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Director

Sergio Leone

Italy · b. January 3, 1929 – d. April 30, 1989

Sergio Leone ( lee-OH-nee; Italian: [ˈsɛrdʒo leˈoːne]; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian filmmaker, credited as the pioneer of the spaghetti Western genre. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema. Leone's film-making style includes juxtaposing extreme close-up shots with lengthy long shots.

Thematic context drawn from Senses of Cinema. Read the full critical essay →

the way he evokes an era, a historical moment, with that immense sadness for what is lost. I wanted to capture something similar for my characters, for their lost dreams.

On Once Upon a Time in America  ·  L'Espresso (Rome) Interview (1984), reprinted in 'Sergio Leone: Interviews' edited by Oreste De Fornari