Claudia Cardinale: Once upon a Time in the West [Spiel mir das Lied vom Tod] [OmU] IT, USA, 1968, R: Sergio Leone mit Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale, Charles Bronson, 165 Min
Spaghetti westerns were never too progressive in their depiction of women characters, but Claudia Cardinale’s role at the centre of Sergio Leone’s epic Once upon a Time in the West is more complex than might first appear, says Christina Newland.
Countless column inches have been spent in odes to the voluptuous beauty of Claudia Cardinale. The Italian-Tunisian bombshell was compared with Bardot, called “‘Italy’s happiest invention” by co-star David Niven, and became a breakout arthouse star of the 1960s.
[...] Few would assume that Sergio Leone, the lauded but thoroughly macho director of the Dollars trilogy, would come along and alter Cardinale’s on-screen depiction as a romanticised but earthy screen goddess. But the maker of classic spaghetti westerns seems to have met his match with Cardinale, and her role as the moral force of Once upon a Time in the West (1968) would prove to be an interesting departure from some of her idealised previous roles – even if only slightly.
Leone’s arid, dusty epic is set during the waning days of the American frontier, as an encroaching railroad is set to be constructed over a valuable tract of land known as Sweetwater. This property is sought after by the cruel outlaw Frank (Henry Fonda), who cheerfully murders the property’s rightful owner and unwittingly leaves the man’s widow, Jill McBain (Cardinale), the sole inheritor of the land.
Threatened on all sides and seemingly helpless to the vagaries of the violent men around her, Cardinale’s woman refuses to be cowed. She bravely defends her late husband’s property, even after a brutal implied rape takes place. When hero Harmonica (Charles Bronson) strides into town to enact revenge on Frank for separate reasons, he too is drawn to Jill, and strives to protect her and her land from the sadistic bandit. Finally, Cheyenne, the local criminal framed for her husband’s murder (Jason Robards), also circles around the woman, leaving her in a precarious and complex situation.
[BFI]
------------------------
Die Eröffnungsszene von "Spiel mir das Lied vom Tod" hat Filmgeschichte geschrieben: Drei Männer stehen an einer einsamen Eisenbahnstation. Ein Zug hält und ein Mann mit Mundharmonika (Charles Bronson) steigt aus. Es kommt zu einem kurzen Wortwechsel, kurz darauf erschießt der Fremde die drei Männer. Anschließend macht er sich auf den Weg, den Killer Frank - eiskalter Mörder einer ganzen Familie - zu töten...
Trailer: