Once Upon a Time in the West: Sergio Leone’s Bloodshed vs. Henry Fonda’s Appearance

A fabulous 14-minute silent opening, a revenge story carried out in unison by the cast, a final duel that has entered the pantheon of cinema, Ennio Morricone’s original soundtrack in all memories… these are not the extras lost in Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West. The film may be aired multiple times with metronome regularity, but we never get tired of watching it. Good, France 3 is broadcasting tonight at 21:10.

“His agent didn’t even show him the script!”

The public of the time was all the more shocked from the opening scene when they unrepentantly discovered that the one who had just slaughtered an entire family along with his accomplices was none other than Henry Fonda. The man who was the living embodiment of liberal America—the Tom Joad of The Grapes of Wrath—creates here one of the greatest bad guys in movie history.

The irony is that Leone sent him the script for “A Fistful of Dollars” in 1963. “His agent didn’t even show it!” The film director remembered. “And then, five years later, I put together an old project that I had matured as a viewer for a very long time. This time, I sent the script once in the west directly to Henry.

After reading it, Hank didn’t even respond and he didn’t. He asked to see my previous films; And early one morning he started looking for a fistful of dollars and a few more dollars, the good, the bad and the ugly. When he came out, it was already afternoon: “Where’s the contract?” was the first thing he said” Leone was quoted in his book as saying by American critic journalist Danny Peary Movie star bookin 1978.

“Take it from me!”

Therefore, the case was considered. Fonda agreed to play the villain. And he had his own idea for his character, which Ford considered the archetype of Western villains. “I had several months to prepare and think about how I could interpret the role” Fonda said, as quoted by historian Christopher Frayling Once in Italy; A reference work on the Leonese Westerns.

“I went to the optometrist in the valley to get black contact lenses. I thought my blue eyes didn’t suit the character. I grew a mustache, like John Booth, Lincoln’s assassin. I was really trying to look evil.

But when I arrived in Rome, Sergio cried out in horror: “Take it from me!” It was fixed on my blue eyes, on my face. Remember the first scene. The camera pans very slowly until the killer is identified. Sergio Leone wanted the audience to hold their breath:Lord, it’s Henry Fonda!” It was a lot of fun, I loved every second of this shoot.” A stunning effect is guaranteed.