Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West)

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Videos & Photos

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  • Clip: Opening Scene

Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Sergio Leone

Producer:

Fulvio Morsella

Writer:

Sergio Donati, Dario Argento, Bernardo Bertolucci

Release Date:

May 28, 1969

Runtime:

2hr 25m

Synopsis

A mysterious stranger with a harmonica teams up with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow and her land from a ruthless assassin in the employ of a railroad tycoon.

Cast

  • Claudia Cardinale
  • Henry Fonda
  • Jason Robards
  • Charles Bronson
  • Gabriele Ferzetti
  • Paolo Stoppa
  • Woody Strode
  • Jack Elam
  • Keenan Wynn
  • Frank Wolff

Letterboxd User Reviews

4.4
459.9K
161.8K
152.4K
RATINGS 12.2K FANS
4.4
  • Oct 5, 2014

    "There were no dollars back then." "But sons of bitches, yeah."

    0 Likes
    matt lynch
    matt lynch
    Jun 5, 2018

    "Looks like we're shy one horse." "You brought two too many." of myths and harmonicas.

    0 Likes
    Wes
    Wes
    Jan 25, 2021

    obviously outstanding score, gorgeous camerawork. a lot of truly cool blocking and framing that makes interesting and kinetic cinematography out of sweaty men living in a land of no showers. almost didn’t recognize Charlie Bronson, looking like a Mad Magazine McPoyle…

    0 Likes
    demi adejuyigbe
    demi adejuyigbe
  •
    May 19, 2022

    it took an italian artist to see that the only thing worth a damn in america's past were all the individuals killed in order to build america's future.

    0 Likes
    comrade_yui
    comrade_yui
    Dec 19, 2024

    Continuing our Sergio Leone screening series at the Flanaplex (curated and presented by Rahul Kohli), we have reached ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST. I love this movie - it's a riveting and beautifully composed epic, entangling its four central characters in various…

    0 Likes
    Mike Flanagan
    Mike Flanagan
    Mar 19, 2025

    Oh what I wouldn’t give to siphon every single note of this score into my capillaries

    0 Likes
    Iman Vellani
    Iman Vellani
  •
    Sep 7, 2015

    "There were no dollars in them days." All of Sergio Leone's westerns have been about the arrival of capitalism (both to the historical American West and to then-contemporary 1960's Italy), but Once Upon a Time in the West takes a slightly more specific perspective.…

    0 Likes
    ScreeningNotes
    ScreeningNotes
    Sep 12, 2021

    "An ancient race." A foundation myth that is actually all about waiting for death. History promises progress, but is stuck in the same old story, time and again.

    0 Likes
    Filipe Furtado
    Filipe Furtado
    Apr 5, 2014

    Although Sergio Leone never really made anything better or more entertaining than The Good, the Bad & the Ugly in my opinion, he did come incredibly close to repeating that cinematic feat with this spaghetti western epic. A jaw-dropping work of blazing originality that…

    0 Likes
    cinemacl🎃wn
    cinemacl🎃wn

Atom Users Reviews

No one has posted a user review yet.

Metacritic

82
metacritic
Based on 9 Critics
8.3

USER SCORE (267)

Universal acclaim based on 267 Reviews
88

It’s probably unwise to come to Leone looking for too much in the way of feminism. Instead, Once Upon a Time in the West offers quintessential examples of the things he was better known for, including another blustery Ennio Morricone score. Visually, he mostly vacillates between extreme close-ups of intense faces and vast widescreen compositions, a technique that is lurching but also luridly beautiful.

Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm
100

An additional treat is seeing Hollywood good guy Henry Fonda playing one of the nastiest curs in the West. Once Upon a Time in the West is one of the great films in cinema history. (8/30/2000 Review)

Metacritic review by Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
100

Leone brought back a masterpiece, a film that expands his baroque, cartoonish style into genuine grandeur, weaving dozens of thematic variations and narrative arabesques around a classical western foundation myth.(Review of Original Release)

Metacritic review by Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West) (1969) family-friendly?
The movie has been rated as PG-13, meaning that some material may be considered inappropriate for children under 13.
How long is Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West) (1969)?
The movie is 2hr 25min long.
What's Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West) (1969) about?
A mysterious stranger with a harmonica teams up with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow and her land from a ruthless assassin in the employ of a railroad tycoon.
Who's the cast of Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West) (1969)?
  • Claudia Cardinale as Jill McBain
  • Henry Fonda as Frank
  • Jason Robards as Manuel 'Cheyenne' Gutiérrez
  • Charles Bronson as Harmonica
  • Gabriele Ferzetti as Morton - Railroad Baron
  • Paolo Stoppa as Sam
  • Woody Strode as Stony - Member of Frank's Gang
  • Jack Elam as Snaky - Member of Frank's Gang
  • Keenan Wynn as Sheriff - Auctioneer
  • Frank Wolff as Brett McBain
Who's the director behind Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West) (1969)?
Sergio Leone directed Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West) (1969).
Who produced Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West) (1969)?
Fulvio Morsella produced Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West) (1969).