Harmonica: The reward for this man is 5000 dollars, is that right?
Cheyenne: Judas was content for 4970 dollars less.
Harmonica: There were no dollars in them days.
Cheyenne: But sons of bitches? Yeah.
Once Upon a Time in the West is considered Sergio Leone'smasterpiece; according to That Other Wiki, it's a prime example of an Epic Western.It's remembered for its beautiful cinematography, cracklingly quotable dialogue, and its fascinatingly enigmatic characters. It's also remarkable for its brilliant casting: Charles Bronson as another "man with no name" seeking revenge, Claudia Cardinale as Jill, the young, pretty widow with a past as a prostitute, Jason Robards as the bandit Cheyenne, and Henry Fonda as the villainous Frank, who works for the railroad tycoon Mr. Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti).City Slicker Jill arrives at the town of Flagstone by train just as Bronson's nameless character drifts into town. By chance their paths cross at a roadside establishment. Cheyenne, who has just escaped from his prison escort, dubs Bronson's character "Harmonica." Jill then discovers that her husband and his children have been murdered at their homestead. Frank, the real killer, frames Cheyenne.Harmonica has a personal vendetta against Frank, so he and Cheyenne fight against Frank and his boss, Mr. Morton. They defend Jill's homestead and discover her late husband's plan to make a fortune.Ennio Morricone contributed the soundtrack.
Accidental Public Confession: A chilling version occurs at the beginning of the movie. Frank and his men have just finished massacring a family, only to exit the house and find a small boy staring at them.
Cheyenne: That's a crazy story, Harmonica, for two reasons. One, nobody around these parts got the guts to wear those dusters except Cheyenne's men. Two, Cheyenne's men don't get killed.
Better to Die than Be Killed: In the flashback, Harmonica is kicked to the ground by his brother, who had Harmonica as a platform as he was being hanged by Frank and his men. Harmonica's brother would rather commit suicide that let his younger brother be responsible for his death. It all goes to show just how horrible Frank is.
Blue Eyes: Henry Fonda's eyes are given a lot of emphasis. Especially notable as Fonda originally wanted to wear brown contact lenses, as he was playing a villain. Leone told him to take them off.
But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Frank doesn't remember who Harmonica is, although Harmonica isn't keen on reminding him untill the end. On the other hand, when Harmonica starts listing of names, Frank does recognize them as people he previously killed.
He does recognise Harmonica in the final duel, and Leone has stated that he wished for the final flashback to be a shared experience.
Deconstruction - This movie definitively deconstructs The Western even more than the Dollars Trilogy did. Sergio Leone filmed much of it in Monument Valley, where the John Ford classics were filmed, and the film bears specific allusions to other films such as Johnny Guitar and Shane. Complete with obvious inclusions of typical western stereotypes being used in a very not-typical manner. It says a lot that Leone intended to use the main cast of his Dollars Trilogy in this movie, just to have them all be killed in the first ten minutes.
Did Not Get the Girl - Neither hero - Cheyenne nor Harmonica stays with Jill at the end. Cheyenne because he dies and Harmonica because he was never her Love Interest.
Dying Alone - Cheyenne asks Harmonica to look away.
Fake American - Jill is played by Claudia Cardinale and Morton by Gabriele Ferzetti (both Italian).
Earn Your Happy Ending - Cheyenne dies, but Frank and his employer are both dead, and Harmonica has avenged his brother. Jill will go on to become a wealthy widow, and a respected and well-loved member of the Sweetwater Railroad town.
Even Evil Has Standards: Cheyenne draws the line at killing children. He also doesn't kill priests.
Ho Yay: Cheyenne and Harmonica, especially in the tavern during their first meeting.
Cheyenne: You know how to play...but can you shoot? (While idly playing with Harmonica's gun, while gazing at him).
They even go Riding into the Sunset together at the end. And then, Cheyenne dies. But Harmonica keeps his body.
I Have You Now, My Pretty - Subverted, as Jill complies in order to save her life, even pretending to like it. There's also a bizarre scene near the beginning where Harmonica ambushes Jill in a barn, roughs her up a little and rips her dress... Nothing happens, though.
Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain - Mr. Morton doesn't do much killing, being a crippled and dying old man. His last dream is to see the Pacific Ocean before he dies. He spends his dying moments desperately crawling towards a small, muddy puddle as a substitute for the Pacific.
Invincible Hero: Averted right from the beginning, as Harmonica, Badass though he unquestionably is, is wounded in the very first fight. From then on it's not inconceivable that he might lose to Frank.
Kick the Dog - Within the first couple scenes, Frank and his gang kill a family of four including a young child. He gets another one in the "keep your lovin' brother happy" flashback near the end of the film.
Harmonica pushing Jill around and tearing at her clothes. He doesn't actually hurt her, but still.
Frank kicking Morton's crutches out from under him.
Leitmotif: most of the main characters have their own, with Harmonica having the most obvious one.
Left the Background Music On: Just before Harmonica's entrance, the music changes subtly. Everybody starts looking around, then it is revealed the new tune is being played by a man with a harmonica.
Murder Is the Best Solution: Morton just wants his opposition bought out or intimidate, but Frank prefers to massacre first and ask questions later.
Musicalis Interruptus: Cheyenne's theme pauses several times so he can say a line, and starts up again. It even pauses to allow his dead body to drop to the ground.
No Name Given - The man out for revenge is only ever called Harmonica, as he plays a harmonica everywhere he goes.
Harmonica: "I didn't let them kill him, and that's not the same thing."
Playing Against Type - And how. Henry Fonda plays the villain in this one. Just to clarify: there are villains, villains, and villains. Fonda's character is very much the third one. Fonda had intended to radically change his usual appearance for the film, growing a mustache and beard and wearing brown contact lenses. Leone talked him out of it, as the shock of seeing good old Henry Fonda as a Complete Monster was exactly what he wanted.
When Jill is presented with a ton of lumber and a sign still awaiting a title to be carved into it. She realizes her husband was planning on building an entire town and tells the woodcarver "I said print STATION!"
Secretly Dying - Due to the above gunshot wound. Throughout the whole of the last scene with Jill, you can tell that there's something wrong with Cheyenne, but he's doing his best to hide it from her. It's only once he leaves that we find out what happened.
What the Hell, Hero? - It seems as though Harmonica is about to rape Jill at one point (pushing her to the ground and ripping her clothes), although he does nothing else to her.
Later on, Jill seemingly enjoys sleeping with Frank, in spite of her strong contempt for this man who killed her family. However, earlier on, she says to Cheyenne that if he and his men all raped her, she could pick up the pieces and still live, so it's really just a way to stop him from murdering her.
Would Hurt a Child: One of the earliest evil deeds Frank does is kill a child. He also subjected Harmonica to a horrible torment at a young age, too. Henry Fonda, the actor who played Frank, was initially reluctant to take another a role in a western, having been in so many already and always playing one of the good guys. That is, until director Sergio Leone told him, "Picture this: the camera shows a gunman from the waist down pulling his gun and shooting a running child. The camera pans up to the gunman's face and... it's Henry Fonda." Fonda signed on in a heartbeat.
If anything, Frank seems to get a special kick out of torturing kids.
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