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Many fans of the genre will vehemently argue that Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West is the greatest spaghetti western ever made. Audiences will soon have the opportunity to revisit the classic film on a free streaming platform.

Once Upon a Time in the West will arrive on Tubi on March 1. The legendary movie stars the iconic Charles Bronson opposite Henry Fonda's villain. The revenge-western follows Bronson's character, Harmonica (a role originally intended for Clint Eastwood), as he tracks down Fonda's outlaw Frank to right a past wrong. The movie's ensemble includes Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards, Gabriele Ferzetti, Paolo Stoppa, Marco Zuanelli, Keenan Wynn, Frank Wolff, Lionel Stander, Woody Strode, Jack Elam, Al Mulock, Benito Stefanelli and Aldo Sambrell.

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One of Sergio Leone's spaghetti western masterpieces has hit a major streaming platform. Once Upon a Time in the West, starring Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson, has arrived on Prime Video as of December 1.

Directed and co-written by Leone, the revenge-western Once Upon a Time in the West follows Bronson's character, Harmonica (a role originally intended for Clint Eastwood), as he tracks down Fonda's outlaw Frank to right a past wrong. The film notably cast Fonda against type as the villain. The movie's ensemble includes Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards, Gabriele Ferzetti, Paolo Stoppa, Marco Zuanelli, Keenan Wynn, Frank Wolff, Lionel Stander, Woody Strode, Jack Elam, Al Mulock, Benito Stefanelli and Aldo Sambrell.

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Once Upon a Time in the West...

One of Sergio Leone's most beloved spaghetti westerns is coming to Paramount+ soon. The iconic filmmaker's Once Upon a Time in the West, considered one of the greatest movies ever, hits the service in August.

Directed and co-written by Leone, the legendary western debuted in 1968 with Paramount Pictures credited as one of the production companies that helped bring it to the big screen. Over half a century later, Once Upon a Time in the West will arrive on Paramount+ on August 1, 2024. The original 166-minute director's version of the movie premiered on December 21, 1968, in European territories, where it became a box-office success. Paramount cut Once Upon a Time in the West down to 145 minutes for its subsequent release in the United States on May 28 of the following year to more modest box office takings.

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The prequel...

Still believe in the goodness of people? Still hold out hope for the future? If so this is one picture you’ll want to catch up with sooner than later. ‘The Good Totò’ is literally found in a cabbage patch; the simple magic of kindness enables him to turn a shanty town into a little Utopia . . . for a few days. Vittorio De Sica and Cesare Zavattini fashion a story that insists that magic is as real as sunlight, music, and the words ‘Good Morning’ — and that man is imperfect and his institutions unjust. Francesco Golisano, Brunella Bovo and the heavenly Emma Gramatica are unforgettable. The warmth and understanding here bests that of Charlie Chaplin.

Miracle in Milan

Blu-ray

The Criterion Collection 1119

1951 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 96 min. / Miracolo a Milano / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date April 19, 2022 / 39.95

Starring: Emma Gramatica, Francesco Golisano, Paolo Stoppa, Guglielmo Barnabò, Brunella Bovo, Anna Carena,...

Don’t do it Vittorio! The Italian master’s last neorealist project was done ‘in collaboration’ with American producer David O. Selznick, who proceeded to crowbar his way into every directorial decision. The resulting ‘creative differences’ spoiled Signor De Sica’s Italian version, but that wasn’t enough. Selznick put it through a sausage machine for the American release, which is almost half an hour shorter. Jennifer Jones and Montgomery Clift are excellent in both versions, but De Sica’s is far superior — and studying the differences tells why the first demand of powerful directors is to retain final cut. The presentation offers both full films, plus the short subject Selznick added to bring his version up to minimal feature length.

Terminal Station & Indiscretion of an American Wife

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1953 / B&w / 1:37 flat Academy / 89 + 72 min. / Street Date March 31, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Jennifer Jones, Montgomery Clift,...

