2021 Blind Spot Series: The Great Escape

 

Based on the non-fiction novel by Paul Brickhill, The Great Escape is the story of a legendary prison break during World War II at a Nazi prison camp where a group of different soldiers concoct a break at a high-security prison. Directed by John Sturges and screenplay by W.R. Burnett and James Clavell, the film a dramatic version of the real life prison break at Stalag Luft III where a small number of men do whatever they can to break out of this hellish prison camp. Starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, James Coburn, Charles Bronson, James Donald, Donald Pleasence, and Hannes Messemer. The Great Escape is a riveting and adventurous film from John Sturges.

It is late 1942 as a large number of POWs are sent to the high security Stalag Luft III prison camp as a number of them lead by a mixture of British, America, Polish, and Australian soldiers/officers where that small number concoct an elaborate prison break. It’s a film with a simple premise yet it is more about a group of men trying to understand their environment and how to get out of the prison as well as get out of Germany. The film’s screenplay follows a simple narrative structure as it’s more about the people at the camp and how they meticulously try to get out as well as figure out what is outside of the camp. Notably as they try to do everything secretly under the watchful eye of the prison camp’s commandant Oberst von Luger (Hannes Messemer) who is trying to ensure that nothing goes wrong and the prisoners are treated humanely. Still, he has to deal with the British officer Roger Bartlett aka Big X (Richard Attenborough) who harbors a lot of disdain for the Nazis following his time with the Gestapo as he’s someone who knows about prison breaks as he confides in his superior Captain Ramsey (James Donald) about the plan who chooses to mediate between the prisoners and Kommadant von Luger.

Two of the American prisoners in Flight Lieutenant Bob Hendley aka the Scrounger (James Garner) and Captain Virgil Hilts aka the Cooler King (Steve McQueen) try to concoct their own plans yet they would eventually work with the other prisoners as the latter often breaks out only to come back and put in the isolation confinement. The former doesn’t just try to charm a guard in Werner (Robert Graf) but also befriends Flight Lieutenant Colin Blythe aka the Forger (Donald Pleasance) as the latter starts to go blind making Hendley protective of him. Also part of the team include the Polish digger/tunnel maker Danny Welinski aka the Tunnel King (Charles Bronson), his friend Willie Dickes (John Leyton), and the Australian Sedgwick aka the Manufacturer (James Coburn) as they all meticulously plan to build a tunnel system while also trying to find ways to keep it a secret. There are also these situations that Hilts had observed during his own brief escapes as it also concerns locations, blind spots, and other areas that the prisoners have to deal with.

John Sturges’ direction is definitely engaging for the way he creates the atmosphere of the film but also finds an air of hope during a moment of repression and frustration. Shot on location in areas near and around Munich including the Bavarian region in then-West Germany, the film uses the prison location as a character as it is surrounded by forest where there’s Nazis patrolling in areas outside of the prison as it would add to the suspense during its third act. Much of the film’s first and second takes place in the prison camp where it is about the location and where a few blind spots are and where the coolers are placed for the prisoners who overstep their bounds and are sent to the isolation centers. While Sturges uses some wide shots to get a scope of the locations as well as these unique dolly-tracking shots to get a look into the length of the tunnels. Sturges also maintains that air of claustrophobia in the medium shots and close-ups for some of the tunnels as it plays into the struggles that Welinski endures as it pertains into his own secret despite being a great creator of tunnels.

Sturges also plays up the air of suspense as it relates to these prisoners dealing with the idea that they might be caught as it includes a moment where all of the prisoners are having a drink of moonshine some of the prisoners created where one of the planned tunnels is discovered. It would add to the drama as the scene where a small number of prisoners make their escape through the tunnels is an intense moment filled with dread and uncertainty. Yet, it’s outside of the camps that are much more dangerous where no one has to make a noise or be caught by a light. It is a gripping sequence in the film that is followed more by a chilling aftermath once some of these men are out of the camp as they have to watch where they’re going and such. Getting out of the prison is easy in comparison to getting out of Nazi Germany as there are some thrilling and exciting moments including a scene of Hilts escaping on a motorcycle. While its conclusion might seem bleak, there is something hopeful about it considering the work that these men did to break out of prison as it gave them a sense of urgency and a need to be alive as it adds to the human spirit. Overall, Sturges crafts an evocative and exhilarating film about the real-life POW camp escape and the details of the men who planned the escape.

Cinematographer Daniel L. Fapp does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on dream-like natural lighting for some of the daytime scenes set in the morning as well as its approach to lights for some of the scenes at night including the scenes in the tunnels. Editor Ferris Webster does excellent work with the editing as much of the cutting is straightforward to play into the action and suspense as well as to play into some of the dramatic moments in the film. Art director Fernando Carrere and set decorator Kurt Ripberger do amazing work with the look of the prison camp as well as some of the houses and the cooler as it is play into the claustrophobia and the way the tunnels were designed. The special effects work of A. Paul Pollard does terrific work with some of the action including some of the motorcycle chase for the film’s climax. Sound effects editor Wayne Fury does nice work with the sound in the way gunfire sound as well as some sparse sounds in the tunnel scenes. The film's music by Elmer Bernstein is incredible with some thrilling themes as well as a memorable marching theme as it adds to some of the humor and workmanship of the tunnels as it is a major highlight of the film.

