A Painful Stunt: "Once Upon A Time In The West" (1968)

There are some movie stunts that you just know had to hurt.

Especially if a stuntman lands wrong!

 

I neither own nor claim any rights to this material. Just having some fun with it. Hope you enjoy it!

A Painful Stunt: "Once Upon A Time In The West" (1968)

CIRCUS WORLD -- Movie Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 4/12/21

 

 

Currently watching: CIRCUS WORLD (1964) with John Wayne, Claudia Cardinale, and Rita Hayworth. Also with Lloyd Nolan, Richard Conte, and John Smith of the TV western "Laramie."

 

Henry Hathaway (TRUE GRIT, THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER) directed this departure from Duke's usual western adventures, although the rugged star still sports his trademark cowboy hat and inimitable swagger.

 

This time, however, his "Matt Masters" character is a circus owner whose dreams of touring Europe are dashed when the ship carrying his entire enterprise (animals, people, and equipment) all but capsizes in a Barcelona harbor.

 

 

After a slow start, this shockingly sudden sequence, which occurs early in the film, is both jarring and breathtakingly spectacular, using a full-scale ship mock-up that rivals the one constructed by James Cameron for "Titanic." 

 

Several minutes after this impressive spectacle gave way to Masters and his young partner Steve (John Smith) beginning the long, arduous task of putting another circus together, I was still breathless from that thrilling maritime disaster.

 

The middle part of the film is practically sedate in comparison, settling into an ensemble comedy/drama that focuses on young Claudia Cardinale's aspiring circus performer Toni, her budding romance with Steve, and a very serious subplot about her estranged mother Lili, played wonderfully by veteran actress Rita Hayworth.

 

 

 

The interplay between the various characters isn't as effortlessly light or involving as Howard Hawks managed in Duke's previous adventure "Hatari!", although the script, whose writers included Nicholas Ray, Ben Hecht, and James Edward Grant, mercifully avoids most of the usual circus story cliches. 

 

It's fun watching Duke and the gang rebuild their finances by working in a wild west show for European audiences, and seeing how he wrangles a circus as opposed to a cattle ranch or lawless town. 

 

Old standbys Nolan and Conte help keep things real while an appealing young Cardinale adds spark to her scenes four years before she would attain screen immortality as "Jill McBain" in Sergio Leone's classic western "Once Upon A Time In The West."

 

 

 

Best of all, though, is a more mature Rita Hayworth bringing her considerable presence to bear as her character reenters the performing world while desperately trying to mend the rift between her and her daughter Toni. 

 

But just as the film caught fire early on during the shipwreck sequence, an equally spectacular finale gives us nothing less than a raging inferno which threatens to burn down the entire bigtop and everything in it on the very day of the new circus' debut, and again an otherwise unremarkable film is transformed into a thrilling nailbiter that had me on the edge of my seat. 

 

It's these two bookend scenes that make CIRCUS WORLD a must-see for John Wayne fans. But while everything in-between comes off as relatively pedestrian, it's still a pleasure to spend time with these actors and their likable characters.

 

CIRCUS WORLD -- Movie Review by Porfle

A Painful Stunt: "Once Upon A Time In The West" (1968) (video)

 

There are some movie stunts that you just know had to hurt.

Especially if a stuntman lands wrong.

Here's one that might make you cringe.


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material. Just having some fun with it.  Hope you enjoy it!

A Painful Stunt: "Once Upon A Time In The West" (1968) (video)

Porfle's Trivia Quiz: "THE GOOD, THE BAD, & THE UGLY" (1968) (video)

This quintessential Italian western was the climax of Sergio Leone's celebrated "Dollars" trilogy.

It cemented Clint Eastwood's stature as a major movie star.

And joined the roster of all-time classic westerns.

But how much do you remember about it?


Question: How many people does Angel Eyes kill at the ranch?

A. One
B. Two
C. Three
D. None
E. All

Question: What gives away the three assassins at the hotel?

A. Floorboards
B. Voices
C. Spurs
D. Trigger
E. Shadow

Question: What does Tuco put in the gun shop owner's mouth?

A. Cigar
B. Sign
C. Silver dollar
D. Gun barrel
E. Bullet

Question: What state is Blondie from?

A. Oklahoma
B. Kansas
C. Nebraska
D. Illinois
E. Delaware

Question: What name does Blondie tell Tuco is on the grave?

A. Bill Carson
B. Arch Stanton
C. Ned Ryker
D. Bob Horton
E. Vance Reed

Question: In the final duel, who besides Blondie gets off a shot?

A. Angel Eyes
B. Tuco
C. Neither
D. Both
E. Other

I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!

Porfle's Trivia Quiz: "THE GOOD, THE BAD, & THE UGLY" (1968) (video)

Porfle's Trivia Quiz #23: "ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST" (1968) (video)

Perhaps director Sergio Leone's best western...

...and certainly one of the finest westerns ever made.

How much do you remember about it?


Question: When a gunman says "Looks like we're shy one horse", Harmonica answers...

A. "One of us will have to walk"
B. "You brought two too many"
C. "You'll be shy of more than that"
D. "Horses are cheaper than guns"
E. "Two of you can ride double"

Question: Which member of the McBain family is murdered first?

A. Maureen
B. Patrick
C. Jill
D. Timmy
E. Brett

Question: Harmonica warns Frank of a sniper by remarking...?

A. "Watch your back"
B. "Time sure flies"
C. "Sign of the times"
D. "A lofty perch"
E. "Someone left the window open"

Question: When Frank describes himself as "just a man", Harmonica adds...what?

A. "...who's lived too long"
B. "...a violent species"
C. "...with a penchant for death"
D. "...an ancient race"
E. "...who kills other men"

Question: Jill tells Harmonica she hopes he'll return someday. He says...?

A. "Not likely"
B. "Keep a lantern lit for me"
C. "If only I could"
D. "Only at the point of dying"
E. "Someday"


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!

Porfle's Trivia Quiz #23: "ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST" (1968) (video)

"Wasp Woman" Actor In Sergio Leone's "Once Upon A Time In The West" (video)

Fans of "Once Upon a Time in the West" (1968) remember Frank Wolff as the ill-fated Brett McBain.

His story is brief but tragic, memorable in its dramatic impact.

But let's go back in time just nine short years...

...to Roger Corman's lurid, low-budget 1959 classic, "The Wasp Woman."

It's Frank!

The same year, he'd go on to co-star in another Corman cheapie, "Beast From Haunted Cave."
    
Don't worry, Frank. Your career will get better. 


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!

"Wasp Woman" Actor In Sergio Leone's "Once Upon A Time In The West" (video)

"The Man With No Name": Funniest Moments (video)

"The Man With No Name": Funniest Moments

"Fistful of Dollars" (1964)
"For a Few Dollars More" (1965)
"The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly" (1966)

I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!

"The Man With No Name": Funniest Moments (video)