Here’s a highly suspenseful thriller with fine characterizations, set in a grim but meaningful place — Fascist Spain in the late 1950s, when Franco’s operatives still hold the country in a tight grip. The very modern story (by Emeric Pressburger) is also timeless: the old lost-cause warrior takes on one last mission into enemy territory. Gregory Peck (he’s good) is the legendary raider on a mission to kill an old enemy, Anthony Quinn.

Behold a Pale Horse

Blu-ray

Twilight Time

1964 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 118 min. / Street Date July 29, 2019 / Available from Twilight Time Movies / 29.95

Starring: Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn, Omar Sharif, Raymond Pellegrin, Paolo Stoppa, Mildred Dunnock, Daniela Rocca, Christian Marquand, Marietto Angeletti, Perrette Pradier, Zia Mohyeddin, Rosalie Crutchley, Michael Lonsdale, Martin Benson, Claude Berri, Albert Rémy, Alan Saury.

Cinematography: Jean Badal

Original Music: Maurice Chevalier

Written by J.P. Miller from a novel by Emeric Pressburger

Produced by Gregory...

Luchino Visconti’s national epic looks and plays better than ever. A Southern family relocates to Milan, and each of the sons reacts differently to life in the big city. It’s one of Italy’s most emotional film experiences.

Rocco and His Brothers

Blu-ray

Milestone Cinematheque

1960 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 177 m. / Rocco e i suoi fratelli / Street Date July 10, 2018 / 39.95

Starring: Alain Delon, Renato Salvatori, Annie Girardot, Katina Paxinou, Alessandra Panaro, Spiros Focás, Max Cartier, Claudia Cardinale, Nino Castelnuovo, Enzo Fiermonte, Suzy Delair, Paolo Stoppa.

Cinematography: Giuseppe Rotunno

Film Editor: Mario Serandrei

Production Designer: Mario Garbuglia

Original Music: Nino Rota

Written by Luchino Visconti, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Massimo Franciosa and Enrico Medioli

Produced by Giuseppe Bordogni, Goffredo Lombardo

Directed by Luchino Visconti

By 1960 Roberto Rossellini was almost finished with big screen feature work, but Italy’s other neorealist pioneer Luchino Visconti was just getting started on a series of masterpieces.

Welcome to the world of Jean Grémillon, where adult characters work through adult problems without benefit of melodramatic excess. The impressively directed experiences of Micheline Presle’s lady doctor on a storm-swept island opts for a progressive point of view, not sentimentality.

The Love of a Woman

Blu-ray + DVD

Arrow Video USA

1953 / B&W / 1:37 flat full frame / 104 min. / Street Date August 22, 2017 / L’amour d’une femme / Available from Arrow Video 39.95

Starring: Micheline Presle, Massimo Girotti, Gaby Morlay, Paolo Stoppa, Marc Cassot, Marius David, Yvette Etiévant, Roland Lesaffre, Robert Naly, Madeleine Geoffroy.

Cinematography: Louis Page

Film Editor: Louisette Hautecoeur, Marguerite Renoir

Production Design: Robert Clavel

Original Music: Elsa Barraine, Henrie Dutilleux

Written by René Fallet, Jean Grémillon, René Wheeler

Produced by Mario Gabrielli, Pierre Géin

Directed by Jean Grémillon

Film critics that pride themselves on rediscovering older directors haven’t done very well by France’s Jean Grémillon, at least not in this country.

In a transparent attempt to piggyback on a major news event and use it as an excuse to talk about films, here are some of our favourite cinematic popes

Following news that Benedict XVI is to be the first pope to resign in 600 years, we introduce the only important matter for debate: what are the best on-screen portrayals of pontiffs? Here are a few of our favourites, including nominations from @guardianfilm Twitter followers @Lazslokovacs, @farah0912‏, @nigelfloyd, @pafster, ‏@DulachG, ‏@filipequintans and ‏@FPSFilm.

1. Robbie Coltrane in The Pope Must Die

The film might not have been a classic, but Robbie Coltrane is certainly one of the most memorable movie popes.

