As a lover of the southwest and vintage, it's only natural that I love old western films. I definitely wouldn't say that I am an aficionado, but I am a fan enough to know that the best of the best westerns are spaghetti westerns. One of my favorites of all spaghetti westerns is Once Upon a Time in the West.
Filmed in 1968 by Italian director Sergio Leone, Once Upon a Time in the West takes place in a fictional town of the Old West, where a struggle over Sweetwater (the towns only water source) turns bloody. I won't go into details, but I will say that every aspect of this movie is done extremely well and reminds me of a Quentin Tarantino film (he might actually have been inspired by this movie). I truly love everything about this movie... the music, color scheme, acting, story line, slow pace, costumes, gun fights... it all truly adds up to be one of my favorite westerns of all time.
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| Several stills of the film |
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| first scene in Once Upon a Time in the West |
Once Upon a Time in the West stars Henry Fonda (the villain), Charles Bronson (the villain's nemesis), Claudia Cardinale (as the damsel in distress with a questionable past) and Jason Robards (as the bandit). Each character is fascinating to watch, especially seeing the costumes and the props that are used. I am convinced that the film maker really captured the grit and grime of the era. The costumes they wear in the film are especially dirty. The men are covered in grease and sweat, and their dusters are all brown and grey and covered with dust. But I am weird, and I love those filthy dusters, and boots, and five o-clock shadows. I am especially in love with the flat, wide brimmed hats and dusty suits. The female, on the other hand, has less appealing attire. I hate the way women were dolled up and constantly uncomfortable... but what I do like is the 60's style bed head and make up on Claudia Cardinale. I highly doubt women looked like this back then, but it works for the movie.
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| Henry Fonda as Frank |
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| Claudia Cardinale as Jill McBain |
I can't say that I dress like the characters from this era, but I definitely take inspiration from the color scheme of the movie. Dark greys, browns, tans...I always loved natural/neutral colors, blue skies and with the occasional pop of red from a bandana or dress. The props in the film all look heavy and substantial. Everything was made of something pure like iron or wood, and the clothing out of linen or cotton. "Stuff" seemed to be simple back then and I can appreciate that. The only thing I can't relate to is the ruthless killing, but after all it's just a movie.
If you haven't seen this movie, watch this trailer...
