Once Upon a Time in the West
Considered to be his greatest film, Once Upon a Time in the West came out two years later in 1968. This time Leone came to America to give a magnum opus of a foreigner's vision of the lawless west. This film had moments of breathtaking imagery and lighthearted banter between characters, but overall it was a much darker watch than Leone's previous films. For one thing, Once Upon a Time in the West being your favorite Leone film says that you have a great love for cinema as a whole. You tend to agree with critics because more than often the majority of them are correct. Slow build-ups don't bother you as long as the payoffs are worth it. Dark stories about revenge entice you and your hat is off to Leone for casting Henry Fonda as Frank, one of the most evil men to ever grace the screen. Henry Fonda was a little overwhelmed when he was chosen for the part. He called up Leone and asked if he should buy green contacts to dull his crystal blue eyes. Leone shrugged Fonda's misgivings aside, telling the actor that he wanted him specifically for his good guy image in movies and piercing blue eyes. The result was Fonda in a blood chilling performance. Charles Bronson plays a character known only as Harmonica because of the small instrument he carries around his neck. It's haunting music precedes him wherever he goes and when he begins playing the tune death usually follows. The story is mainly about him being portrayed as almost a spirit of vengeance. The film also plays heavily on the death of the old west with the building of the train connecting it to the modern world. Men like Frank and Harmonica are a thing of the past. Soon the west will fade from memory and become more like the east. If you're a huge fan of this film than this theme becomes more obvious every time you watch it, which in turn makes you appreciate it a little more. However, the characters here once again like the Dollars Trilogy still see very little if no change by the end of the film. They're either alive and the same or dead.