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General Discussion / Fan Art "A Fistful of Colors" (Paint-along Art)

« on: July 03, 2016, 03:24:23 PM »

So I didn't see an "art" section like some forums have, so I thought I'd throw this up here. I have a painting studio where people come paint along with me for a couple of hours and take home a finished painting.

Every month I come up with a couple of new ones, and despite resistance from the ladies who run the other studios, I did this one last night for the September calendar. Maybe some guys will come...the clientele is mostly women, but they like to paint gifts too, so who knows. Sometimes I paint for me. (Plus I also did a forest scene that's more like what we typically do.)

One of my customers told me last night that it was missing the thing that would make her want to paint it, namely Clint Eastwood...LOL. I never do copies of other people's work or steal copyrighted subjects, but sometimes I'll do a "tribute," which this is....kind of a steelbox motif: "A Fistful of Colors."

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Once Upon A Time In The West / "OUATITW: Shot by Shot" by Frayling?

« on: July 02, 2016, 06:40:07 PM »

I was looking to pick up one of the Frayling books to read more in depth about OUATITW. One I found online that really caught my eye was "OUATITW: Shot by Shot." The problem is, I can't figure out if it is an old book, an upcoming book, or what.

Some of the book-ordering sites say it's coming sometime in the future, but a bunch of sketchy PDF download sites say you can download a copy now for free if you sign up.

It really sounds like something I would love, but I can't find any credible information about it. Does anyone know? Thanks!

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Once Upon A Time In The West / The Deteriorating Arch—A Moral Question

« on: June 29, 2016, 10:24:14 PM »

I've been enjoying reading about the remains of the arch in Monument Valley and various members' pilgrimages to it over the years.

From what I've read, it seems like the location is not maintained by its owners, which I assume is the Navajo Nation, nor is it designated as a Historic Place and has no markers, plaques, gift shops, or anything of the kind.

In fact, it's just a thing out in the desert that's deteriorating by the year and attracting more soda bottles than movie fans.

I know that OUATITW is not the most well-known film among the general public, but I've been pleased by how many people I've mentioned it to recently who do know it. Also, it's evident from this forum and other places I've visited on the internet that it has a huge following among both film fans and professionals, and is held in much higher esteem than I realized. Overseas it has spawned all kinds of special multi-disc DVD and Blu Ray editions with wooden boxes and harmonicas and Zippo lighters. So its following around the world is very significant, enough to warrant the kind of elite packaging treatment you'll probably never see in America.

My point is that there's a moral dilemma here: I think if you look at the interest worldwide, fans would go nuts for a commemorative piece of brick (I know, rock) from the original arch. Even with the deterioration, there is a ton of it still there. You could clear a single layer and—if you could market them worldwide, either on their own or as a bonus on the inevitable upcoming better-than-Blu-Ray release—make a mint from the little chiseled pieces it would yield.

Conversely, the Navajo Nation could either sponsor or allow a third party to raise funds for a cause (possibly related to film preservation if not a health-oriented one) by doing a "buy a brick" drive like other organizations and municipalities have done with parts of famous structures that had to be torn down. (My mother has this giant clay tile from a New Orleans church roof on her dining room wall.)

But...is that desecration? If it's deteriorating anyway, with no one trying to preserve it or even slow down its demise, and no one except buffs who have the means to visit it will ever see it since it's so isolated, wouldn't it be better to shave some of it off, maybe reinforcing the majority of what's left in the process, and let the rest of the world have a piece of it on top their TVs? (I guess TVs don't really have "tops" anymore, but you get the point.)

It sounds like there's enough of the pieces lying around to fund a hospital wing without even touching the main structure. Nobody wants any more than a Zippo lighter-sized piece anyway. Put it in a little acrylic box with a COA and you're on your way.

So...if it's not unacceptable to let it rot away in anonymity, and nobody in a position to change that sad fact has any interest in doing so, why not give it a more beneficial dismantling—maybe even leaving it better than it was, minus a layer or two?

My inner memorabilia-nut is intrigued.

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Once Upon A Time In The West / Why Are Harmonica and Cheyenne Suddenly So Passive About Jill's Disappearance?

« on: June 21, 2016, 09:33:01 AM »

Hi everyone...I'm new to the board and just watched the three Eastwood films and OUATITW for the first time, believe it or not (I'm too old to admit it without shame). I really loved them all, but as always with great films that I "discover," it's frustrating to feel lost on certain plot points that don't come together. It seems to be happening more, which is probably an age thing.

I know there is not a continuity problem with the "hideout" scenes in OUATITW, but I admit I was confused the first time by the storytelling at that point. An extra line or two of dialogue (like, "[Looking for this?] Pack up, we're goin' for a ride," LOL) would have helped somebody like me.

The part I'm struggling with is what's going on in Harmonica's and Cheyenne's heads when they're starting to build the station at Jill's place. They've just hurried away from Morton to save her, as they know Frank is after her, yet when they get to her place they're not in any hurry to find and save her. They're very passive about "when she comes back" and "if she comes back," yet at this point they have personal feelings for her, know Frank is a killer, yet do not seem worried about her well-being in the least.

You could say, well, they knew Frank's hideout was impossible to find, but even then they'd be concerned about her honor and her life. It's almost as though there's a missing scene where they get to Sweetwater and find a note that says "Do not look for me, there's been enough killing. I can handle myself." That's absurd, of course, but they act as if she communicated to them that she had gone to work things out on her own terms.

Why do they hurry to protect her from Frank and then seem completely unmotivated to do so? I've searched this board and the rest of the internet to see this issue addressed, but I can't find anyplace where it's dealt with directly.

(I also wonder why someone like Harmonica would "make an appointment" to see Frank rather than just go find him, not to mention why he and Mortimer wait so long to avenge their siblings, but I can roll with those.)