SPOILERS AHEAD: Throughout this episode, Wallace and I discuss numerous topics, any and all of which should be considered SPOILERS for not only ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, but all of Leone's works as well as for Wallace's third Crissa Stone novel, SHOOT THE WOMAN FIRST. As such, I recommend/request/demand that you bookmark this page and then go watch, read, and devour them before returning here to listen to Wallace and I chat about same. You may consider yourself duly warned and advised.

Presenting: a return conversation with Wallace Stroby about Sergio Leone's masterpiece, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST.

In which: we discuss all things surrounding Leone's masterpiece – history, beginnings, endings, duels, landscapes, influences, restraint (and the lack thereof) characters – and Leone himself as well as a broad look at spaghetti westerns (and their successors), the music of Ennio Morricone, the impact of the film on Wallace's writing – as well as his own designs on tackling (or not tackling) the western genre – and more.

About Wallace:

Wallace Stroby is an award-winning journalist and the author of nine novels, four of which feature Crissa Stone, the professional thief labeled “crime fiction’s best bad girl ever.” His new novel, HEAVEN'S A LIE, was called "a pure hit of adrenaline" by author Harlan Coben on NBC's TODAY SHOW. Stroby’s first novel, THE BARBED-WIRE KISS, was a Barry Award finalist for best debut novel. For 13 years, he was an editor at the Newark Star-Ledger, Tony Soprano's hometown paper. A native of Long Branch, N.J., he’s a lifelong resident of the Jersey Shore.

Chapters

0:00: Introduction / SPOILER WARNINGS

01:25: "Roger Ebert said... 'Leone didn't know when to quit.'"

05:00: "No titles... you don't know who these people are... the dialogue that's there is GREAT."

09:45: "The writing on this film is an odd mixture of names..."

11:30: "It's hard to imagine the movie witout her..."

14:10: "The final duel is the final duel..."

16:40: "A lot of times when directors wait a long time to make the movie (ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA) they want to make, it doesn't work out that well..."

23:05: "Leone was not above hammering a point home... once you accept that, it's great..."

27:35: "If you go back and watch A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, you really wouldn't think the guy that made that was capable of ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST..."

31:50: "If youre looking for the best spaghetti western films, you run through that list pretty quickly..."

37:50: "The thing about Morricone... "

43:00: Crissa Stone + OUATITW: "At the end of the book, I didn't know how it was going to end... "

47:36: "Again, restraint is not a word you would use too much with Leone."

49:50: "Italy was a very grim place after WWII – and you only have to watch BICYCLE THEIVES to see that."

51:55: "I'm daunted by the amount of research that would have to be done – and that research won't get you everything you need..."

57:10: Outro

Linkage

You can connect with Wallace at his website, wallace stroby.com, and on Twitter, @wallacestroby.

HEAVEN'S A LIE at Mulholland Books.

You can check out our first conversation, about HEAVEN’S A LIE and more, here.

Author photo by Patrick Millikin.

Theme music, INTERSECTIONS, by Uziel Colon; all rights reserved.