Reading on mobile? Watch the clip on YouTube

2. Rex Harrison in The Agony and the Ecstasy

Rex Harrison is a remarkably shouty Pope Julius II, butting heads over the painting of the Sistine chapel with an even shoutier Michelangelo in Charlton Heston.

Miracle In Milan

Stars: Emma Gramatica, Francesco Golisano, Paolo Stoppa, Guglielmo Barnabò | Written by Cesare Zavattini | Directed by Vittorio De Sica

Films carry power, whether it’s to just merely entertain or to get an emotional reaction from the water they still gain a reaction. When a film fails the reaction they get can range from pure hatred to just pure boredom. Of course there is no reason to hate a film just because it’s bad, sure have a dislike for it but don’t waste emotion on hate, just don’t watch the film ever again. That said it’s always fun to bitch about one that truly sucks. Miracle in Milan is one that I would argue brings happiness, it’s a true feel good film.

Some films can be seen as a kind of social commentary, and this could be said about Miracle in Milan, even...

Chicago – Many great films have been made about the changing of eras and the passing of power from one generation to another. But few are as masterfully conceived and as lovingly detailed as Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti’s 1963 classic “The Leopard.” Gorgeously restored on Blu-Ray, this near-masterpiece was sliced and diced by Hollywood for American audiences, but is now presented in its original three-hour running time.

As one of the founders of Italian neorealism, Visconti is well known for his depictions of upper-class life, which are somewhat inspired by his own upbringing in one of Italy’s wealthiest families. Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s 1958 novel of “The Leopard,” published a few months after the author’s death, was an ideal fit for Visconti’s stylistic and thematic obsessions. The story centers on members of the Sicilian aristocracy during the Risorgimento (Italian unification) of the early 1860s. The aristocracy’s delicate...

Luchino Visconti's 185-minute film The Leopard (Il Gattopardo, 1963) begins outside a quiet Italian villa. The camera gradually makes its way closer to the estate, gliding across the windows -- open to the early summer breeze -- until settling on a wafting lace curtain. The curtain invites the camera inside, and we come along with it. Inside the room, Father Pirrone (Romolo Valli) leads Prince Don Fabrizio Salina (Burt Lancaster), his wife Maria (Rina Morelli), and the rest of the Salinas through prayer. As Pirrone continues his mass, we hear a commotion outside. The aristocratic family tries to continue through the service in their ornate setting until Don Fabrizio, upset and distracted by the noise, asks one of his servants about the situation. The servant informs him that a dead soldier has been found in the Salina's garden; it seems that il Risorgimento, the Italian Resurgence, is near their doorstep.

Salma Hayek, an Academy Award nominee back in 2003 for Frida, attends the premiere of the restored Luchino Visconti classic The Leopard / Il gattopardo, starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, and Claudia Cardinale. The event was held at the Palais des Festivals during the 63rd Annual International Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 2010, in the south of France. Both Delon and Cardinale were present. (Photo by Tony Barson/WireImage.) Adapted by Visconti, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Enrico Medioli, and Massimo Franciosa, from Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa’s novel, The Leopard (1963) also features Paolo Stoppa, Romolo Valli, Pierre Clémenti, Terence Hill, and Giuliano Gemma. Visconti was one of the [...]...

Kate Beckinsale shows up the premiere of the restored Luchino Visconti classic The Leopard / Il gattopardo, starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, and Claudia Cardinale. The cinematic event was held at the Palais des Festivals during the 63rd Annual International Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 2010, in the south of France. (Photo by Venturelli/WireImage.) The Leopard (1963) also features Paolo Stoppa, Romolo Valli, Pierre Clémenti, Terence Hill, and Giuliano Gemma. Both Delon and Cardinale were in attendance at the premiere. Adapted by Visconti, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Enrico Medioli, and Massimo Franciosa, The Leopard is based on Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa’s classic novel. Among Luchino Visconti’s other film classics are [...]...

