“A marble force”: to embody the hero of his greatest western, Sergio Leone did not want any other actor than him! – Actus cinema

With an average note of 4.5 out of 5 on Allociné, it was once in the West is the best western of all time, in front of the good, the brute and the ugly, Django Unchained or Dance with the wolves. And yet, he almost was very different from what we know today.

For the main role of the man at the harmonica, the director Sergio Leone wanted a very specific actor that he had much difficulty in obtaining, as he had entrusted to Christmas Simsolo in the book Conversations with Sergio Leone. But why did he want Charles Bronson at all costs in the skin of this character:

“He must always have an impassive air”

MGM

“Harmonica is Bronson. A marble force. A mestone who continues his revenge. A man who knows how to wait for the time necessary to kill the individual responsible for the death of his brother. As an Indian, he already has a hatred for the white man. And he will torture Frank by reminding him of the name of all his victims. But he must always have an impassive air. He does not speak much. A lamentation that comes from afar.

Except that the choice of Leone leaves a lot of people: “In Hollywood, we wanted me Invest in crazy people. I had refused all the stars And I insisted for having Bronson. We thought I had lost the reason. But I am stubborn. I got Charles Bronson. And I think the rest has shown that I was Far from being crazy. “

And indeed, the MGM had offered big names of the time to the director of a handful of dollars:

“The Americans offered me all their stars. One day, I am told that Rock Hudson wants the role. The next day, we offers me another name. One day, one of my associates tell me that Warren Beatty wishes to interpret the man to l’harmonica”and there, Leone's blood only goes:

“But what is he doing there, this Warren Beatty?!”

MGM

“I said to him: 'Warren Beatty? I'm going to describe you My audience's reaction if I take Warren Beatty. (…) [Des gens] Look at the sequence of the fly. They have fun. They let themselves be taken by the images. They wait, eXactically like the three killers in the station. And now the train arrives … So, they start to shudder in front of the smoke and listening to the music of the harmonica. They see the silhouette of the man who came down from the train. Her hat hides her face. And now he slowly lifts his head. And it's … warren Beatty. So there, the spectators are jumped. They look at each other in Saying: “Warren Beatty! But what is he doing there, this warren Beatty?! He got the wrong film '. “

Warren Beatty will therefore be dismissed by Leone, who will get Bronson. He had already considered the actor to interpret the role of Sentenza in the good, the brute and the ugly. He will finally resume Lee Van Cleef to make him play this character, who has become one of the best bad guys in the history of cinema.

After having triumphed in there was once in the west and the same year in Farewell the friend with Alain Delon, Bronson who had only obtained a first role in B series as Kelly machine gun, the Californian or crime union becomes a headliner. We then find him in the rainy passenger, the city of violence or from friends.