The film’s marvelous ensemble cast as it feature some notable small roles from Ulrich Beiger and Hans Reiser as a couple of Gestapo officials who have it in for Bartlett, Jud Taylor as an American soldier who often keeps Hilts’ baseball glove for safekeeping, Robert Graf as a naïve German soldier in Werner whom Hendley likes to bullshit with but also make him feel important, Nigel Stock as a British officer in Cavendish who is nicknamed the Surveyor for making sure everything is kept secret from the Germans, Angus Lennie as the Scottish soldier Ives who often joins Hilts at the cooler with a desire to get out, David McCallum as a British officer who creates an ingenious way to get rid of dirt, John Leyton as Welinski’s friend Willie Dickes who helps Welinski in digging the tunnels and to help him with Welinski’s issues, and Gordon Jackson as Bartlett’s second-in-command Andy MacDonald who helps plan the escape and ensure that things go right.

Hannes Messemer is superb as Kommadant Oberst von Luger as the camp’s commandant who oversees everything and tries to make sure the prisoners are well-treated as he does give a sympathetic performance of a man just doing his job but also knows he doesn’t want to do anything extreme. James McDonald is fantastic as the British officer Captain Ramsey as the leader of the prisoners who tries to ensure that everyone does their duty and keep everything a secret while having to do some diplomacy with Kommadant von Luger. Donald Pleasance is excellent as the master forger Colin Blythe who strikes a friendship with Hendley as he deals with a growing blindness that makes his a liability as he also does what he can to help everyone out despite his blindness. James Coburn is brilliant as the Australian officer Sedgwick who helps construct some of the wood for the tunnels including the small trains as well as watch out for guards. Charles Bronson is amazing as the Polish officer Danny Welinski as a man who is an expert in creating tunnels yet is dealing with his own issues as he starts to deal with his illness that almost makes him a liability.

Richard Attenborough is incredible as RAF officer Roger Bartlett as a British officer who has already caused trouble with the Gestapo as he leads the charge to plan an escape as he also tries to boost up morale despite some of the darker moments that occur in the film. James Garner is phenomenal as the American RAF officer Bob Hendley who does what he can to get things as he also bullshits his way to get them but also a man who possesses a great sense of warmth to others including Blythe whom he vouches for and helps him escape as it’s one of Garner’s finest roles. Finally, there’s Steve McQueen in a tremendous performance as the American officer Captain Virgil Hilts as a man who likes to push buttons while being someone who can help everyone else as he is also willing to put himself in isolation just for the team as he’s also one of the toughest guys who is willing to do what it takes to outsmart the Nazis even if it means getting caught.

The Great Escape is a magnificent film from John Sturges. Featuring a tremendous ensemble cast, dazzling visuals, Elmer Bernstein’s sumptuous music score, gripping suspense, and a story of determination and wit. It is a film that can be served as a prison break film that everything else has to follow while it is also a testament to the human spirit in war whether it’s those digging the tunnels or those who try to create some kind of peace in the darkest of times. In the end, The Great Escape is an outstanding film from John Sturges.

Related: The Magnificent Seven

© thevoid99 2021

Run of the Arrow

Written and directed by Samuel Fuller, Run of the Arrow is the story of a former Confederate war veteran who leaves his family to move to the West where he joins the Sioux Indian Nation. The film is a western that explores a man dealing with his honor while helping the Indians fight off against the U.S. Army during the Indian Wars of the late 19th Century. Starring Rod Steiger, Sara Montiel, Brian Keith, and Charles Bronson. Run of the Arrow is a compelling and thrilling film from Samuel Fuller.

The film is the story of a Confederate soldier who decides to leave his home of Virginia and his family following Robert E. Lee’s surrender to Ulysses S. Grant to end the Civil War as he tries to find something to fight for when he moves West and becomes part of the Sioux Indian Nation. It’s a film that really more of an exploration of a man who felt like his service in the Civil War had all been for nothing as he was forced to bury his own brothers as he seeks to find meaning in the West where his encounter with Sioux Indians have him wanting to find a role where he can be useful and also gain whatever honor is lost. Along the way, he would deal with a cavalry that wants to build a fort nearby their territory causing tension as O’Meara (Rod Steiger) tries to ensure nothing goes wrong as he does gain the trust of cavalry leader Captain Clark (Brian Keith) but trouble brews due to a rebellious Sioux and a lieutenant whom O’Meara had met in the last days of the Civil War.

