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By
NICK ZEGARAC
Sergio Leone's epic
spaghetti western pits a lone gunman, Harmonica
(Charles Bronson) -- playing sort of the good guy
-- against evil incarnate, Frank (Henry Fonda).
Frank's men, Stony (Woody Strode) and Snaky (Jack
Elam) have been sent to the train station to
ensure that Harmonica does not get off at his
station alive. Meanwhile, the murder of Jill
McBain's (Claudia Cardinale) entire family,
because they're ranch house and property just
happen to be in the direct path of a pending
railway project, sets off this power keg of
action. Jill is determined to have her revenge on
the man responsible -- the man who is currently
her ruthless lover. Jason Robards costars as
Manuel Gutierez, a rancher with his own hidden
agenda; one that coincides with Harmonica's to rid
the west of Frank and his remaining posse. After a
series of highly profitable western quickies
featuring Clint Eastwood, director, Leone emerged
with perhaps the most poignant example of the
revisionist western ever put on film. Unlike days
of old, this film is not populated with a series
of conflicts between the good and bad guys, but a
disquieting melting pot of tonal gray
representations of the best and the worst that the
lawless west has spawned. The ending is as open as
the great outdoors and Leone's methodical pacing
produces a work on par with the most purely
sublime spaghetti westerns.
The transfer is incredible! Paramount Home Video
gives us a gorgeous looking DVD. Colors are
sumptuously rendered with the entire landscape a
visceral sea of rich gold, burnt browns, deep
blacks and wonderful sky blues. Contrast and black
levels are bang on. There is no shimmering of fine
details, pixelization or aliasing for a thoroughly
smooth looking mastering effort. An extremely
subtle hint of edge enhancement crops up now and
then, but it is so incredibly minute that to even
mention its presence seems unfair. The audio is
equally impressive. The 5.1 remastering effort
brings forth a robust sound in all 5 channels,
with a strong base and incredibly integrated sound
field. Yes, dialogue is slightly forward sounding
but hey, is that any reason to complain? In the
extras too, Paramount impresses. Three
documentaries cover the film's development and
release from all angles. There is also an audio
commentary, the theatrical trailer and some other
quickie stuff added to good effect. |
