Hobgoblin

I hear mixed opinions about this movie. Some say it is too slow and boring and others say it is the best western ever made.

I like good action packed westerns. Will I like this movie?

GeoffK

here's the DVD Talk Review: http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=8243

D-Ball

If you like westerns, it doesn't get much better than Once Upon a Time in the West.

theneobez

What if I don't particularly like westerns?

indycohiba

Excellent movie! If you like any of Clint Eastwood's spaghetti westerns then definitely pick up, if not skip it.

ckolchak

you heard right-it is slow.
it has one of the longest, most interminable, near silent openings in any motion picture (but this is intentionally so).
i was not impressed when i first saw the movie many years ago, but i'm looking forward to giving it a second evaluation.

i don't remember it being an 'action-packed' western.

Fred C. Dobbs

Oh really? Have you ever seen The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly?

As for Once Upon a Time in the West...Excellent film. And from what I hear, excellent disc. Get it.

Fred C. Dobbs

Westerns don't have to be "action packed". Technically, a western is a film which takes place on an old west backdrop. Take High Noon for example. There is no action until the very end, but that doesn't stop the film from being brilliant and suspensful.

obscurelabel

I don't know whether this movie is being shown currently on cable or not. When it was shown with some regularity on TBS years ago, I would always try to catch the two long opening set pieces (introducing the hero and villian), which I thought were very entertaining (not everyone does). As for the rest of the movie, I quickly lost interest and can't remember seeing it all the way through once, of course a TV viewing of this, with commercials, was well over three hours.

I wouldn't describe this as being "action-packed", either, not in any conventional sense. The occasional bursts of gunplay or fighting are separated by long stretches of conversation (and silence too for that matter).

My advice: this is definitely a quirky film, not one that I would recommend as a blind buy. The sloooow pace works very well in the first opening scene especially (which I think is very funny BTW), not so well in the rest of the picture. Perhaps try a rental first???

Thor

I'd say if you like art film is probably more indicative than if you like westerns. I'm no western buff but I loved OUATITWest. It's hardly the artiest art film you'll ever see, but so much of what I loved about it was things like pacing and photography and editing, which is not to shortchange the story - but that's not what drew me in the most.

Rypro 525

anyone know why the movie is now rated PG-13 for western violence and brief sensuality? is the movie more violent due to the new longer cut or has the mpaa changed their standards.

Mondo Kane

As for the violence


Not sure about the sensuality complaint. There's a bed scene and a hint at an attempted rape which (apparently) have pushed the PG limit.

Cosmic Bus

I watched this last night and loved it. Long movie, yes, but every minute is used effectively and I didn't find myself even once checking the clock. Great story and characters, Morricone's score is excellent if a little limited in scope -- there are only a few themes and they're repeated throughout the movie. I've had that four-bar harmonica tune stuck in my head all day.

The print Paramount used is astonishing, too. For something that's pushing the 35 year mark, OUATITW looks like it could've been made within the past few years. Amazing. They also did a very nice job on the sound; very crisp and clean, with virtually no hiss, and the bass in some scenes surprised me.

Seems like a fantastic DVD all in all... Can't wait to get into the second disc tomorrow.

Hobgoblin

Cool. I ordered this on wednesday from DDD. Thanks for the responses.

Julie Walker

Well is anyone else having trouble finding this in stores? Best Buy had it advertised,but sold out quick(doubt they ordered much as usual,but probably had at least 10 considering the shelf space they had for it),I then checked Target,nothing,then Borders..nothing,they said they only ordered two & of course was all sold out

So now I may wait on the dvd until later on. Maybe a couple months if I can make it,since that gives me time to save up,buy a computer & all that. Really want to see the entire film in OAR(after only seeing the opening 30 minutes a couple times on cable).

Giles

saw the film a couple of month's ago at the huge AFI Silver Theatre's main screen and thought it was amazing. Can't wait to see the extras on the DVD edition.

ckolchak

went into Best Buy on Tues morning and couldn't find any-anywhere- despite their putting the title in their flyer.
picked it up from Borders, but got a nasty surprise as Borders seemed to have stopped discounting Parmount titles altogether.
this was the full $19.95 msrp.

watched it last night.
the movie looks amazing.
print and disc quality are excellant ( apart from some nedless and obvious EE that shows up mostly in the outdoor vistas).
amazing in fact.
because of the lighting, and the condition of the print, this is one of the most 3 dimensional looking films i've seen.

was able to appreciate the movie better this time- although i think if i had had to watch it on a 32" tv, i would still be disappointed.
if you can acclimatize yourself to its-slow as 19th century cross country travel- pace, its a great film.

it is definitely not 'action-packed' though.
this is very much a drama with action used sparsley in its 2 hours and 40 minute runtime.

ETILIM19

at such a low list price there is really no risk - the film's a masterpiece - great transfer and extras sweeting the deal. paramount are doing a great job finally.

Hobgoblin

Only problem now is I could not find this in any B&M stores. Online is too expensive. I had ordered this from DDD but they did not ship it for 10 days. Finally when I called them they said my credit card was no good. I called my credit card company and they told me that my card was good and DDD never tried even to charge my card. I will just wait for the online price to drop some time in the future.

Jericho

Too expensive? I got it for $11.99 from DVDEmpire. And it's still that price. In fact I added it with a few other things and got free shipping and threw in a $5 off coupon. That's cheap

Hobgoblin

I will check out DVD empire. Thanks.

ViewAskewbian

Just picked this up for $16 Canadian. Sweet deal for a two disc set of a 4star film!

And yes, it is worth it as a blind buy. By far my favorite western and a staple of the genre.

Drop

I just saw it for the first time a couple days ago and really enjoyed it. A really effective movie, and very beautiful, with a great story, and characters.

I love westerns, TGTBTU being my favorite. I have a feeling if I watch this some more, it just might be my new fav. I especially enjoyed the opening, so long and so good. I just like scenes that seem to try the audiences patience, and frankly I didn't think it was long enough.

Giles I am jealous you have seen this on the big screen. I saw TGTBTU on the big screen not too long ago, and was completely blown away, it was like a new movie. I imagine the same thing would happen to this film.

I recommend everyone atleast watch the film, but buying it is better.

bigE

I must confess, I'd been a fan of The Man With No Name Trilogy for years but had never seen OUATITW. It's not a great movie, it's a masterpiece. I loved seeing Henry Fonda play a bad guy for once. Action packed? No. But if you what to see how a western should be made, watch this movie. The dvd transfer is breathtaking, to say the least. Locations, direction, cinematography, casting, musical score, & editing are all superb... Highly recommend! ****

You know, when Paramount decides to give SE treatment to a catalog title they really do it exceptionally well. Unfortunately too few & far between. Prior to The Adventures of Indiana Jones, the last Paramount SE for me was Forrest Gump.

Cheers
bigE