Review of Once Upon a Time in the West

Here's the history of this great score. Based on an early script by Bernardo Bertolucci, which was later scrapped, though he still gets credit, Morricone composed the whole score before one foot of film was shot. Leone took bare bones recordings to the set so the actors could act to the music. But Leone hated one cue: for Cheyennes's character, in fact, he called it "s**t". During the final recording sessions, Leone discussed the Disney movie LADY AND THE TRAMP with Morricone, saying that Cheyenne was like the Tramp: a scamp, a rogue, but down deep a good guy. Morricone sat at a piano and, after a few minutes thought, started to play the staccato notes we now hear in the movie for Cheyenne's character. Leone was ecstatic!