Samuel Fuller’s screenplay showcases a man who has become lost in his idea of duty and honor as he refuses to accept the surrender of the Confederacy despite the fact that he knows that the war was lost. That loss forces O’Meara to find a place where he doesn’t have to bow down to the Union where his meeting with an aging Sioux renegade in Walking Coyote (Jay C. Flippen) who takes a liking to O’Meara. Their encounter with the rebellious Crazy Wolf (H.M. Wynant) would show O’Meara’s resilience as he is accepted by the tribe as he would marry a Sioux woman in Yellow Moccasin (Sara Montiel) and gain a sense of peace. Yet, the arrival of the cavalry forces O’Meara to deal with his past in Lt. Driscoll (Ralph Meeker) who distrusts the Sioux. Especially as its third act would have O’Meara try to make Lt. Driscoll see reason and not start a war as well as confront his own demons about his own experiences with the Civil War.

Fuller’s direction is quite grand as he shoots the film on a widescreen format to display that broad stroke of the American West. The use of the wide and medium shots allow Fuller to play into that vast look of the West while doing some very unique ideas to display this game of death known as Run of the Arrow where O’Meara and Walking Coyote would have to run barefoot to survive from being killed by the Sioux. What Fuller did in that sequence was instead of doing wide or medium shots of an entire person in the frame, he just focuses on the feet instead to play into that sense of action. Fuller’s use of close-ups also play into the drama as it relates to O’Meara’s own personal struggle while a few of them are presented awkwardly which suggests that there was some tampering to what Fuller wanted and what the studio wanted. Yet, Fuller is able to keep things lively and also infuse some commentary about the themes of honor and what the Sioux were fighting for as it would help O’Meara regain a sense of identity and honor. Overall, Fuller creates a very exhilarating film about a lost man trying to find himself in the American West.

Cinematographer Joseph Biroc does excellent work with the film‘s colorful cinematography from the vast look of the American desert to the more low-key lights for the scenes at night. Editor Gene Fowler Jr. does amazing work with the editing with its use of dissolves and rhythmic cuts to play into the film’s action and suspense. Art directors Albert S. D’Agostino and Jack Okey, along with set decorator Bertram C. Granger, do brilliant work with the set pieces from the look of the teepees that the Sioux lived to the fort that the cavalry would build. The sound work of Terry Kellum and Virgil Smith is terrific for its sound work from the way arrows are shot into the air to the sounds of gunfire. The film’s music by Sidney Cutner is wonderful for its bombastic orchestral score that includes some somber themes to play into the drama.

The film’s superb cast includes some notable small roles from Billy Miller as the mute Sioux Silent Tongue, Olive Carey as O’Meara’s mother, and Charles Bronson in one of his early roles as a Sioux chief in Blue Buffalo as it’s a true standout performance from the legendary actor. H.M. Wynant is terrific as the rebellious Sioux Crazy Wolf while Jay C. Flippen is excellent as the aging Sioux scout Walking Coyote who would introduce O’Meara the ideas of the Sioux. Ralph Meeker is fantastic as Lt. Driscoll as a young man who had been shot by O’Meara during the Civil War as he is eager to make a name for himself and start a war with the Sioux.

Brian Keith is great as Captain Clark as a cavalry leader who knows what is at stake while understanding O’Meara’s anger towards the Union as he would provide O’Meara some ideas into what he should do. Sara Montiel is wonderful as Yellow Moccasin as a woman who helps O’Meara find peace though her voice work is dubbed by Angie Dickinson who manages to bring that sense of warmth to the character’s voice. Finally, there’s Rod Steiger in a phenomenal performance as O’Meara as this man who lost so much in the Civil War as he tries to find meaning again by being part of the Sioux tribe as it’s a performance full of humility and determination as it’s one of his finest roles.

Run of the Arrow is a fantastic film from Samuel Fuller that features a brilliant performance from Rod Steiger. It’s a film that doesn’t just explore a man trying to regain a sense of honor but also find peace from the troubled world he had just left. In the end, Run of the Arrow is a superb film from Samuel Fuller.

Samuel Fuller Films: I Shot Jesse James - The Baron of Arizona - The Steel Helmet - Fixed Bayonets! - Park Row - Pickup on South Street - (Hell and High Water) - House of Bamboo - (China Gate) - Forty Guns - Verboten! - The Crimson Kimono - Underworld U.S.A. - Merrill's Marauders - Shock Corridor - The Naked Kiss - (Shark!) - (Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street) - The Big Red One - White Dog - (Thieves After Dark) - (Street of No Return) - (The Madonna and the Dragon)

© thevoid99 2014

Once Upon a Time in the West

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 5/8/06 w/ Additional Edits & Extensive Revisions.

Directed by Sergio Leone and screenplay by Leone and Sergio Donati, with English translation by Mickey Knox, from a story by Leone, Dario Argento, and Bernardo Bertolucci, Once Upon a Time in The West is the story about an outlaw and a mysterious man protecting a woman from hired killer who is trying to attain a piece of land for a railroad baron. The film serves as Leone's first part of a trilogy about the changes of American life as well as an exploration into revenge and gain. Starring Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards, and Gabriele Ferzetti. Once Upon a Time in the West is a grand yet operatic western from Sergio Leone.

