Today’s song of the day comes from Ennio Morricone’s score for Once Upon A Time In The West.
RIP, Claudia Cardinale.
Tag Archives: Once Upon A Time In the West
Rest in peace, Claudia Cardinale (1938-2023)
It makes me sad to hear of the passing today of Claudia Cardinale, one of the most beautiful women in the history of cinema. She’s always been special to me because she co-starred with Charles Bronson in Sergio Leone’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1968). I also loved her in THE PROFESSIONALS with Lee Marvin (1966). Thanks Claudia for sharing your beauty and your talents with all of us. In your honor, I share this clip from one of the great western masterpieces, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST!
4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Henry Fonda Edition
4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!
Today, we celebrate the birthday of Henry Fonda! Fonda was born 120 years ago today and, over the course of his long career, he was often cast in role the epitomized everything great about America. It’s rare to find a Henry Fonda film in which he played an out-and-out villain, though he did just that in Sergio Leone’s Once Upon A Time In The West. (Leone, in fact, cast Fonda as the evil Frank because he knew audiences would be shocked to see Fonda coldly gunning down settlers and their families.)
In honor Henry Fonda’s legacy, here are….
4 Shots From 4 Films
My Darling Clementine (1946, dir by John Ford)
Fort Apache (1948, dir by John Ford)
Once Upon A Time In The West (1968, dir by Sergio Leone)
My Name Is Nobody (1973, dir by Tonino Valerii)
Song of the Day: Once Upon A Time In The West by Ennio Morricone
Continuing this somewhat impromptu tribute to the year 1968, today’s song of the day comes to us from Ennio Morricone’s classic score for Sergio Leone’s Once Upon A Time In The West!
6 Shots From 6 Films: Special 1968 Edition
6 Shots From 6 Films is just what it says it is, 6 shots from 6 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 6 Shots From 6 Films lets the visuals do the talking!
Today, we pay tribute to the year 1968! It’s time for….
6 Shots From 6 1968 Films
Night of the Living Dead (1968, dir by George Romero, DP: George Romero)
Petulia (1968, dir by Richard Lester, DP: Nicolas Roeg)
Once Upon A Time In The West (1968, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Tonino Delli Colli)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, dir by Stanley Kubrick, DP: Geoffrey Unsworth)
Psych-Out (1968, dir by Richard Rush, DP; Laszlo Kovacs)
Dracula Has Risen The Grave (1968, dir by Freddie Francis, DP: Arthur Grant)
4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Sergio Leone Edition
Sergio Leone (1929 — 1989)
4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!
96 years ago today, Sergio Leone was born in Rome, Italy. The son of actor/screenwriter Vincenzo Leone and silent actress Edvige Valcarenghi, Sergio was born into the Italian film industry. He began his career in the post-war rebuilding period, working as an assistant to Vittorio De Sica and, as an assistant director, for American films that were shot in Italy. (Albeit uncredited, he worked on two Oscar-nominated Biblical epics, Quo Vadis and Ben-Hur.)
After making his directorial debut with The Colossus of Rhodes, Leone went on to direct the films that would change the face of international cinema. Though he was hardly the first director of Spaghetti westerns, he was was the first to achieve far-reaching acclaim. With the Dollars Trilogy, he made Clint Eastwood a star and Eastwood has often said that the majority of what he knows about directing, he learned from working with Leone and later Don Siegel. Leone went on to direct the brilliant Once Upon A Time In The West and Once Upon A Time in America, two epic visions of American history that, sadly, were not initially treated well by their distributors.
Though Leone is only credited with directing eight films, his influence cannot be underestimated. As both a visual artist and a cultural and political commentator, his films continue to influence directors to this day.
For that reason, it’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Sergio Leone Films
The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (1966, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Tonino Delli Colli)
Once Upon A Time In The West (1968, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Tonino Delli Colli)
Duck, You Sucker (1971, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Giuseppe Ruzzolini)
Once Upon A Time In America (1984, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Tonino Delli Colli)
4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Sergio Leone Edition
Sergio Leone (1929 — 1989)
4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!
95 years ago today, Sergio Leone was born in Rome, Italy. The son of actor/screenwriter Vincenzo Leone and silent actress Edvige Valcarenghi, Sergio was born into the Italian film industry. He began his career in the post-war rebuilding period, working as an assistant to Vittorio De Sica and, as an assistant director, for American films that were shot in Italy. (Albeit uncredited, he worked on two Oscar-nominated Biblical epics, Quo Vadis and Ben-Hur.)
After making his directorial debut with The Colossus of Rhodes, Leone went on to direct the films that would change the face of international cinema. Though he was hardly the first director of Spaghetti westerns, he was was the first to achieve far-reaching acclaim. With the Dollars Trilogy, he made Clint Eastwood a star and Eastwood has often said that the majority of what he knows about directing, he learned from working with Leone and later Don Siegel. Leone went on to direct the brilliant Once Upon A Time In The West and Once Upon A Time in America, two epic visions of American history that, sadly, were not initially treated well by their distributors.
