Respond to these rapid questions in our Once Upon A Time In The West quiz and we will tell you which Once Upon A Time In The West character you are. Play it now.
Last week, MGM released a “special edition” extended version of Sergio Leone’s iconic spaghetti western The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly from 1966. Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, and Lee Van Cleef are on the hunt for a stash of gold coins concealed in Texas during the Civil War. However, Leone’s typical visual flourishes dominate the film: the variation between broad panorama shots and close-ups, the extended pauses preceding abrupt violence, the scant speech, and Morricone’s deliriously imaginative score.
In addition, the new two-disc version features 18 minutes of previously unreleased video in English. Van Cleef’s voice was dubbed by actor Simon Prescott, who replaced Eastwood and Wallach.) As the dubbing is often startling, and the picture quality fluctuates, much of the new footage is comprised of short scenes that underline the story’s Civil War backdrop, which was obscured for long stretches in the original release. Though it’s not the best film, it’s worth seeing for the widescreen anamorphic treatment and Dolby 5.1 soundtrack.
Once Upon A Time In The West quiz
(The nicest feature, for those willing to purchase the DVD, is five postcard-size mattes of the original promotional posters from different nations.) All in all, the new DVD release is pleasant but needless. If you’ve already watched The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, there’s no need to rush out to see the new version. Also, you must try to play this Once Upon A Time In The West quiz.
During the conventional western firefight, Leone gives us a couple of flashbacks that explain why they’re having the stereotypical western shooting. Was a bit of a shock when it arrived. Why did he do all those past things? As a result, I believed it worked very well by the time Leone explained it to me. With the flashbacks, the ending is so much more important.
It begins with a shootout, as you might expect. In the end, though, they only manage to shoot him in the arm. Then we visit the McBains, an Irish family that lives in the midst of nowhere in the middle of nowhere. “Mr. and Mrs. McBain” is waiting for his bride to arrive, but before she comes Frank (Henry Fonda) shows up and massacres his entire family.
Frank notices that “people are more frightened when they’re dying”. After the murder of her husband and her new family, Mrs. Jill McBain (Claudia Cardinale) shows up. As in the past, Cheyenne is once again falsely accused of the crime.
About the quiz
In his first two “spaghetti westerns” (“A Fistful of Dollars” and “For a Few Dollars More”), Leone had to work with a limited budget. It cost a few dollars more to make his third film, “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” There’s a lot of extras in this one, and the sets are fantastic. Throughout the film, there’s a sense of Western life (and that sense is impossible to obtain on small budgets). Which Once Upon A Time In The West character are you?
Casting against type, Leone gives some unique performances. This is the first time Henry Fonda has played the evil guy in his career; Charles Bronson is impressively mysterious as the good guy, and Jason Robards is actually a tough person. Claudia Cardinale was a fine choice for the role, but Leone directed her too passively.
Now, to look back at many classic Westerns is to look back in time. America’s late 19th-century history, as well as the genre’s relationship to the standards and tendencies of the time. John Ford and John Wayne’s westerns are still fun to watch today, but their dated nature is more apparent now that attitudes and viewpoints have evolved.
In these films, good and evil were clearly defined, “the other” was demonized. And women were treated as a prize to be gained.
You had the spaghetti western at the end of the classic era. Their depiction of the American West was often more realistic than what most Americans had offered before this period.
For more personality quizzes check this: Memento Quiz.
