C’era una volta il West: Sergio Leone’s western epic and prelude to the “Once Upon a Time” trilogy
Plot and background
In the fictional town of Flagstone in western North America, farmer Brett McBain (Frank Wolff) has wisely secured a piece of land. The terminally ill railway tycoon Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti) wants to complete the connection to the Pacific before he dies, for which he needs McBain’s land. The farmer is therefore to be intimidated, which the unscrupulous Morton commissions the trigger-happy Frank (Henry Fonda) and his gang to do. Frank overshoots the mark in his mission and murders McBain and his three children. To divert the blame from himself, he makes the crime look as if it was committed by the bandit Cheyenne (Jason Robards). It now seems as if the land is without an owner until, however, the former prostitute Jill (Claudia Cardinale) from New Orleans appears in town. She was the new wife of McBain, who had married her only a few weeks before, and is the rightful owner of the land after his passing. Thrown into this delicate situation completely unprepared, however, she intends to fight for her land. She receives support from a stranger (Charles Bronson) who does not reveal his name. He distinguishes himself, however, by constantly playing a harmonica. He does not help Jill out of altruism, because the nameless man has a common past with Frank and still has a score to settle.
“Play Me the Song of Death” is an Italian-American western film by director Sergio Leone. Although the classic received little attention during its initial release, it later earned it and is now considered by many to be one of the best westerns, and indeed one of the best films, of all time.
