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Sergio Leone is one of my favorite movie directors. One can definitely attribute his success to genius and hard working. However, I think it is also interesting to take a look at his path of making films, as we might be able to learn something from it.
He has roughly made 10 films over 25 years (1959 - 1984) [1]. His first two films were rather bad according to the rating on imdb. However, these two films probably gave him enough experience to make a better one. So he made the third one, a Fistful of Dollars, in 1964. This movie was a huge success, but with one problem: he basically plagiarized the story of Yojimbo, by Akira Kurosawa. Personally, I am fine with his deed, because he made a great film after all, and he has compensated Akira. But more importantly, I think this step might be necessary for a young director like him, as he lack the experience of writing a good story. Such imitation is probably the fastest way to become a master.
Since the 1964 movie was a huge success, the wise idea is to make sequels of it. It can hone his ability further and get reputation and money quicker, with very little risk. So we have For a Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). Then, Leone was already a mature director, and it was the time to climb the high mountain in his life. The previous three movies are all Western, but the stories are constrained by each other. He needed to break out from the trilogy in order to fully exploit his creativity, while also utilize his experience in Western films. So he directed the Once Upon a Time in the West in 1968, which is one of the greatest movies of all time. This movie also made him one of the greatest directors.
The four films had probably exhausted his creativity in Western settings, so his eye turned to the past of Mexico and produced Once Upon a Time... the Revolution in 1971. It is also a great movie, because at this time, Leone already reached the top level, so it was impossible to make a low quality one anymore.
Then in the next 13 years, he stopped directing. It probably because he was tired and needed some rest. Also, he was preparing the next big shot. The next movie, finally arrived at 1984, was in a completely different setting compared to all his previous films. It is the Once Upon a Time in America which describes the lives of several gangsters in the New York City. I personally think this movie has reached the apex of filmography. The story, the acting, the scenes, the music ... are all the best. He is a true master.
Then, of course, we just need to expect one masterpiece after another from him, until his death. However, the ending of his life came rather soon because his body cannot catch up with his great mind. He died at 1989 when preparing Leningrad: The 900 Days.
I think he had a fantastic life with invaluable contributions to the humanity. I also think his path is similar to many great minds in other fields, such as academia (e.g. replacing films with research publications in the main text). I hope we all can get some inspirations from the paths of these forebears.
Additional remarks:
- We should also emphasize the contribution of Ennio Morricone, who made superb music for Leone's movies. Their life long collaboration is also worth remembering.
References:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_Leone#Filmography
