Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

Once Upon a Time in the West (C’era una volta il West) is not just a film—it is a cinematic cathedral built in the mythic landscape of the American West. Released in 1968, this masterpiece from Italian director Sergio Leone marked a turning point in the evolution of the Western genre.

With its operatic grandeur, iconic performances, haunting score by Ennio Morricone, and vast, desolate vistas, it elevated the Western from gritty shoot-’em-up entertainment to a contemplative, nearly spiritual experience about death, transformation, and the passing of an age.

The film stands as both a tribute to and deconstruction of the Hollywood Western, stripping it down to its elemental forces of greed, vengeance, and survival—only to reconstruct it into something mythic, mournful, and profound.

Plot Summary

Set during the twilight of the Old West, the film revolves around a complex plot of land acquisition, revenge, and shifting power as the railroad advances across the frontier.

Jill McBain (Claudia Cardinale), a former prostitute from New Orleans, travels west to start a new life with her husband and stepchildren, only to arrive and find them murdered.

Frank (Henry Fonda), a ruthless hired gun working for a railroad baron, is behind the killings, but his growing ambition makes him dangerous to even his employers.

Harmonica (Charles Bronson), a mysterious stranger with a haunting musical theme and a harmonica around his neck, is hunting Frank for reasons unknown.

Cheyenne (Jason Robards), an outlaw wrongly blamed for the McBain murders, becomes an unlikely ally to Jill.

The four main characters orbit one another in a slowly unfolding tale of vengeance, legacy, and the dying breath of the frontier as the railroad heralds a new era.

Performances

Henry Fonda as Frank

Perhaps the most shocking casting decision in Leone’s career, Henry Fonda—America’s quintessential good guy—appears here as a cold-blooded killer. Leone famously insisted that Fonda wear his signature blue eyes untouched, so when he first steps into frame and shoots a child, the effect is both jarring and unforgettable. His performance is chilling, subtle, and completely committed to portraying a villain without redemption.

Charles Bronson as Harmonica

Bronson, with his weathered features and stoic presence, is perfect as the silent, vengeful spirit. Speaking little, playing less, and staring more, Bronson turns Harmonica into a mythic figure—less a man than a ghost of justice whose harmonica theme foreshadows death.

Claudia Cardinale as Jill McBain

Cardinale delivers the film’s most emotionally resonant performance. As the widow caught in the maelstrom of greed and violence, she represents both vulnerability and strength. Her transformation from victim to self-sufficient matriarch is one of the most compelling arcs in the film. In a genre often dismissive of women, Jill is the moral and emotional anchor.

Jason Robards as Cheyenne

Robards gives Cheyenne a world-weary humor and tragic dignity. Though an outlaw, he is not villainous. His scenes with Jill are tender and revealing, and his final moments are some of the most quietly heartbreaking in the film.

Direction and Cinematography

Sergio Leone’s directorial style reaches its zenith in Once Upon a Time in the West. Every shot is meticulously composed, every close-up charged with emotional or narrative weight. Working with cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli, Leone crafts sweeping desert landscapes punctuated by stark close-ups of sweat-drenched brows and twitching fingers.

Leone's signature use of silence, extremely long takes, and stylized violence push the film into almost mythological territory. The opening sequence alone—a wordless 12-minute ballet of tension involving three gunmen waiting for a train—is a masterclass in visual storytelling and suspense.

The pacing is deliberate, almost meditative, but never dull. Leone trusts the viewer to absorb the atmosphere, to read meaning in silence, and to let the film breathe.

Score by Ennio Morricone

One of the greatest film scores ever composed, Morricone’s work in Once Upon a Time in the West elevates the narrative to near-operatic intensity. Each main character is given a unique leitmotif:

Harmonica’s theme: a piercing, mournful refrain played on a harmonica, symbolizing trauma and the slow march toward vengeance.

Frank’s theme: sinister and militaristic, underscoring his merciless ambition.

Jill’s theme: a lush, sweeping melody filled with sorrow and hope, evoking both femininity and resilience.

Cheyenne’s theme: folksy and melancholic, a blend of outlaw swagger and tragic humanity.

Morricone’s use of sound is as central to the film as Leone’s imagery. The music doesn’t accompany the action—it is the action.

Themes and Symbolism

The Death of the West

Leone presents the West not as a place of heroism, but as a dying world. The railroad is both a symbol of progress and a harbinger of moral decay. The brutal world of outlaws and land barons gives way to industrialized power, and the film captures the melancholy of this transformation.

Revenge and Memory

Harmonica’s quest for revenge is not just personal—it’s ritualistic. The film slowly unveils his motivation through ghostly flashbacks, culminating in a devastating emotional release. His journey is one of reclaiming the past and settling debts that history has forgotten.

Feminine Power

Unusual for a Western, Jill McBain is not an accessory to male heroism—she is its replacement. By the end of the film, she embodies the new West: pragmatic, enduring, and capable of building rather than destroying.

Production and Style

Shot primarily in Spain and Italy, with select scenes filmed in Monument Valley (an homage to John Ford), the film blends European and American Western iconography.

Leone’s use of wide aspect ratios, harsh lighting, and contrasting environments deepens the emotional impact.

The screenplay, shaped by future auteurs Bernardo Bertolucci and Dario Argento, blends operatic myth with classical narrative structure.

Reception and Legacy

Initial American reception was lukewarm, with critics uncomfortable with Leone’s slow pace and moral ambiguity.

In Europe, the film was immediately recognized as a masterpiece.

Over time, Once Upon a Time in the West has risen to canonical status. It is now considered one of the greatest Westerns ever made, influencing filmmakers from Quentin Tarantino to Martin Scorsese, and featured on numerous “best films of all time” lists.

It remains a towering example of international cinema’s reinterpretation of American myth.

Final Verdict

Once Upon a Time in the West is a film of monumental ambition and breathtaking execution. Sergio Leone took the Western genre and gave it the weight of classical tragedy, creating a slow-burning epic about the death of a way of life and the birth of modern America.

With unforgettable performances, haunting music, and some of the most iconic imagery in film history, it is both a eulogy and an elegy—a film that feels eternal.