At a desert far from the town of Flagstone, Brett McBain (Frank Wolff) prepares for a feast as he's set to pick up his new wife Jill (Claudia Cardinale). Suddenly, a gang of gunslingers arrive to kill the McBain family as its led by its leader in Frank (Henry Fonda). Jill arrives at the town of Flagstone via train from New Orleans as she waits for the arrival of McBain as she ends up taking a ride from a local named Sam (Paola Stoppa) where they stop at a bar where she hears a mysterious man (Charles Bronson) playing the harmonica as another man named Cheyenne (Jason Robards) arrives with his gang. Jill watches Cheyenne confront the mysterious man known as Harmonica as she continues to ride with Sam to the McBain home where she learns about what happened. After the local sheriff finds evidence believing that Cheyenne is the killer, Jill decides to stay at the McBain home.

After news spread about the McBain massacre, Harmonica tortures a man named Wobbles (Marco Zuanelli) who reveals information about who killed the McBain family as it relates to the involvement of a paralyzed railroad baron named Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti). Morton isn't happy about what Frank and his gang did as they conspire to own the entire railroad system so that Morton can have a legacy to hold on to as they learn that Jill has arrived. After hearing Harmonica's playing, Jill attempts to leave only for Cheyenne to arrive at his home with his gang where they talk about her life in New Orleans as Jill realizes that Cheyenne isn't the killer. Harmonica later arrives after Cheyenne's departure as he reveals some information about what happened to McBain. Harmonica and Cheyenne decide to work together to figure out what Frank and Morton are up to while Jill makes a discovery of her own about the land her late husband had bought.

Frank kidnaps Jill for his own reasons as he tries to convince her to sell the McBain land at an auction that is held until Harmonica arrives with a tied-up Cheyenne to get the reward money so he can buy the McBain land. Jill realizes there is a connection between Frank and Harmonica as Frank's alliance with Morton falters as Frank discovers about the plans McBain had fro the land. This would eventually lead to a showdown between Frank and Harmonica as Cheyenne watches from afar realizing that the days of the West is about to end.

In Leone's past trilogy of Westerns with Clint Eastwood, he wanted to reveal what was great about the genre while giving it a fresh coat of European sensibility in terms of its violence. For this particular film, Leone clearly wanted it to be not just his best Western but a tribute to the genre itself. Leone aimed for an operatic end of the genre by making the film play as a background where it's the time where the railroad starts to emerge where it's the start of modernization and the end of the West. In some ways, the film is considered to be a political film by Leone since the railroad is where the power is. In many ways, it's Leone's most complex film among his Westerns while the structure and plot is a bit more simple.

The script's structure and timing might seem slow to some viewers but its pacing and observation is deliberate to the way Leone tells his story. The credit for hashing out Leone's script is his co-writers in Sergio Donati and Mickey Knox plus contributions from Bernardo Bertolucci and Dario Argento. What the script reveals is Leone's transition from action-driven, stylized Westerns to more dramatic elements that helped evolve his unique ability as a storyteller. While there's only a few main characters of the film, they're all wonderfully developed and fully realized in their intentions and in the presence they bring. Particularly the way heroes and villains are portrayed as multi-dimensional characters. Cheyenne and Harmonica aren't true good guys since Cheyenne is a fugitive who does bad things but at least has his own morals while Harmonica is a bit more vicious since he's here for far more personal reasons in a vendetta.

Part of Harmonica's story is told in flashback since his objective is to find Frank where it eventually reveals itself in a flashback and how he got the name. The main villain of Frank is truly one of the most chilling villains in the history of cinema. Notably for his lack of remorse as he is willing to kill anyone including women and children without no pretenses and morals. He is a sadist and he doesn't have a care in the world except for money and pride. While another villainous character in Morton is in the story, he's not that much of a villain since he has his own morals and his desire to dream of a legacy. Plus, he’s the brunt of abuse in his already tumultuous business relationship with Frank where all Frank cares for is money and power. The real hero of the film is the most unlikely hero of any of Leone's film and that is in the part of a woman.

In the films prior to this one, the women Leone had were often portrayed as hookers or mothers trying to take care of their children. For this film, his main protagonist is a woman where she ends up becoming an unlikely heroine. Not with shooting or playing cowboy but a woman who isn't playing a just a former hooker, but someone who ends up helping create a lost dream while maintaining her dignity. It's in not just the script of Leone but his wandering direction that allows the characters to connect while making them their own as characters that audiences can care about or totally dislike. In his epic vision, Leone aims for a scope where all the tricks he used in previous films work for him where he goes from a close-up of a house and then have the camera move to show an entire town in one long shot.

