Deconstructing Sergio Leone's 'Once Upon a Time in the West'

Joshua Cornelius deconstructs the complexities of the opening scene of Sergio Leone's classic film Once Upon a Time in the West. For more film commentary and criticism from a variety of genres check out the The Film League website.












Deconstructing the opening scene of Once Upon a Time in the West




Deconstructing the scene from Once Upon a Time in the West in which Jill McBain (Claudia Cardinale) arrives in Flagstone. This commentary focuses heavily on the aspects of visual storytelling and Tonino Delli Colli's cinematography.




Analyzeing  the political and social climate that led to Once Upon a Time in the West's critical and financial failure in 1968.