MovieChat Forums > C'era una volta il West (1969) Discussion > Would someone care to explain all the hy...

Would someone care to explain all the hype?

posted 8 years ago by fishncheez
33 replies | jump to latest

I watched this film today having read that this was the only western you ever need to see. I didn't like it.

I have seen the Good, the Bad and the Ugly and thought it was brilliant. Great characters, great story, great cinematically for its day.

I saw another Bronson film the Gunfighter and I was gripped by the story.

I sat through 3 and a half hours of Seven Samurai with eyes wide open and when it ended I longed for more.

But this film just seemed to drag on forever. Yeah the cinematics were great but we've seen that before. The story was totally confusing until the end. Some people like that but I just found it made the long drawn out drama all the more tedious. I didn't find any of the characters particularly remarkable. The end was an anti climax. Many of the key scenes were predictable, like when Bronson makes a winning bid for the land at the last minute. I even found the music annoying.

I just don't think this film added anything to the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. I agree with earlier posters who said this seemed like a lousy sequel. Yet somehow it's got an 8.6 rating.

So I would be interested to know what other people think. If you disagree with me completely please have the courtesy to explain the reasons behind your thoughts, as I have explained mine.

I honestly don't think I would ever want to sit through those 159 minutes again, yet I can't help wondering how this film managed to get so much praise.

[–] Jones70 (6195) 3 years ago

It's probably my favorite western, I just think it has extremely good build up and pay off.

[–] FootOfDavros (7232) 3 years ago

Adam Sandler made a western called "The Ridiculous 6". Apparently it's only two hours long so made it'd work better for you...

[–] BourbonKing (5682) 3 years ago

The movie is about an epoch of the cinematic imagination that created the "Old West" as it has been portrayed for decades by Hollywood. Leone wasn't making a historical film as much as a slowburn fantasy movie that demythizises the Western genre and the characters that inhabit it. The film isn't told in linear fashion where the main character is the focus because we basically have three or even four main characters but all their arcs intersect due to their circumstances. This is a major innovation in Western storytelling as it is usually thru the eyes of a male protagonist with everyone else is there to support or obstruct him (a la John Wayne, "Shane", or "High Noon")

[–] pjl69 (2519) 3 years ago

If you don't get it by watching, there's no point in explaining...

[–] buzzlightbeer (1823) a year ago

bingo.

[–] TimMC (9143) 3 years ago

I've probably posted this before but...

Several times I have noticed it on NETFLIX and just wanted to watch the first scene of the movie(AMAZING SCENE. OMG) and then I would be hooked and watch the entire flick AGAIN.

LOL

Like another poster said, try it again, is also my advice.

[–] Sudip (51) 2 years ago

This is exactly what happened to me today! Not only did I end up watching the whole movie, but here I am, browsing the forums! 🤣

[–] buzzlightbeer (1823) 2 years ago

Fascinating how some people just dont get it. THAT is the real question, instead of why is this film so loved.

[–] SandyR (7612) a year ago

The parts are greater than the sum.

[–] buzzlightbeer (1823) a year ago

it's one of those cases when if you know, you know.

if someone doesn't get it, i can't explain it.

it's deliciously epic and timeless, a pinnacle of the artform.

it also has a perfect merging of form, content, and theme.

and let's not forget the music. one of the best scores ever done.