once upon a time : sergio leone

[Tuco the ugly]

That's comforting?!? 

aha

[The Firecracker]

That's comforting?!? 

very.

[Sanjuro]

The tape of this documentary finally arrived from Japan yesterday. Thanks to the kindness of my friend (even though he has no respect for Leone).

I enjoyed this documentary very much. It contains interviews with good number of significant people including actors, crews and Leone’s family.

What strikes me the most about this documentary is that all the interviewed people talk of Leone not just with respect but with full of affection for him. It’s easy to see Leone was loved by the people he worked with.

I’d like to give credit to the director Howard Hill for his effort to cover main actors and crews of Leone films (in spite of the fact that you don’t see people like De Niro, Carlo Simi or Nino Baragli). Though it is short, I enjoyed Rod Steiger’s comment about his favorite scene in DYS (he copied Leone’s body language for that scene).

The highlight of this documentary is making of OUTIA. The producer Arnon Milchan, writers Stuart Kaminsky and Piero De Bernardi and Leone’s family talk about the ordeal of the production. 

This documentary also shows two automobile TV commercials Leone directed and they are quite interesting to see. They are both extremely masculine. Real Leone touch. Music was by Morricone, of course.

I was very fascinated to see how Leone’s post OUTIA project “Leningrad” was being prepared. Even though only the opening scene was written at the time, Leone could manage to get 100 million dollars offer. At the end of the documentary, Christopher Frayling describes in details what that opening scene would be like. From his description, you can visualize a grand scale epic. It’s most regrettable that we will never see it on screen. 

After seeing this documentary, I realized again, what a great film maker we have lost.     

[The Firecracker]

This documentary also shows two automobile TV commercials Leone directed and they are quite interesting to see. They are both extremely masculine. Real Leone touch. Music was by Morricone, of course.

  

I enjoyed the "car in the colosseum" but didn't like that "African Bridge" commercial.

[Sanjuro]

I enjoyed the "car in the colosseum" but didn't like that "African Bridge" commercial.

That car in the collosseum reminded me of Gradiator.

[The Peacemaker]

I liked the Once Upon a Time documentary. It wasn't very trivial ( it was all basic information ), but like Sanjuro said, I liked the way his collaborators said such nice things about him.

[mike siegel]

Anybody wants a 3-Disc DVD 'SERGIO LEONE & ENNIO MORRICONE Documentaries'  ?
6 hours of stuff.
Send me an E-mail..

[Amaze]

hmm, is it in english or at least with subs?

[mike siegel]

Most of it is in english...:

VIVA LEONE!   (1989, engl)
ONCE UPON A TIME SERGIO LEONE (2001, engl.)
ES WAR EINMAL SERGIO LEONE (ca. 1994, dt.)
TONINO DELLI COLLI & SERGIO LEONE (2005, dt.)
BESUCH BEI LEONE & MORRICONE (1973, dt.)
AM SET VON ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1968, engl. 2minutes)
ENNIO MORICONE  (1995, engl/ital  mit dt. VO/Untertitel)
MUSICA PER GLI OCHI (1992, music only)
KONZERT IN MÜNCHEN (2005, music)
DEUTSCHE TRAILER (1964-1980)

[Jordan Krug]

Whoa - how would one go about getting such a treasure trove of material from you?

Most of it is in english...:

VIVA LEONE!   (1989, engl)
ONCE UPON A TIME SERGIO LEONE (2001, engl.)
ES WAR EINMAL SERGIO LEONE (ca. 1994, dt.)
TONINO DELLI COLLI & SERGIO LEONE (2005, dt.)
BESUCH BEI LEONE & MORRICONE (1973, dt.)
AM SET VON ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1968, engl. 2minutes)
ENNIO MORICONE  (1995, engl/ital  mit dt. VO/Untertitel)
MUSICA PER GLI OCHI (1992, music only)
KONZERT IN MÜNCHEN (2005, music)
DEUTSCHE TRAILER (1964-1980)

[cigar joe]

Yea good question Mike ? 

[mike siegel]

Told you, send me an e-mail..

Then again, I did respond to all e-mails so far, and yet nobody got back to me afterwards. Strange.

The DVD's are PAL / CODEFREE.

Maybe that's why nobody answered. Yet it's still bad manners (I think).

[mike siegel]

[Sanjuro]

My compliment to your cover design. That Japanese poster of GBU is a nice touch. Too bad I can't play PAL.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience.

[Amaze]

sanjuro, you can play it on your computer if you have a dvd rom