Once Upon a Time in the West is a 1968 epic Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone, who co-wrote it with Sergio Donati based on a story by Dario Argento, Bernardo Bertolucci, and Leone. It stars Henry Fonda, cast against type, as the villain, Charles Bronson as his nemesis, Jason Robards as a bandit, and Claudia Cardinale as a newly widowed homesteader. The widescreen cinematography was by Tonino Delli Colli, and the acclaimed film score was by Ennio Morricone. After directing The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Leone decided to retire from Westerns and desired to produce his film based on The Hoods, which eventually became Once Upon a Time in America, but Leone accepted an offer from Paramount Pictures to provide access to Henry Fonda and to use a budget to produce another Western film. He recruited Bertolucci and Argento to devise the plot of the film in 1966, researching other Western films in the process.
| Director | Sergio Leone |
| Produced by | Fulvio Morsella |
| Screenplay by | Sergio Donati, Sergio Leone |
| Story by | Dario Argento, Bernardo Bertolucci, Sergio Leone |
| Starring | Claudia Cardinale, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, Charles Bronson, Gabriele Ferzetti, Woody Strode, Jack Elam, Lionel Stander, Paolo Stoppa, Frank Wolff, Keenan Wynn |
| Music | Ennio Morricone |
| Cinematography | Tonino Delli Colli |
| Edited by | Nino Baragli |
| Distributed by | Euro International Films (Italy), Paramount Pictures (United States) |
| Released | December 20, 1968 (Rome), December 21, 1968 (Italy), May 28, 1969 (New York) |
| Running time | 166 minutes |
| Country | Italy, United States |
| Language | Italian, English |
| Budget | $5 million |
| Box office | $5,321,508 (US), 14,873,804 admissions (France) 13,000,000 admissions (Germany) |
| Netflix ID | 60031884 |
About Once Upon a Time in the West
Jill McBain travels to the Utah frontier to join her husband and children and settle down. When she arrives, her husband and kids are found dead.
Achievement of Once Upon a Time in the West
Henry Fonda was originally rejected for the role of Frank.
Top Facts You Did Not Know About Once Upon a Time in the West
Films directed by Sergio Leone.. Italian epic films.. American epic films.. Rail transport films.. Films shot in Arizona.. Spaghetti Western films.. Films shot in Utah.. Films set in Texas.. Films set in the United States.
Latest information about Once Upon a Time in the West updated on July 28 2021.