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, one of the greatest Bollywood stars, attends the premiere of Luchino Visconti’s restored classic The Leopard / Il gattopardo, a period drama starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, and Claudia Cardinale. The screening was held at the Palais des Festivals during the 2010 Cannes Film Festival on May 14. (Photo by Getty Images.) In addition to Lancaster, Delon, and Cardinale, The Leopard (1963) also features Paolo Stoppa, Romolo Valli, Pierre Clémenti, Terence Hill, and Giuliano Gemma. Both Delon and Cardinale were in attendance at the premiere. Adapted by Visconti, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Enrico Medioli, and Massimo Franciosa, The Leopard is based on Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa’s [...]...

Martin Scorsese, Best Director Oscar winner for The Departed and ardent movie lover, attends the premiere of the restored Luchino Visconti classic The Leopard / Il gattopardo, starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, and Claudia Cardinale. The event was held at the Palais des Festivals during the 2010 International Cannes Film Festival on May 14. (Photo by Getty Images/WireImage) The Leopard (1963), which some consider Visconti’s masterpiece, also features Paolo Stoppa, Romolo Valli, Pierre Clémenti, Terence Hill, and Giuliano Gemma. Both Delon and Cardinale were in attendance at the premiere. Adapted by Visconti, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Enrico Medioli, and Massimo Franciosa, The Leopard is based on Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa’s [...]...

Claudia Cardinale, Alain Delon, and Cannes Film Festival President Gilles Jacob (mostly hidden behind Delon’s outstretched arms) at the Il Gattopardo / The Leopard premiere held at the Palais des Festivals during the 63rd Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 2010 on the French Riviera. (Photo by Venturelli/WireImage) Directed by Luchino Visconti, and adapted by Visconti, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Enrico Medioli, and Massimo Franciosa, from Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa’s novel, The Leopard (1963) is considered one the greatest Visconti’s films. Also in the period drama’s cast: Burt Lancaster, Paolo Stoppa, Romolo Valli, Pierre Clémenti, Terence Hill, and Giuliano Gemma. Other Visconti efforts include Ossessione, Bellissima, Senso, Rocco [...]...

Claudia Cardinale arrives at the premiere of Luchino Visconti’s Il Gattopardo / The Leopard, which was held at the Palais des Festivals during the 63rd Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 2010. (Photo by Venturelli/WireImage) Adapted by Visconti, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Enrico Medioli, and Massimo Franciosa, from Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa’s sprawling novel, The Leopard (1963) also featured Alain Delon (you can see part of him in the above photo), Burt Lancaster, Paolo Stoppa, Romolo Valli, Pierre Clémenti, Terence Hill, and Giuliano Gemma. Other Visconti efforts include Ossessione, Senso, Rocco and His Brothers (in which Cardinale has a small role), Sandra (starring Cardinale), Death in Venice, Conversation Piece, Ludwig, and [...]...

Anouchka Delon and Alain Delon — and Claudia Cardinale’s arm — attend the premiere of Luchino Visconti’s restored 1963 classic Il gattopardo / The Leopard at the Salla DeBussy during the 63rd Annual Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 2010 in Cannes, France. (Photo: Swarovski / WireImage.) Adapted by Visconti, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Enrico Medioli, and Massimo Franciosa, from Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa’s novel, The Leopard is considered by some the greatest among Visconti’s films. Also in the cast: Burt Lancaster, Paolo Stoppa, Romolo Valli, Pierre Clémenti, Terence Hill, and Giuliano Gemma. Other Visconti efforts include Ossessione, Senso, Rocco and His Brothers, Death in Venice, Conversation Piece, and The Innocent. Click on the photo to [...]...

Anouchka Delon, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale attend the Il Gattopardo / The Leopard premiere held at the Palais des Festivals during the 2010 edition of the International Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 2010 in Cannes, in the south of France. (Photo by Venturelli/WireImage) Directed by Luchino Visconti, and adapted by Visconti, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Enrico Medioli, and Massimo Franciosa, from Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa’s novel, The Leopard (1963) is considered one the greatest Visconti productions. In addition to Delon and Cardinale, Visconti’s sumptuous historical drama features Burt Lancaster, Paolo Stoppa, Romolo Valli, Pierre Clémenti, Terence Hill, and Giuliano Gemma. Among Visconti’s other film classics [...]...