Christopher Frayling (born 1946) was rector of the Royal College of Art in London. In addition, he is the longest-serving trustee of the V&A, and chairman of the Royal Mint Advisory Committee, which selects the designs for new coins. Frayling is well known as a historian, critic and a award-winning broadcaster. He has published 17 books and numerous articles on contemporary art, design, film and the history of ideas, most recently Frankenstein: The First Two Hundred Years.

"Once Upon a Time in the West: Shooting a Masterpiece" [...] will tell you just about everything you want to know about the Italian director Sergio Leone's classic spaghetti western.--Kenneth Dickerman "Washington Post"

For a film that turned 50 this year, its hard to imagine a better birthday gift than this superb book...it all adds up to a remarkably thorough exploration of both the production and the man who masterminded it...This is the definitive account of the making and legacy of Leone's epic. Highly recommended.--Anton Van Beek "Home Cinema Choice"

This sumptuously produced book is both a fine tribute to Sergio Leone's 1968 masterpiece and an insightful look at how a piece of cinema can gather an almost mythic reputation in the half-century since it was produced...[The text is] scrupulously researched and consistently surprising.--Alexander Larman "The Observer"

A massive and gorgeous book about Sergio Leone's landmark Spaghetti Western.--Matthew Sweet "BBC Radio 3 'Free Thinking'"

A beautiful, handsome tome as beautiful in pictures as it is in prose.--Jason Solomons "BBC Radio London"

Frayling's own masterpiece... a book for the ages about making a movie for the ages. This is the coffe table book you will actually want to pick up and read.--Rhett Fisher "Trebuchet Magazine"

Behind the scenes of the greatest Western ever made.--Editorial "The Telegraph"

A widescreen book for a widescreen classic, Frayling collates a staggering amount of material.--Matt Glasby "Total Film"

The movies may not be getting bigger than ever, but the books on them most definitely are, starting with Christopher Frayling's pleasantly massive "Once Upon a Time in the West: Shooting a Masterpiece."--Kenneth Turan "Los Angeles Times"

Frayling, the world's leading Leone expert, has amassed photographs, posters, production sketches and more, and Leone fan Quentin Tarantino has written the introduction to this impressive volume.--Kenneth Turan "Los Angeles Times"

Frayling is unquestionably the world's leading authority on the definitive director of Spaghetti Westerns, and its hardly cause for argument to say the book turns out like an absolute treat - and, yes, definitive...Frayling's text is both authoritative and accessible, with no stone unturned...--Barry Forshaw "DVD Choice"

Publisher: Reel Art Press

Pub date: 2019-05-21

Length: 336 pages