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An ESL / EFL Online Gap-Fill Quiz on Once Upon A Time In The West

Once Upon a Time in the West is a 1968 Italian spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Leone for Paramount Pictures. It Henry Fonda, unusually as the villain, and Charles Bronson as his enemy. Bronson was offered the after Clint Eastwood turned it . The screenplay was written by Leone and Sergio Donati, and composer Ennio Morricone provided the film score. The original , a big success in Europe, was 166 minutes long when it was first released in December 1968. The version for the US in May 1969 was edited down to 145 minutes and was greeted with mostly negative critical response. It was a financial in the U.S.

Though less popular in the US than the earlier "Dollars Trilogy," Once Upon a Time in the West has gained a huge following around the world, particularly among filmmakers and . In the 1970s, it was re-evaluated by many , many of whom called it a masterpiece. Directors such as Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese have spoken about the the film had on them and the way they made their movies. It is now considered one of the films ever made and critics consider it to be the finest ever Western. Time magazine it as one of the 100 greatest films of the 20th century. It also ranks highly on dozens more movie .