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Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
Yesterday, I went to the ballet with my mother, even though I don't really understand this genre – people just dance, and it's supposed to be very interesting. I have a similar attitude towards Westerns. Let's look at the similarities: a simplistic plot that exists just for the sake of it, monotonous musical themes that repeat many times (especially during the era of Morricone's dominance), and most importantly, the hope that the audience cares more about the standard elements of the genre than about originality and uniqueness. Apart from that, I'm generally indifferent to the Wild West setting, cowboys, and other related things. So, the genre just isn't for me.
And today, while watching this particular film, my impressions were very similar to those I had after the ballet, especially since the first 15 minutes of the film have almost no action and the characters barely speak. And even after an hour or an hour and a half, my impressions hadn't changed much – I could appreciate the competent work of the individuals involved in the process, but I didn't feel any overall enjoyment. However, in the second half/third of the film, I finally started to get into it. The protagonist barely speaks throughout the film; he comes from nowhere, and we don't even know his name. We only know that he wants to find and, presumably, kill someone named Frank, who is clearly portrayed as a villain. While a larger plot unfolds around him, with various characters trying to make money or simply save their own skins, the protagonist continues to silently pursue his goal. The film moves at a slow pace, and the protagonist doesn't rush either – he often knows that the right people will come to him, and he just waits. You start to understand, or rather feel, that the protagonist has wanted to kill Frank for a very, very long time, and that during this time, he has learned patience. At the same time, we are not told, or even hinted at, what his motive might be. And this only intensifies the feeling of something grand, creating an understanding that the protagonist is willing to do anything to achieve his goal, that it is the meaning of his life – and we don't even know why. And when it finally becomes clear that this moment is approaching, that it is near, you feel, in a sense, on the same level as the hero – he has been waiting for years to take revenge, and you have been waiting for more than two hours to see him do it. And Morricone's music suddenly strikes the right chords, and you feel the importance of this moment. In general, the climax and the moment itself are emotionally well-executed. The high rating is well-deserved, as long as you don't fall asleep during the first half.
Yesterday, I went to the ballet with my mother, even though I don't really understand this genre – people just dance, and it's supposed to be very interesting. I have a similar attitude towards Westerns. Let's look at the similarities: a simplistic plot that exists just for the sake of it, monotonous musical themes that repeat many times (especially during the era of Morricone's dominance), and most importantly, the hope that the audience cares more about the standard elements of the genre than about originality and uniqueness. Apart from that, I'm generally indifferent to the Wild West setting, cowboys, and other related things. So, the genre just isn't for me.
And today, while watching this particular film, my impressions were very similar to those I had after the ballet, especially since the first 15 minutes of the film have almost no action and the characters barely speak. And even after an hour or an hour and a half, my impressions hadn't changed much – I could appreciate the competent work of the individuals involved in the process, but I didn't feel any overall enjoyment. However, in the second half/third of the film, I finally started to get into it. The protagonist barely speaks throughout the film; he comes from nowhere, and we don't even know his name. We only know that he wants to find and, presumably, kill someone named Frank, who is clearly portrayed as a villain. While a larger plot unfolds around him, with various characters trying to make money or simply save their own skins, the protagonist continues to silently pursue his goal. The film moves at a slow pace, and the protagonist doesn't rush either – he often knows that the right people will come to him, and he just waits. You start to understand, or rather feel, that the protagonist has wanted to kill Frank for a very, very long time, and that during this time, he has learned patience. At the same time, we are not told, or even hinted at, what his motive might be. And this only intensifies the feeling of something grand, creating an understanding that the protagonist is willing to do anything to achieve his goal, that it is the meaning of his life – and we don't even know why. And when it finally becomes clear that this moment is approaching, that it is near, you feel, in a sense, on the same level as the hero – he has been waiting for years to take revenge, and you have been waiting for more than two hours to see him do it. And Morricone's music suddenly strikes the right chords, and you feel the importance of this moment. In general, the climax and the moment itself are emotionally well-executed. The high rating is well-deserved, as long as you don't fall asleep during the first half.
Where do we go?
Where do we end up when we save the world?
Where do we end up when we save the world?