13 million tickets sold in Germany alone, inclusion in numerous leaderboards and a melody that nobody will forget: these are a few key points of Spiel mir das Lied vom Tod. Sergio Leone’s western becomes a regular ranked among the best films of all time, which is also due to a stroke of genius in the casting. Today you can catch up on the tough and visually stunning classic on TV.
The western classic begins with an iconic exchange of gunfire
The start is legendary: three gunslingers are waiting for a train to arrive in a dusty train station. A harmonica melody heralds the arrival of the nameless hero (Charles Bronson) that the three didn’t expect. Between whirring flies and burnt gunpowder, her lungs suck in air one last time. This is followed by one epic tale of personal revenge, greed and the transition of the American West into a new age.
Supported by Ennio Morricone’s music, Sergio Leone tells this like a tragic opera in which time rolls over its morally shady characters and only a few stand firm. This applies to “Mundharmonika” as well as Jason Robard’s classic western good-for-nothing Cheyenne and the film’s ingeniously cast villain: Frank.
Why the villain was a casting coup
The ice-cold Frank is played by one of the most popular Hollywood stars at times. He lent his face to kind men like young Mr. Lincoln, upstanding juror in The Twelve Jury and lawman Wyatt Earp: Henry Fonda.
Paramount
Henry Fonda
Everyman among the stars of classic Hollywood cinema was cast by Leone as a ghastly villain whose cold eyes gaze impassively at the plight of others, and who doesn’t even stop at children. That must have been a bit of a shock for many in the audience at the time.
Even seeing Fonda for the first time in The Song of Death, Fonda’s performance loses none of its bluntness. Rarely has evil been captured so elegantly on film.
So you can watch me play the song of death
Play me the song of death comes today August 12 from 8:15 p.m. on MDR, i.e. without commercial breaks (which is of course ideal given the length). The 158-minute “international version” of the film will be shown.
If you don’t have time for a TV marathon today, you can catch up on the classic with the flat rates from Paramount+ and Joyn+. Paramount+ streams the original 166-minute version.
*. If you make a purchase through these links or sign up for a subscription, we will receive a commission. .