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"More or Less American: Sergio Leone's Vision of America in 'Once Upon a Time in the West' (1968)"

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This article focuses on the representation of the American West in Sergio Leone's fourth Western, which is the first to include several scenes that have been shot on location in the U.S. The author argues that Once Upon a Time in the West offers a critique not only of the classical Hollywood Westerns Leone adored, but also of his own brand of Italian Western, which may, in part, explain why members of the counter-culture were so enthused by the film at its release. The first section examines the way the use of American locations foregrounds the artificiality of Leone's spatial construction. The second explores the political implications of the inclusion of various minority groups, thereby revealing what had heretofore been repressed from so many Hollywood Westerns. The last section shows that the relationships between the main characters and the minority characters produce a political subtext that is informed by Marxism and even feminism, in spite of charges of misogyny directed against the director.