Once Upon a Time in the West

The previews for the film in the US were a disaster. People found it too slow and too long, so much to the disgust of Sergio Leone, roughly twenty minutes of the film was cut. The scenes removed included Jill, Harmonica, and Cheyenne first encountering each other at the tavern. So Lionel Stander who played the bartender was in the credits but not actually in the film, and Cheyenne wasn't first seen until he shows up and confronts Jill at the McBain's. Even more crucially, his death was removed at the end. The last you saw of him and Harmonica was the two of them riding off together. This was the version released in the US and it wasn't a success. In most of Europe, a 165 minute version was released, and in Italy the 171 minute version the way Leone intended it to be. In France it was a huge success and Leone was proud of the fact that one cinema in Paris played it uninterrupted for four years. When he visited this theater, he was surrounded by fans who wanted his autograph, as well as the projectionist, who was less than enthusiastic. Leone claimed the projectionist told him "I kill you! The same movie over and over again for two years! And it's so SLOW!"

As Frank and his gang ride away from the train, tire tracks are visible in the dirt.

The opening credits appear over the three gunmen waiting at the train station.

The film title itself appears at the end of the film.

Frank's line upon giving Harmonica his namesake varies from version to version. The Italian translates to "play something for your brother," but the most common English version is "keep your loving brother happy," and the German translates to "play me the song of death." The German movie title was inspired by this line.