Once Upon a Time in the West (DVD, 2003, 2-Disc Set, Special Collector's Edition)

I saw this film for the first time probably 30 years ago and still remember most of the scenes and especially the music. However, the use of silence, in image and in sound, is probably what makes it the best western around and one of the best movies I've ever seen. Sergio Leone does not need computer animated graphics, does not even need you to see what is going on (the scene outside the roadside bar when we first meet Cheyenne, or when the first shot gets fired at the family killing), does not need to do a lot of talking, just needs fabulous acting and fabulous photography. Of course the music of Enio Morricone makes it even stronger, giving each character its own "soundtrack" (in today's terms), but I am quite sure that even as a silent movie this one would come a very long way. Fonda, Bronson, Robards give a superb performance and Cardinale can compete with every beauty queen from the sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties and forever. In short, an absolutely fantastic movie.
If there is one negative I could say of the movie, for today's audiences, is that I guess many people find the silence and the slow speed hard to deal with. Batman flies, runs, jumps aroudn all the time and Spiderman even more. The real hero, however, plays the harmonica, talks little, and most importantly, can wait...

Hi....This movie is a classic western of all time! I first saw his when I was about 16..I'm now 55 yrs old. I saw this movie once and never forgot it. It has classic stars such as Charles Bronson, Henry Fonda and Claudia Cardinale and many more unforgetable actors. An epic story of western days and the railroad crossing the country. A new age for the time and maybe somewhat of how it really was in those days. Definately a spaghetti western that's almost 3 hours long but with only 15 pages of dialogue!....can you believe that!....amazing. You will enjoy this movie if your a western movie buff like me! If you loved "The Good The Bad and The Ugly"..."Hang'em High" and "Fist Full Of Dollars" you will love this movie. All these movies were directed by Sergio Leone. The picture quality of his films just seem to grab you....each scene is so clear and detailed. When you feel like spending some time, sitting back and relaxing, go online and find this movie and have it sent as fast as possible to your address.....then make a big bowl of popcorn, turn the lights down low and settle in for a great ride back in time. You won't be disappointed! D

This film is Sergio Leone's American-budget Western made after his Clint Eastwood "Dollar" trilogy of films. It had a scope and budget far exceeding "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly", and it is a 2-hour 45-minute tour de force for Leone and his crew. The set-work is stunning, and very different from the run-of-the-mill U.S. studio Western. Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale and Jason Robards really hit their roles perfectly. Chas. Bronson does a good job as well, though his role is the most predictable and straight-forward of the leading roles in the movie.
The "extra's" on the Collector's Edition are well worthwhile, although listening to all the commentary over the film is not as good as film fans sometimes hope, simply because it detracts from enjoying the film.
One thing many people will not enjoy is that the audio in the film was over-dubbed from the beginning, and it takes a long time in the movie to quit noticing it. At least the "making of" "extras" explain why Leone had to over-dub his films, something which was much more common then anyway.
Truly one of the best western films yet made.

A must see western, a cast of stars, Bronson, Cardinale, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, Woody Strode, Jack Elam. What I liked about this old flick is that in the first 15 to 20 minutes of the film, 8 people are shot, but only 7 die. One who lives is Bronson, who goes on throughout the whole film trying to find out who are Cheyenne's men, and who aren't, and which are responsible for killing his older brother when he was a child. The story takes on twists and turns, and it's not til the near end of the film when you find out who played what parts in the demise of the few that died earlier in the film, which most were killed unnecessarily to begin with. Along with the 2 disk set includes parts of interviews from actors themselves, and where and how the film was made. Most of the territory filmed resembles New Mexico, or the great Southwest.

Fantastic film, highly recomended to anyone who enjoys Sergio Leone's work. Still retains it power. Great cast including Bronson, Fonda, and Robards. Only time Henry Fonda plays the villian (real shocking at initial release)plus he does an excellent job, and Morricone's score is in top form. The DVD was excellent quality, and the extras were very cool. 3 New documentaries with new interviews and behind the scenes stories on cast, story and direction, which shows how this masterpiece came to the screen. Thank you.