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From: reiher@ucla-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: Re: ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST
Message-ID: <4042@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 22-Feb-85 19:05:18 EST
Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.4042
Posted: Fri Feb 22 19:05:18 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 27-Feb-85 21:10:00 EST
References: <437@ahuta.UUCP>
Reply-To: reiher@ucla-cs.UUCP (Peter Reiher)
Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department
Lines: 24
Summary: 

Admittedly, "Once Upon a Time in the West" is not lightning paced.  That
didn't bother me, though.  For me, the lingering closeups and wandering
camera built up the tension.  I've heard this film referred to as "an
opera in which the arias are stared, not sung", and there's a lot of truth
to that.  The plot isn't too complex.  I just recently saw a really old,
really cheap John Wayne western (pre-"Stagecoach") with a very similar plot,
and it certainly wasn't the first time I'd seen that plot used.  I think
Leone purposefully chose a simple plot, rather than the more convoluted and
rambling plot of "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly", because this film was
meant to be an archetype, a legend, a fairy tale, and those usually have
rather straightforward plots, in Western (Europe, not the US) culture,
anyway.

As to whether the Harmonica Man was originally intended as a role for Clint
Eastwood, maybe, but probably not.  Leone originally wanted Clint Eastwood,
Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach to play the three gunfighters who meet Bronson's
train.  Van Cleef and Wallach agreed, but Eastwood didn't, and it wouldn't
have been much of a joke without him.	

-- 

        			Peter Reiher
        			reiher@ucla-cs.arpa
        			{...ihnp4,ucbvax,sdcrdcf}!ucla-cs!reiher