 15 minutes. The near absence of any musical score during this scene along with its languid pacing and silence aside from a aged windmill creaking, flies buzzing and the wind softly sowing, instantly drew me in and made me feel like I was actually there.
The story is a highly-engrossing and very involving one, too, with multiple storylines for the lead characters of Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, Charles Bronson and Claudia Cardinale all intricately interwoven and interconnected in a fascinating, almost 'Traffic'-like style. The plot is a little tough to follow at some points but it engages your interest throughout by keeping you guessing and it all comes together full circle in a fully revealing, amazing, and shocking finale. The acting all throughout from the phenomenal cast is uniformly excellent as well. I especially liked Charles Bronson's portrayal of the enigmatic gunman known only as Harmonica, for the instrument he carries around his neck and plays in eerie, mournful tunes that sharply accent and herald his on-screen presence in certain scenes. And you'll simply be blown away by Henry Fonda as the callous, throughly evil killer, Frank. Even for a western villain, his bad-guy factor is off the charts in this film. The always-entertaining Jason Robards (who I really admire as an actor alot) also manages to get a few of the movie's best lines and moments. Claudia Cardinale as the wealthy land baroness is tie linking their three paths and fates together. It's all done marvelously well.
As big and as excellent as this movie is, I don't know how I ever missed it seeing before on TV. If you want to experience to the 19th Century Wild West as it truly was, this movie is about as close as most of us can get. A visually stunning and fascinating tale! I strongly recommend this movie, even to viewers who don't normally like westerns. Five stars.
I kind of prefer to think of this movie as an unofficial prequel to Sergio Leone's later, 20th Century epic, 'Once Upon A Time In America' (1984). Oh, boy ; looks like I'm up for the daunting task of reviewing that movie next!
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