Though Leone is only credited with directing eight films, his influence cannot be underestimated. As both a visual artist and a cultural and political commentator, his films continue to influence directors to this day.
For that reason, it’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Sergio Leone Films
The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (1966, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Tonino Delli Colli)
Once Upon A Time In The West (1968, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Tonino Delli Colli)
Duck, You Sucker (1971, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Giuseppe Ruzzolini)
Once Upon A Time In America (1984, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Tonino Delli Colli)
4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Sergio Leone Edition
Sergio Leone (1929 — 1989)
4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!
94 years ago today, Sergio Leone was born in Rome, Italy. The son of actor/screenwriter Vincenzo Leone and silent actress Edvige Valcarenghi, Sergio was born into the Italian film industry. He began his career in the post-war rebuilding period, working as an assistant to Vittorio De Sica and, as an assistant director, for American films that were shot in Italy. (Albeit uncredited, he worked on two Oscar-nominated Biblical epics, Quo Vadis and Ben-Hur.)
After making his directorial debut with The Colossus of Rhodes, Leone went on to direct the films that would change the face of international cinema. Though he was hardly the first director of Spaghetti westerns, he was was the first to achieve far-reaching acclaim. With the Dollars Trilogy, he made Clint Eastwood a star and Eastwood has often said that the majority of what he knows about directing, he learned from working with Leone and later Don Siegel. Leone went on to direct the brilliant Once Upon A Time In The West and Once Upon A Time in America, two epic visions of American history that, sadly, were not initially treated well by their distributors.
Though Leone is only credited with directing eight films, his influence cannot be underestimated. As both a visual artist and a cultural and political commentator, his films continue to influence directors to this day.
For that reason, it’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Sergio Leone Films
The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (1966, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Tonino Delli Colli)
Once Upon A Time In The West (1968, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Tonino Delli Colli)
Duck, You Sucker (1971, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Giuseppe Ruzzolini)
Once Upon A Time In America (1984, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Tonino Delli Colli)
6 Classic Trailers For January 8th, 2022
Since this week started with Sergio Leone’s birthday, it only seems appropriate that today’s edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse Trailers should be dedicated to the Western. Here are 6 classic Spaghetti western trailers!
- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
It only makes sense that we should start things off with a trailer from a Leone film and it makes further sense that film should be The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. It’s all here, from the classic Ennio Morricone score to the unforgettable staring contest between Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach.
2. Sabata (1969)
While Clint Eastwood was able to use his appearances in Leone’s westerns to restart his American film career, Lee Van Cleef remained in Italy. After playing the villainous Angel Eyes, Van Cleef played the hero Sabata. This trailer is very, very 60s.
3. Django (1966)
Franco Nero never appeared in a Sergio Leone film but he was a favorite of the famous “other Sergio,” Sergio Corbucci. In Corbucci’s Django, Nero played the haunted title character, making his way across the west with a deadly coffin.
4. Django Kill (1967)
Django was such a hit that a number of other films were made about other haunted, amoral gunslingers named Django. Whether or not they were all the same Django was left to the audience to decide. In Django Kill, Tomas Milian played the title character and found himself in a surreal hellscape, surrounded by people who were obsessed with gold.
5. The Great Silence (1968)
The Great Silence was one of the greatest of the spaghetti westerns, featuring Klaus Kinski in one of his best and most villainous roles. Unfortunately, like many of the better spaghetti westerns, it initially did not get a proper release in the States. Fortunately, it has since been rediscovered.
6. Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)
And finally, to close things out, here’s one last Sergio Leone trailer. Sadly underappreciated when first released, Once Upon A Time In The West has since come to be recognized as a masterpiece.
4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Sergio Leone Edition
Sergio Leone (1929 — 1989)
4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!
93 years ago today, Sergio Leone was born in Rome, Italy. The son of actor/screenwriter Vincenzo Leone and silent actress Edvige Valcarenghi, Sergio was born into the Italian film industry. He began his career in the post-war rebuilding period, working as an assistant to Vittorio De Sica and, as an assistant director, for American films that were shot in Italy. (Albeit uncredited, he worked on two Oscar-nominated Biblical epics, Quo Vadis and Ben-Hur.)
After making his directorial debut with The Colossus of Rhodes, Leone went on to direct the films that would change the face of international cinema. Though he was hardly the first director of Spaghetti westerns, he was was the first to achieve far-reaching acclaim. With the Dollars Trilogy, he made Clint Eastwood a star and Eastwood has often said that the majority of what he knows about directing, he learned from working with Leone and later Don Siegel. Leone went on to direct the brilliant Once Upon A Time In The West and Once Upon A Time in America, two epic visions of American history that, sadly, were not initially treated well by their distributors.
Though Leone is only credited with directing eight films, his influence cannot be underestimated. As both a visual artist and a cultural and political commentator, his films continue to influence directors to this day.
For that reason, it’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Sergio Leone Films
For A Few Dollars More (1965, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Massimo Dallamano)
The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (1966, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Tonino Delli Colli)
Once Upon A Time In The West (1968, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Tonino Delli Colli)
Once Upon A Time In America (1984, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Tonino Delli Colli)
