Writer: Sergio Leone

Sergio Leone co-wrote his own films and the scripts are notable for how little happens in them relative to their length. Once Upon a Time in the West runs close to three hours on a plot that could be summarised in four sentences.

That is deliberate. The writing leaves room for the staging, and scenes were frequently built around Morricone’s music, which was composed before shooting so performances could be played to it.

A Fistful of Dollars was an unlicensed adaptation of Yojimbo and Kurosawa sued successfully, which Leone reportedly regarded as a compliment badly expressed.