“Once upon a time in the West” on TV: the quarrel between Leone and Eastwood, Henry Fonda’s doubts, suicide on the set, the 15 secrets

Once upon a time in the West (broadcast on the Sky Cinema Collection Tuesday at 10 am) was directed in 1968 by Sergio Leone. Sweetwater, a piece of land near the fictional city of West Flagstone, contains the region’s only water source and is at the center of a conflict: bought by former prostitute Jill (Claudia Cardinale), the new railway and for this reason the tycoon Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti) hires the killer Frank (Henry Fonda) to take out the woman and take her. But in defense of Jill appears “Harmonica” (Charles Bronson), a mysterious gunslinger who has old accounts to settle with Frank. “Once upon a time in the West” is an epic film that tells the end of the epic of the West, a world without rules, replaced by the civilization of trade and the railway. Leone abandons the cynicism of the “Dollar Trilogy” and recounts a mythical period of unforgettable quotes, scenes and jokes. The film conquers critics and audiences. In Italy alone, the film earns two and a half billion (the third best gross of the 1968-69 season) and soon becomes a milestone in the history of cinema. Unforgettable the soundtrack by Ennio Morricone. Here are 15 things you may not know.