Dudes, seriously??FAFDM is probably the Leone film I've watched more than any other, and my love for it is as strong now as from the moment I saw it. IMO everything about this movie is perfect; it has the greatest movie villain of all time (Indio), the greatest production design of any Western ever, El Paso is the greatest Western town set ever, there is the usual great Morricone.My heart is filled with pity for you poor, poor souls who are unable to experience the pure joy that is watching FAFDM.
As a movie buff with my own history when it comes to films, I rank Leone films above anything else in the world. Even food.As a regular viewer with my own tastes, I rank Little Big Man, The Wild Bunch, Cheyenne Autumn, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Unforgiven and even Dance With The Wolves (not the director's cut though) above FOD/FFDM.From an academic perspective and as a wannabe director, only The Wild Bunch supports the comparison (as good as).It depends on what you mean by "above another film".
To me they both contain 10/10 and 3/10 material. Unlike the following Leone films, that only contain 7+ material.So I won't disagree with anyone saying they rock. They do. And the musical watch is one of the greatest ideas ever. I'm just saying they don't only rock:- the mise en scene is revolutionary but the photography is cheap and hasn't aged well- most supporting characters are caricatures (and yes, there is a difference between a comedia dell'arte treatment of a myth and cheap caricature)- every scene is supposed to be utterly intense while some don't deserve this intensity. They become heavy-handed.- the plot is just not half as well thought as it is in GBU/OUATITW This is why I wouldn't show them to a friend who hasn't seen them without an appropriate warning and a little speech about the importance they had for westerns, cinema and Leone. On the contrary, I know I can show GBU and OUATITW without any introduction other than "Be careful, it's slow."(I'm not mentioning DYS/OUATIA on purpose, of course. They're flawed and rock in their own way.)