Leone's love for conventional Western cliches, notably the shootouts are done with great style while making them unconventional at the same time. He starts off with a near-ten minute opening where for a while, nothing happens until Harmonica arrives playing this haunting, harmonica melody. Then, the film immediately opens with a shootout. Even the final shootout between Harmonica and Frank is done with great complexity about the history that reveals a key point to the film's plot in Harmonica's hatred for Frank. Its his presentation that gives voice to the Western while declaring it dead at the same time. While his love for many Westerns including the ones by John Ford are mentioned, he also breaks them to give the genre a great send-off where we understand some of Frank's motives for not wanting the McBain dream to stay alive. In many ways, what Leone would do for ending the West with Once Upon a Time in the West. Sam Peckinpah would confirm it even more in its ideology a year later for his 1969 film, The Wild Bunch.

Helping Leone out in his epic, visual-scope is his longtime cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli. Colli's widescreen photography is not very good when its shown on a fullscreen format but on widescreen, the presentation is beautiful. Taking advantage of the light from the sun in many of the film's exterior settings and giving the interior a grungy yet true atmosphere to the genre. The photography in the film is wonderfully authentic in every frame. Two more of Leone's longtime collaborators also do great work in their respective trade. Longtime art director/costume designer Carlo Simi whose presentation of the Western towns and bars is wonderful in its detail while his creation of the Flagstaff town is rumored to be worth more than the entire budget of Leone's first Western in A Fistful of Dollars. Simi's costume work is great while giving Henry Fonda a great look to his villainous persona and doing great work on the clothing of Claudia Cardinale.

Editor Nino Baragli whose iconic cutting style in The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly is used to great form as he does great work in dissolves and transitional cuts to create a wonderful atmosphere and pacing to the film. Helping with the film's sound work are Fausto Ancillai and Claudio Maielli who help create the atmosphere of the West. Notably, the film's first scene where the sound is amazing from its windmills, creaking chairs, and the noise of a fly. The makeup team of Alberto and Giannetto de Rossi do great work in getting the tanning look to help create the heat of the West along with the red sand of the American West.

The final key collaborator of all of Leone's great films is the work of music composer Ennio Morricone. The score of Morricone is divided into four themes to be played for its main characters. The first is a sweeping, operatic arrangement of strings for the character of Jill while Cheyenne gets a rhythmic, banjo-like guitar accompaniment that plays to the film's humor. The character of Harmonica has a theme to the tune of a haunting harmonica melody while Frank gets a droning, dorbo-like guitar riff when his character arrives. Each arrangement and note Morricone would put would often mix into some of the greatest score work ever assembled which he wrote just before the film was even made. Morricone aims for the same tone of opera and tension, notably in the film's final shootout where the arrangements are sweeping to convey the sense of momentum. In the end, it's one of the best film scores ever composed by the always brilliant Ennio Morricone.

Now we come to the film's amazing, large ensemble cast. While there's some nice, memorable roles from Claudio Mancini as Harmonica's brother and Dino Mele as the young Harmonica in a flashback sequence along with Marilu Carteny and Enzo Santaniello as the McBain children. There's some great performances from veteran Western character actors Jack Elam, Woody Strode, and Al Mulock in the film's opening sequence. Notable small roles like Paola Stoppa, Keenan Wynn, Lionel Stander, and Marco Zuanelli are memorable as is Frank Wolff as the ill-fated McBain. The most memorable supporting role is the role of Morton by Gabriele Ferzetti. Playing a cripple, Ferzetti brings a complexity to his role of a villain who wants to hold on to a final dream as he keeps on hearing and looking at images of the sea. Ferzetti holds his own in many scenes, especially with Henry Fonda as its really two actors just acting with each other while being very comfortable. While he may not be known to Americans, Ferzetti holds a lasting impression.

Claudia Cardinale gives an amazing performance as the hooker with dignity known as Jill. While most of her dialogue was dubbed to cover up her heavy Italian accent, Cardinale still maintains a presence that is matched by her beauty while most of her performance is in reaction shots and observance. It's truly one of the best performances in any Western while she becomes an unlikely heroine despite her past as a hooker. Cardinale has great chemistry with her co-stars but its with Jason Robards that has the greatest impact of sensitivity. The late Jason Robards gives a great performance as the sensitive but dirty Cheyenne whose knowledge of morals and codes of the West brings a man with a lot of integrity despite his criminal background. Robards also plays the moral conscience in the film of sorts despite his deeds while he is the only one to calm someone like Harmonica and bring some good company to Jill. It's a great role from the late actor who also had a great performance in another Western, the often-underrated Sam Peckinpah film, The Ballad of Cable Hogue.

The late Charles Bronson is great in his role as the mysterious Harmonica. Bronson brings a dark, quiet presence to the film where the audience is aware that he's dangerous and he's got something up on his sleeve. His face also carries a sense of pain and mystery as he uses his body language to maintain a performance that is minimalist in its lack of emotions. It's truly an iconic performance from the late actor, who has been an icon in being a badass. The film's most shocking performance goes to none other than the late but legendary Henry Fonda. Throughout his career, especially in films like The Grapes of Wrath and 12 Angry Men, Fonda has played men of struggle and men who just wants to do and do the right thing. In this film, he does the exact opposite. Fonda uses the right look and tone to play a character that is pure evil from every of his intentions for his own gain. Fonda truly captures everything that a villain is needed to the point that he's a villain some can like despite his actions. It's truly one of his many iconic performances.

