55 years ago, this Western introduced one of cinema’s most masterful opening scenes.

Considered a “cinema lesson” by Quentin Tarantino, a “mythical” film by John Carpenter, and an absolute reference for any self-respecting lover, Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West is simply the best Western ever. Never made according to the AlloCiné viewer.

With an exceptional average of 4,505 stars out of 5 (making it the 11th best film across all genres), this monument to the seventh art is undoubtedly one of the seminal works of its director and the first part of a trilogy of its time. in the wake of the Dollar Trilogy).

• 30 years ago, the first minutes of this Spielberg film hit the hearts of the audience

A movie full of legendary scenes

A true total film, this fresco with an absolutely unique rhythm, diluted by Ennio Morricone’s dizzying score, simply tells about the end of one world and the beginning of another. While landowners and railroad concessionaires are ready to turn the vastness of the Far West into millions of plots, the last cowboys of the Vanishing Era collide.

Filled with unforgettable sequences, from his traumatic flashback to his hero’s memories to the final duel, Once Upon a Time in the West is also remembered for its masterful introduction.

An introduction like any other

Exceptionally long (over 10 minutes), virtually devoid of dialogue and without the slightest music (apart from the few harmonic notes that end it), it imposes a torment that will continue to punctuate Leone’s feature film for almost 3 hours.

In the middle of the desert, on the dilapidated platform of a makeshift station, while a warm breeze slowly rustles the wheel of a small rusty mill, three men wait.

The former nonchalantly pulls wires from an abandoned telegraph as it works, then tries to chase away a fly that has swarmed around him. The other puts his hat back on his head as a few drops of water begin to fall from the ceiling. A third, looking at a dog walking by, slowly cracks his knuckles.

The birth of a hero

The tension builds slowly, step by step, and some viewers may even start to get impatient when the whistle finally blows. Below is the “Man with the Harmonica”, the protagonist of the feature film, played by Charles Bronson. A few sparkling notes, three lines that hurt like whips, and the first duel of the film.

In an imperceptible moment that contrasts with the moments that have just passed, the new arrival defeats its opponents. Wounded in the arm, he gets up senselessly. This interminable introduction serves only to prepare for his arrival. The rest of his adventure can now begin.

(Re)discover our Top 5 Ennio Morricone Soundtracks…