Charles Bronson was perhaps never more likable than in ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST
ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (Sergio Leone, 1968)
Film Forum
209 West Houston St.
Wednesday, June 20, 3:05
Series runs through June 21
212-727-8110
www.filmforum.org
One of the grandest Westerns ever made, this Sergio Leone masterpiece features an all-star cast that includes Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Jason Robards, Woody Strode, Keenan Wynn, Lionel Stander, and Jack Elam, all enhanced by Ennio Morricone’s epic score and Tonino delli Colli’s never-ending extreme close-ups. (The opening shot of a fly crawling over Elam’s grimy face is unforgettable.) Fonda was never more evil, and Bronson was perhaps never more likable. The film is a huge step above most of Leone’s spaghetti Westerns, partially because of the cast, but also because of the script help he got from Italian horrormeister Dario Argento and iconic filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci. Once Upon a Time in the West is screening on June 20 as part of Film Forum’s Spaghetti Westerns series, which concludes this week with such films as The Ruthless Four, Hellbenders, Death Rides a Horse, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.