The 2003, 2-disc Special Edition Region 1 DVD from Paramount is truly one of the best packages of any DVD. Particularly since it's the uncut version of the film where the American release cut 25 minutes from the film in 1968 where in later releases, the scenes that got cut were restored. Presenting the film in the preferred widescreen format that is the only true way to watch a Leone epic. The film looks wonderful in all of its glory while its 16x9 aspect ratio is perfect for TV. With 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound plus restored mono audio in English and French along with English subtitles. The 2-disc set features the first disc presenting the entire film in all of its glory with its only special feature is a huge audio commentary track. The second disc is filled with several documentary shorts plus cast profiles, theatrical trailers, and photo galleries.

The first disc features a full-on audio commentary track with excerpts recorded separately from different places. On the commentary are film historians Sir Christopher Frayling and Dr. Sheldon Hall, film directors John Carpenter, Alex Cox, and John Milius, and from the actual movie, co-writer Bernardo Bertolucci and the film's star Claudia Cardinale. While John Milius and Claudia Cardinale had brief commentary tracks, they're wonderfully informative as Milius talks about his friendship with Sergio Leone. Claudia Cardinale comments on her love scene with Henry Fonda which she thought was a terrible day since she and Fonda were shooting the scene in front of journalists and Fonda's wife at the time. The shooting made things tense as Cardinale recalled though she had a good time with the legendary actor. She also talks about how Leone is compared to the great directors she worked with like Federico Fellini in 8 1/2 and Luchino Visconti.

Alex Cox and John Carpenter provide the more enjoyable commentaries as Cox talks about some of the scenes that got cut in the heavily-edited American version. Carpenter talks in a couple of scenes from a technical standpoint and his enjoyment of Leone's tracking and crane shots along with the editing and pacing style that was inspired the Japanese films of Kurosawa and Ozu. Bernardo Bertolucci also had a couple of cuts where he talked about the writing of the film and how pleased he was with the film's final cut while talking about his love for the Western genre as a kid and how Leone got him to regain his love for the genre after being enamored with the French New Wave. The more informative commentaries come from Dr. Sheldon Hall and most of all, Sir Christopher Frayling where they talk about the scenes that got cut while Frayling describes a lot of the mythology of the film. Plus, the noted references into the many movies of John Ford whom Leone loved among all Western directors while the harmonica playing is a reference to Nicholas Ray's Johnny Guitar.

The second disc of the DVD features several little documentaries relating to the movie. Three of them is about the film with interviews from Cardinale, Bertolucci, Cox, Carpenter, Milius, and Frayling along with late cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli and Gabriele Ferzetti. The first of the three-part documentary is a 30-minute segment called An Opera of Violence where Frayling discusses Leone's film background where his father was a silent film director and mother was an actress that did the first ever Italian Western. Leone would eventually become an assistant director for Mario Soldati in many Roman-like epics while doing some camera work in other movies like Cleopatra and Ben-Hur where Leone was part of the crew shooting the chariot scene. When Soldati died during production of a film, Leone took over to finish where he got to do his first ever film entitled Colossus of Rhodes in 1961.

Then in the early 60s, the Italian film industry went bust after the era of Roman epics were gone, Cleopatra just bombed while Luchino Visconti's Il Gatopardo also failed commercially. Frayling discusses that the Italian industry was at the time, an industry that will go on one trend and then make films of that same style. While there were films by Visconti, Federico Fellini, Michaelangelo Antonioni, Roberto Rosellini and Vittorio de Sica at the time, they weren't big commercial films. Then came Leone with the trilogy of A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly. The Italian industry went up and running again while Leone was becoming a hero. During the premiere for The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly in December 1966, Leone met with a then-new filmmaker named Bernardo Bertolucci and a local film critic from Rome named Dario Argento. Though Leone had planned to do an epic mob movie that would eventually become Once Upon a Time in America, he didn't want to do another Western.

Paramount from the U.S. convinced Leone thanks to the international buzz of his Western trilogy as he decided to do one more Western with help from Bertolucci and Argento. Bertolucci talked about how he came up with the idea of getting a female protagonist for the film which Leone resisted at first only to be won over by the idea. Claudia Cardinale discusses how she got contacted and how she wanted the part to be more complex and it helped the writing more. The documentary also features rare interview clips from Leone in 1984 when he was finishing Once Upon a Time in America and an old 1975 interview with Henry Fonda talking about taking the role for Once Upon a Time in the West. Part of a trilogy of the events that touched America, Leone wanted to pay homage to the West but also attack the American ideology while Alex Cox talked about the opening scene where there's a legendary story about the stars of The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly playing the part of the three men only to be killed in the first five minutes.

