Customer Reviews

Once Upon A Time In The West: The Original Soundtrack Recording

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Be sure to pick up the 2005 edition of the soundtrack, also available here at Amazon: The remastering (sound quality) is better *and* there are 20 tracks, instead of the 12/13 on the previous releases, like this one from 1988/1990.

So I give this release 3 stars, but would give the newer release 5.

In popular terms, when one thinks of composer Ennio Morricone, the first thing that they're likely to think of is "spaghetti westerns"--namely the scores he composed for director Sergio Leone's "Dollars" trilogy of the 1960s. Morricone's output, of course, is much bigger than that now. But one of the best scores he ever did for any film, western or otherwise, was the one he composed for Leone's 1969 western epic ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST. And like the film itself, Morricone's music has gained a foothold as one of the very best film scores ever composed for a western.

Amazingly, Morricone composed the film score by reading the screenplay by Leone and Sergio Donati, and doing this before a single frame of film was exposed by Leone himself. This meant that Leone could choreograph the main characters' movements in the film. Thus, you get certain sound elements weaving throughout the score--a lush, haunting score (with a wordless female voice) for Claudia Cardinale's frontier widow character; a stinging electric guitar for the ruthless railroad killer portrayed by Henry Fonda; a jaunty banjo for Cheyenne, the outlaw portrayed by Jason Robards; and an ominous, tuneless harmonica for Charles Bronson's character.

One element that is strangely never mentioned when it comes to Morricone's scores for either this film or the "Dollars" trilogy is how attracted he is to minor keys. The themes attached to the Bronson, Robards, and Fonda characters are all in the key of A Minor (the famous "The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly" is in D Minor). It is this penchant that Morricone has for the minor keys in his composing that gives his western scores the ominous and deadly charge they have.

One previous reviewer compared the Leone/Morricone collaboration to those of Hitchcock/Herrmann and Spielberg/Williams. I think this is an extremely apt comparison, and it goes a long way in explaining the success of the films, the filmmakers, and the composers who help them. ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST is a sterling example of the Leone/Morricone collaboration, and is well worth finding.

I was driving through the Utah desert years ago and popped this CD in. I chose to play it because, well... I couldn't find my Donny and Marie tapes. No. I played it because it was the perfect soundtrack to a solo drive through every western I've ever seen or heard. Morricone is, of course, one of the great composers. From "The Mission" to "Cinema Paradiso", his music haunts and stays with you long after the credits roll.

"Once Upon a Time in the West" was a brilliant movie. From the insanely haunting title track to the soft beauty of "A Dimly Lit Room", this soundtrack will touch you. Listen to "Death Rattle" and you'll imagine yourself standing in the middle of the desert with the hot sun beating down on you - waiting for something bad to happen. Your mind will play tricks on you. Is that... is that a mirage off in the distance or.. are they coming for you? Can you feel it all around you - the smell of death?

One of the best soundtracks. Period.

I've reviewed over eighty Morricone scores in my brief life thus far and this is the score to which I most frequently return. The wordless vocal sung by Morricone regular Edda del Orso defies description. I've listened to this score while lamenting my singularity in the Tucson desert, and heard it performed live by the Gran Caffe Orchestra in the Piazza San Marco in Venice under a full moon in October, and few experiences in life compare to the intensity and beauty of the latter. Sometimes I find Morricone morose and repetitive, but ONCE stands out from the bunch, alongside the unpublished LA VOGLIA MATTA (1962) and CHI MAI. There are many treatments of the main theme that invite repeated listening, but it is the final track that will send chills down your spine and make you believe in the heart, if not heaven.

Someone wrote before me: "a haunting, wordless female vocal on the main theme that sends chills down your spine and may even bring tears to your eyes."
I couldn't agree more regarding the chill and tears. I have tears in my eyes each time I listen and there is NO movie so far that brought to life the true drama of the Wild West in more vivid way. This music will stop you from doing whatever you are doing, forcing you to really really listen. I can't believe that they didn't give Morricone an Oscar for this - what a shame!!!!

The music written by Ennio Morricone for this film is some of the most eerie and haunting you will ever hear. I get chills down my spine every time I hear "As A Judgement", just picturing the cold stare of Henry Fonda as he guns down that 10 year old boy. The main theme is quite moving. "The Transgression" will again give you chills as will "Death Rattle". Awesome music all around.

Not for everybody, BUT.... If you're a fan of the movie, you NEED this one. "Man With A Harmonica" is the gunfight piece, played only once, not twice, as in the movie, with no concluding church bells, but still awesome otherwise. The main theme is recurrent in at least three pieces, but with differences such as vocalist versus violin. "Bad Orchestra" is self descriptive. It completed the scene, but unless you're running a cheap western tavern, you won't play it twice. "The Transgression" is out of place in the living room, too. It's the part where "Frank" is being stalked by his own men in town. The principle pieces are excellent, however, and make the purchase worthwhile.

By most accounts, Ennio Morricone's score for "Once Upon a Time in the West" was written before filming started and used as inspiration by director Sergio Leone. With inspiration like this, how could the film be anything but the classic it is? Just as the film is Leone's masterpiece, this score is the highlight of Morricone's vast output. A brilliant, inspired, and inspiring work, quite possibly the most hauntingly beautiful music ever composed for film. (And, for the record, neither the film nor the score were even nominated for an Academy Award.)

This is one of the most underrated soundtracks of all time. A haunting, ethereal work of genius, just like the movie from which it's taken. Anyone who has seen Once Upon a Time in the West is invariably struck by the music, which mirrors the perfection of the film. For anyone who loves movie soundtracks and appreciates sheer brilliance, this is a must have for your collection.

This is the ultimate in western music. I was 16 in 1969 when I saw this movie, and it haunted me (in the best way) for many years. I finally discovered the soundtrack at an obscure music store and grabbed it! This is one of my favorite albums of any kind of music of all time. I listen to it a lot, and never get tired of it....Morricone captured the true essence of the "wild west" better than any other media ever could, and still does. I took this with me when we went to see Monument Valley for the first time, and just as we drove to the point of first viewing, it was so perfect. I couldn't live without this album! I was haunted by this music since I was 16, and still am. There is nothing like it, nothing better. If you like the "spaghetti westerns", add this one to your collection. You will love it.