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.

[–] Luffy (837) a year ago

I agree with you. It is not a thrilling movie. There is a lack of pace, good crisp dialogue, and the scenes are achingly slow. But I'd rather watch this than anything of the dollar trilogy.

First of all, I don't like slow movies like OUATITW, 2001 A Space Odyssey, and Andrei Rubliev. It takes me out of the experience. The script usually elevates a good raw idea into a great but popular movie. What I'm saying is, is that I understand both those who love, and those who hate the movie.

Leone directed the movie of his life in this. He made the film work somewhat. The direction and the music are the only exceptional stuff about this western. I gave it 10/10 when I was a teenager, but now that I know that the movie is not as deep as I imagined it to be, I'd give it 6.5/10.

OUATITW has been hailed as one of the first postmodern films by Baudrillard and his gang. It has notoriety. The movie is a love letter to western fans, and it is the ultimate wanted poster in its entirety. But I did not enjoy myself watching this.