The second doc short for The Wages of Sin is a 20-minute segment where the discussion is on Leone's working style. John Carpenter, Cox, and Delli Colli discusses his precise detail for everything right. They discuss the photography style of Delli Colli as well as the work of the late art director/costume designer Carlo Simi. Frayling talks about while most of the film was shot in Spain with some interiors in Cinecetta studios in Rome. The famous shot of Jill with Sam riding through Monument Valley was one of the few scenes in America. Before shooting, Leone and Delli Colli went to America for a tour group to look at Monument Valley where Leone acted like a kid in a candy store since that's where John Ford shot some of his Westerns. Leone and his crew even went up to get the red sand from Monument Valley to use for the film. The segment also discusses the Leone close-ups and his canvas where Carpenter, Cardinale, and Frayling all feel it's the key to being a great storyteller.

The third and final part of the documentary is an 18-minute segment called Something to Do with Death where they discuss the music of Morricone where in this film, it was the first time he wrote an entire score just before the film was even shot. They discuss the themes he wrote and how Leone got inspired by them. The opening scene of the film originally was supposed to have music but the themes Morricone and Leone tried to use didn't work until Morricone went to a performance art show about a guy making sounds with ladders. There, it gave the idea for the film's opening scene with its array of amplified sounds. This leads to the discussion of the film's release where in Europe, it was a success but in the U.K. and U.S., it wasn't. Especially in America where they cut 20 minutes of the film for length reason, which would be the case for the remainder of his films in the years to come where they would get chopped up in the editing room.

The short six-minute featurette entitled Railroad-Revolutionizing the West is a short doc about the evolution of the railroad and its impact that it had on the West. Especially in its influence on the cinema where Alex Cox reveals that it talks about the process of industrialization where machines came and the beginning of the end of man. Two galleries appear for the DVD. First is a locations gallery to compare and contrast the locations of the film where many of the railway locations from Spain show no railroad but more grass. The McBain house looks more colorful while keeping the wood that was actually taken from a film by Orson Welles. The look of Monument Valley remains insatiable in its red look while the trail don't exist only as a path of sorts. The film photo gallery features black-and-white stills of the cast and crew working including a deleted scene that never made the final cut of Harmonica being assaulted by the town's sheriff.

Also included are the cast bios of the five main actors, French and English subtitles, and the original theatrical trailer for the film. Overall, this is a fantastic DVD though the only flaw is its packaging where both discs are on top of another and if anyone is trying to get the second disc. Get the first one out or you'll cause some scratches.

Once Upon a Time in the West is a majestic and outstanding film from Sergio Leone. Featuring incredible performances from Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards, and Gabriele Ferzetti. It is truly one of the great films that transcends the western genre as it also serves as a worthy introduction for anyone new to the western. The film also features amazing technical work as well as an awesome score by Ennio Morricone that is truly one of the great film scores ever composed. In the end, Once Upon a Time in the West is a remarkable film from Sergio Leone.

Sergio Leone Films: The Last Days of Pompeii (1959 film) - The Colossus of Rhodes - A Fistful of Dollars - For a Few Dollars More - The Good, The Bad, & the Ugly - Duck, You Sucker! - Once Upon a Time in America

Related: Once Upon a Time: Sergio Leone - The Auteurs #16: Sergio Leone

(C) thevoid99 2012

The Magnificent Seven

Based on the 1954 samurai film The Seven Samurai by Akira Kurosawa, The Magnificent Seven is the story of seven gunmen hired by small Mexican village to protect them a group of bandits. Directed by John Sturges with a screenplay by William Roberts, with additional work from Walter Newnan and Walter Bernstein, the film is an ensemble piece that revolves around seven different men who are fighting off a bandit trying to wreak havoc in a small town. Starring Yul Brenner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, Horst Buchholz, and Eli Wallach. The Magnificent Seven is an extraordinary western from John Sturges.

After a group of bandits led by Calvera (Eli Wallach) has managed to take everything from a small farming village leaving little food for the village. A trio of farmers want to fight back as they decide to go to the border to buy guns. Instead, they come across a couple of gunfights led by Chris (Yul Brenner) and Vin (Steve McQueen) who managed to fight off a few gunfighters at a funeral service. Impressed, the farmers ask Chris about buying guns where Chris suggests that it’s best to hire gunmen to fight off Calvera as he decides to recruit a group. With Vin joining along, they bring in two veteran gunslingers in Harry (Brad Dexter) and Lee (Robert Vaughn), an Irish-Mexican named Bernardo O’Reilly (Charles Bronson), and a switchblade-wielding cowpuncher named Britt (James Coburn). Joining them is an inexperienced gunslinger named Chico (Horst Buchholz) who Chris reluctantly lets him be part of the posse.

