Pax also shares Western reads To Hell on a Fast Horse and the two Rawhide Kid mini-series, Slap Leather and The Sensational Seven. Then Michael discusses the weirdness of the Shirley Temple short, Pie-Covered Wagon.
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
Pax also shares Western reads To Hell on a Fast Horse and the two Rawhide Kid mini-series, Slap Leather and The Sensational Seven. Then Michael discusses the weirdness of the Shirley Temple short, Pie-Covered Wagon.
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There is a lot that can be said about "Once Upon A Time in the West".
ReplyDeleteThe value of the water and station rights should not be played down. The railroad was probably receiving property rights on both sides of the track simply for building through there.* (*- Reference what the Union Pacific got for simply building track for the Transcontinental Railroad.)
So having the rights to a station and probable future town in that location would be quite valuable to McBain. Both financially, and as a legacy as well. McBain and "Mr Choo Choo" both had dreams connected to the railroad. McBain's was crushed early in the movie, and Mr Choo Choo's by the end.
The relationships between the main characters was complex and changing. Different goals and methods, with Cardinale's character essentially caught in the middle of a situation that she did not create. And pulled in different directions as the movie progressed - which did lead to her growing and it appears opting to change her life.
Finally, the opening sets up a lot. In addition to setting a pace and building tension it is a wonderful character study with very little dialog. And the events at the station come up repeatedly in later exchanges: Cheyenne/Harmonica discussing the dusters; Frank/Harmonica about men making appointments; and Frank's men disguising themselves as Cheyenne's gang is one of the factors that draws Cheyenne into being interested in what is going on.
I read "Pat F. Garrett's the Authentic Life of Billy the Kid" Annotated Edition by Frederick Nolan and Nolan's own book "The West of Billy the Kid". Both were very good and easy reads. This book you mentioned sounds interesting, I may check it out.
ReplyDeleteI'm not the biggest fan of Spaghetti Westerns. I vaguely remember a few scenes from Once Upon a Time in the West. I don't know if these were as clips used in documentaries or from actually seeing the movie. I watched the "Restored" version on Blu-Ray, and this movie was very long, a bit too long. That said, it was beautifully shot. The movie was mesmerizing even and a lot was done with almost no dialog. It's not greatest movie, but certainly one of the best looking westerns. I liked this movie enough to want to own it though and can see why it has endured. This cast was great all around.