ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST - SHOOTING A MASTERPIECE

‘Once Upon a Time in The West: Shooting a Masterpiece’ is a 336-page hardback book written by Sir Christopher Frayling, published by Reel Art Press, and comes with a foreword penned by the award-winning director, Quentin Tarantino. Essentially, Sir Chris's book chronicles the impact that Sergio Leone’s 1968 classic Spaghetti Western has had on the film industry, along with who it has inspired, what it has affected, and how many people it has ultimately entertained, both directly or indirectly. Want to know more? Then please check out the following image gallery and complementary list of facts that are focused on... ‘Once Upon a Time in The West’.


Once Upon a Time in The West: Shooting a Masterpiece [Hardcover]

Film Fact: When Sergio Leone, Dario Argento, and Bernardo Bertolucci, first came up with the idea behind this film, they all went to Sergio’s house and watched a number of classic Western’s on TV to gain some additional inspiration. These classics include, 'The Searchers' (1956), 'The Iron Horse' (1924), 'The Comancheros' (1961), and 'High Noon' (1952).

Film Fact: This was the last time Sergio Leone had a movie under his complete control, because afterwards, his remaining two films were edited by the U.S. distributor so they could market them however they saw fit. Ops! Big mistake. As they both bombed at the Box Office.

Film Fact: During the opening scene, we are presented with a scenario where Charles Bronson’s character, Harmonica, arrives at a deserted train station and guns down three outlaws who were waiting for him to show up. These outlaws were played by Jack Elam, Woody Strode, and Al Mulock, but originally, Sergio wanted them to be played by Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, and Lee Van Cleef, in order to signify the death of his previous ‘Dollars Trilogy’ and the birth of the ‘Once Upon a Time’ trilogy.

Film Fact: Yes, that’s correct, ‘Once Upon a Time in The West’ was actually the first part of a three part trilogy, with the second part being, ‘Duck, You Sucker’ (1971), otherwise known as ‘Once Upon a Time The Revolution', followed by the third part, ‘Once Upon a Time in America’ (1984). According to Sergio, the three films would each represent different stages in American history, starting with the end of the Old West, then the birth of a Nation, and finally, the evolution of the 20th Century.

Film Fact: Certain prints of the film completely removed the Monument Valley trading post scene where Harmonica, Cheyenne, and Jill McBain first meet. This is because it featured the well-known comedic actor, Lionel Stander, who at the time of filming was forbidden to work in an American production due to his association with the HUAC trials.

Film Fact: The McBain Farmhouse was made up from wood salvaged from the Orson Welles Falstaff-movie, 'Chimes at Midnight' (1965), and afterwards, it turned up in the Steven Spielberg action-adventure, ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ (1989).

Film Fact: Throughout the different stages of production, numerous actors were considered to play the four main leads. Sophia Loren was considered for the part of Jill McBain. Warren Beatty, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Clint Eastwood, and Terence Stamp, were considered for the part of Harmonica. Kirk Douglas and Eli Wallach were considered for the part of Cheyenne. And Robert Hossein and Enrico Maria Salerno were considered for the part of Morton.

Film Fact: John Landis, who directed ‘Animal House’ (1978), ‘An American Werewolf in London’ (1981), and ‘Trading Places’ (1983), was one of the many stuntmen who worked on this film. Coincidentally, he also worked as a stuntman on the Clint Eastwood war-time drama, ‘Kelly’s Heroes’ (1970).

Now if you liked the look of that, then I'm pretty damn sure you're going to love reading Sir Christopher Frayling's new 336-page hardback book, ‘Once Upon a Time in The West: Shooting a Masterpiece’. So for any further information, please don't hesitate to check out Amazon or the Reel Art Press website and facebook pages.