Arriving at the village, Chris and his men meet with the village and teach the farmers how to defend themselves after encountering a few of Calvera’s men. During this time, the villages and gunmen bond as O’Reilly becomes an idol to a few of the boys while Chico falls for a village girl named Petra (Rosenda Monteros). The gunmen also share the food with the villagers as they eventually meet Calvera who is surprised by what the villagers brought in as a battle ensues. Though Calvera and his group of bandits were forced to flee, things still remain uneasy for the farmers as its leader Sotero (Rico Alaniz) thinks they should stop fighting. Notably as Chico learns what Calvera wants to do as they’re running out of food, the gunmen decides to make a surprise raid only to return to the village where Calvera has taken control. Forcing to flee town, Chris and the gunmen figure out what to do as they eventually decide to fight Calvera and his men for the honor of the villagers.

The film is essentially the story of a group of gunmen who hired by villagers to fight off against a group of bandits and help the villagers defend themselves. It’s a premise that is very simple where the gunmen bond with the farmers but also deal with their own issues as they’re just men that are hired to do a job and try not to get attached. The screenplay by William Roberts is quite faithful to Akira Kurosawa’s The Seven Samurai in terms of the psychological aspects of the story as well as the characters. Roberts does make some changes by making it into a western while creating a lead villain in Calvera that is complex in his idea of taking everything for himself and his men while making sure the villagers still get a piece in return. It’s something Chris and the men don’t agree with as they feel there’s a lot of reason to fight for these villagers.

John Sturges’ direction is superb for its wide-open scenery as it’s shot on location in Mexico. While there’s a lot of great scenes involving the action and shootouts that occur that is engaging to watch. It’s the scenes where the men try to plan out everything while they each deal with their own feelings about what they’re doing. The way Sturges frames these intimate moments with medium shots and multi-character shots is to establish that it’s a group that is placing the fates of the farmers in their hands. While some of the film’s melodrama is a bit overdone at times for scenes that involve Chico and his naiveté, Sturges does manage to create a very solid and entertaining western that is very faithful to Akira Kurosawa’s much-lauded 1954 film The Seven Samurai.

Cinematographer Charles Lang does fantastic work with the film‘s photography by providing some vibrant settings for the film‘s exteriors while maintaining an intimate lighting scheme for some of the film‘s interior scenes. Editor Ferris Webster does a nice job with the editing to maintain a leisured pace for the film along with some rhythmic cuts for the film‘s shootout scenes. Art director Edward Fitzgerald and set decorator Rafael Suarez do superb work with the set pieces such as the Texas town that the villagers come across to the more rural but wonderful village that the gunmen start to be entranced by. The sound work of Rafael Ruiz Esparza and Jack Solomon is terrific for the way it plays up the suspense as well as the tense, chaotic atmosphere for the film’s battle scenes.

The film’s score by Elmer Bernstein is brilliant for its swelling yet triumphant orchestral score. Filled with dazzling arrangements and pieces that plays up the suspense, action, and drama, it’s truly the film’s highlight as it’s another of Bernstein’s great scores.

The film’s cast is excellent for the ensemble that is created as it includes notable small roles from Rico Alaniz as village head Sotero, Vladimir Sokoloff as the old village man, and Rosenda Monteros as the young woman Chico falls for in Petra. Eli Wallach is brilliant as the slimy yet complex Calvera who displays a great sense of intelligence who can manipulate anyone into seeing what he’s about as it’s definitely one of Wallach’s best roles. For the roles of the Magnificent Seven, there’s notable standout performances from Brad Dexter as the veteran Harry Luck who is looking for a big payday while Robert Vaughn is superb as the troubled Lee who is dealing with demons from the many gunfights he has. Horst Buchholz is pretty good as the young Chico who is a very determined gunfighter that wants to prove something although when it comes to heavy drama, it’s a bit overdone and quite unbelievable at times.

James Coburn is great as the cool yet switchblade knife-wielding Britt who is very laid-back but also a very cunning and dangerous character that anyone would want in their gang. Charles Bronson is phenomenal as the very resilient yet skilled gunfighter O’Reilly who becomes a reluctant idol to young boys in the village while is just trying to show them that what he’s doing isn’t bravery but survival. Steve McQueen is awesome as the very cool Vin who acts as Chris’ right-hand man who teaches the villagers how to fight while being the most reluctant to help them out as he wonders why should they fight for them. Finally, there’s Yul Brenner in an incredible performance as the leader Chris who sports nothing but black while being the one guy who can take care of things and lead a group to revolt.

The Magnificent Seven is an engaging yet adventurous western from John Sturges. Featuring top-notch performances from Yul Brenner, Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Charles Bronson, and Eli Wallach. It’s a film that bears a lot of hallmarks and attributes that fans of the genre can love as well as a story that works to play up the motivations for its lead characters. While it may not have the more complexity and drama of The Seven Samurai, it is still a film that is quite faithful to the Akira Kurosawa classic. In the end, The Magnificent Seven is a superb western from John Sturges.

 

Related: (The Seven Samurai) - The Great Escape

© thevoid99 2012