Sergio Leone is the man! If you haven’t heard of the director, shame on you! You probably know the following movies: “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”, “ Once Upon a Time in the West” and “Once Upon a Time in America”. Well, Leone is the director of these movies. I’m not sure what the first western I saw was, but it was probably The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. I was completely blown away by that movie. The film is extremely attractive and the long shots are memorable. For example: the opening scene in which a dog is crossing a road, lasts 16 seconds! Leone is also well known for his extreme close-up shots.
If it wasn’t for Ennio Morricone, the movies would never be that good. Most Leone films featured scores by Morricone. These two geniuses knew each other from high-school, so Morricone worked in a close collaboration with Leone. The best way to discover his music, is to listen for yourself, since it is very hard to describe his style. Anyway, Leone never got the credit he deserved. Somehow their movies were never considered as a true form of art, though his movies were very popular, especially in Europe. He is by far my favourite director and you should at least check out The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, because that’s his best movie and in my opinion also the best western ever! He also made other films, that are very good, but this movie in particular is something extraordinary, it’s magic! Just see for yourself.