| Once Upon A Time: Sergio Leone
This is an Egyptian Theatre Exclusive!
Italian director Sergio Leone began his career with the sword-and-sandals opus
COLOSSUS OF RHODES in 1961. In 1964, inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s YOJIMBO, Leone
helmed A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, which starred the then virtually unknown Clint Eastwood. The
picture proved a mega-hit in Europe and did well enough in the U.S. to encourage United
Artists to release its sequel, FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE, and the majestic conclusion of the
trilogy, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY. Next up were Leone’s operatic masterworks
ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST and the tragicomic DUCK YOU SUCKER (aka A FIST FULL OF
DYNAMITE). It wasn’t until 1984 that his next effort was released, a magnum opus
about Prohibition-era Jewish gangsters in New York, ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, starring
Robert De Niro. Sadly, it turned out to be the maestro’s swan song. Sergio Leone died
in 1989, leaving a legacy of influence in his wake.
Thursday, January 28 - 7:30 PM
Double Feature: A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS (PER UN PUGNO DE DOLLARI), 1964, MGM
Repertory, 99 min. Director Sergio Leone remade Akira Kurosawa’s YOJIMBO with Clint
Eastwood as a poncho-wearing, cheroot-chewing gunman, and wound up with the most
revolutionary western of the 1960s. Trailer
FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE (PER QUALCHE DOLLARO
IN PIU), 1965, MGM Repertory, 130 min. Sergio Leone’s sequel to FISTFUL stars Clint
Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef as rival bounty hunters who wind up tracking the same man (Gian
Maria Volonte). Trailer
Friday, January 29 - 7:30 PM
Digitally Restored! THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (IL BUONO, IL BRUTTO, IL
CATTIVO), 1966, MGM Repertory, 161 min. Sergio Leone’s surreal masterpiece follows a
trio of equally violent and unrepentant gunslingers (Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee
Van Cleef) who engage in a jaw-dropping series of double- and triple-crosses to get their
hands on a fortune. [DCP Format] Trailer
More digitally restored films.
Saturday, January 30 - 7:30 PM
ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (C’ERA UNA VOLTA
IL WEST), 1968, Paramount, 165 min. Charles Bronson is a soft-spoken, harmonica-playing
gunslinger bent on revenge against brutal assassin Henry Fonda. Co-starring Claudia
Cardinale as an independent-minded mail-order bride and Jason Robards as a wry bandido
with an agenda of his own. Trailer
Sunday, January 31 - 7:30 PM
ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, 1984, Warner
Bros., 229 min. Childhood friends Robert De Niro and James Woods rise to power as New York
gangsters during the glory years of Prohibition, only to lose their souls in the process.
Leone’s last masterpiece features Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams, Tuesday Weld,
Joe Pesci, Burt Young, Danny Aiello and William Forsythe, as well as the film debut of
Jennifer Connelly. Trailer |
