Tonight on TV: Rated 4.5/5, this western is one of the biggest successes in history in France

Once upon a time there was a masterpiece

And to think that Sergio Leone, master of the spaghetti western and a brilliant filmmaker, intended to stop here… With Ennio Morricone on the music and Clint Eastwood on the screen, For a handful of dollars, and for a few dollars more AND The Good, the Bad and the Ugly It was a turning point in the history of cinema. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly closing this “dollar trilogy”. definitive masterpiece of spaghetti westerns.

Sergio Leone wants to stop there, but it is at the insistence of his producers that Sergio agrees to write and direct a new western: Once Upon a Time in the West. Without Clint Eastwood who refuses, but with a regal main cast: Claudia Cardinale and Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson and Jason Robards.

Sergio Leone, after the spaghetti westerns, returns to a more classical approach to the genre. It’s about the end of the conquest of the West and the challenges of the West Once Upon a Time in the West range from personal revenge to the advent of modern civilization. Darker, more violent, more “realistic”, Once Upon a Time in the West However, it maintains the trio of characters dear to Sergio Leone, incarnations of mythical figures of the western.

Surrounding the dazzling Italian star Claudia Cardinale, Charles Bronson reveals himself as the mysterious “Harmonica”, Henry Fonda unexpectedly surprises as an unscrupulous killer, and Jason Robards plays Cheyenne, a friendly boss of a gang of outlaws.

In the exceptional score composed by Ennio Morricone, the destinies of these four characters tell the end of the West and Once Upon a Time in the West brilliantly fulfills its ambition as a masterpiece of the Hollywood genre.

A historic success in France

Too strong, too modern, too different for the American public? Outside the spaghetti western schemes and the European framework (Once Upon a Time in the West It is Sergio Leone’s first American co-production), the film’s reception is complicated in the United States. Once Upon a Time in the West it’s more personal, more ambitious and also too long for American cinemas.

The US version is therefore shorter (2h25 compared to 2h45 in the rest of the world), with a different version of Cheyenne’s development. Its violence and moral ambiguity are shocking, especially because it is mainly played by Henry Fonda, beloved by American audiences for his roles as brave and heroic men. Once Upon a Time in the West then only collected 5 million dollars at the American box office…

On the other hand, Once Upon a Time in the West It is a triumph in Europe. And especially in France, where it attracts more 14.8 million viewers. The show is monumental, as it is followed at the annual box office by The brainsecond success of 1969 with “only” 5.5 million spectators. For Sergio Leone, it more than doubled the performance of 1968, third at the French box office with 6.3 million viewers For The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Nowadays, Once Upon a Time in the West is among the The 10 greatest successes in the history of cinema in France. It is in eighth place, behind Titanic, Welcome to the Ch’ti, Untouchable, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The big broom, Gone With the Wind AND Avatar. Once Upon a Time in the West it is noted 4.5/5 from viewers on Allociné and 4/5 from the press and has a tomato meter 96% and a public score 94% on rotten tomatoes.

Source: Cine Serie

Ray

Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.