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The wind rolls up the yellow sand for thousands of miles. In the dilapidated train station, the three men in yellow coats were impatient, as if they were waiting for something.
The train stopped and went, and a shrill and melodious sound of harmonica pierced through the sand. The three big men suddenly sobered up, and invariably looked at the source of the voice.
The man was in ragged clothes and played a harmonica...
At this time, the rhythm of the picture is elongated, and each shot is extremely expressive.
There is a genre of movies called Westerns. It tells the 100-year wild history of the eastern white conquest of the west in the 19th and 20th centuries.
There was a Western director named Sergio Leone . A director with only 7 films in existence, including 4 on IMDb Top 100.
The director brought Italian sensibilities to Hollywood and created epic westerns that had a profound impact on later generations including John Woo and Quentin Tarantino .
01 The end of the western era
As a representative work of Western films, the story of "Once Upon a Time in the West" directed by Sergio Leone is not complicated. The producers wanted to see a sequel to " The Bad and the Bad," but Sergio Leone said, "Then I want to make a movie about the end of the Western era."
"Once Upon a Time in the West" was born from this.
The wind rolls up the yellow sand for thousands of miles. A mysterious man appeared playing the harmonica and confronted three big men in yellow, which became a classic scene in film history.
Dilapidated farm, the gangsters headed by Frank killed the farmer's family.
At the crowded station, Jill, a beautiful woman, comes from afar to marry her fiancé.
In a noisy pub, fugitive Cheyenne escapes to investigate the man who framed him.
Who is the mysterious man? What does he want to do?
Frank is trying to transform in the direction of capitalists, what should he do?
What should Jill do when she finds herself embroiled in a land war?
Cheyenne encounters many dangers in the investigation, how can he escape?
In this wild town that is about to be developed and ushered in a new era, several forces meet, the entanglement of evil forces, the true feelings of men and women... A hearty and desolate war begins around "The End of the Western Movie" prelude".
02Epic graphics and soundtrack
"Once Upon a Time in the West" has epic graphics and a calm atmosphere. As a widescreen movie, it shows the vast loess land in long-axis images.
The film frequently uses two-stage shots. Panorama - close-up - panorama. The yellow sand is flying, the four fields are empty, the horses with a strong sense of power and the gunmen on their horses, and the roaring trains are hot and hot. The slow-paced picture, with its visual impact and strong sense of rhythm, shows the wild scene of the American pioneering era.
Director Leone believes that the soundtrack is not only the soundtrack, it is also a part of the plot. The soundtrack creates a desolate western atmosphere, promotes the development of the plot, and sets the tone of the film together with the pictures.
Each character in the film has corresponding character music, such as the harmonica of the mysterious man. Whenever the harmonica sounds, it must be that he is about to appear. It can be said that the harmonica plays an indispensable role in shaping this role.
Plot music plays a role in transferring emotion and narrative orientation. For example, in the switching between harmonica and soprano, the audience can
Knowing that the picture is about to turn from the mysterious man to Jill, so as to foresee the emotional direction of the next story.
The film's soundtrack was completed by the famous soundtrack master Ennio Morricone , who has performed soundtracks for many classic films such as "The Godfather", "The Beautiful Legend of Sicily" and "The Pianist at Sea".
03Super powerful main creative lineup
Charles Bronson, who plays the mysterious man, is a Lithuanian immigrant who has shaped many classic Hollywood tough guys. In this film he played a minority with a secret.
Oscar-winning actor Henry Fonda, who often appears as an American gentleman , played Frank, the only villain played by the sixth-best actor in Hollywood history.
Actor Jason Robards, who played the fugitive Cheyenne, also won multiple Oscars.
Jill is played by the famous Italian actress Claudia Cardina. He has collaborated with many internationally renowned directors, including Fellini's "Eight and a Half" , Visconti's "Leopard" , Herzog's "Road Boat" , etc.
It can be said that these four people represent the four groups of people in the western pioneer era.
And there is a dialogue in the movie.
Mysterious Man: You finally found out that you are not a businessman?
Frank: Just a man.
Mysterious Man: An ancient nation.
The mysterious man represents the conquered aborigines in the pioneering era, Frank represents the cowboy who tried to transform and failed, and Cheyenne is the outlaw who is thief and wise. They belong to the wild west, the west that obeys the laws of pure nature. However, the West is no longer theirs.
Three men, two died and one left. The one who survived continues to wander, waiting for the call of death.
The West belongs to the civilization to come, and the era belongs to those who dare to accept it. Jill's final choice represents her belief that everything will pass and the future is full of hope. One day, high-rise buildings in the west will come to life, and she is waiting for that day and preparing for that day.
04 Yesterday is dead, tomorrow is coming
This is the best of times and the worst of times. This is the case every time the history changes. Fortunately, yesterday’s bloody slaughter and savage conquest are gone forever. No matter how cruel today is, at least there is still tomorrow to look forward to; can be abandoned in the past.
"Once Upon a Time in the West" is like a eulogy, full of nostalgia for the old days; but it is also like a warning book, how to get rid of the fate of being eliminated in a big era.
The times are still the masters of the world, and no one can compete. On the way to change their fate, the little people firmly believe that "my destiny is up to me", some people succeed, some people fail.
The rules made by God have long passed the original script, setting each person's role.
Do you want to be an actor and follow the show, or become a director to rewrite the script; choose to be eliminated by the times, or seize the opportunity to adapt to the future?
Everyone has no choice, but everyone still has a chance.
In life, parting is a common thing, don't be too sad.
- "Once Upon a Time in the West"
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