You see in Once Upon a Time in the West the whole film moves around her [Claudia Cardinale]. If you take her out, there's no more film. She's the central motor of the entire happening.
My films are often characterized by the lack of women present in them, except for this last one [Once Upon a Time in America].
When I used Claudia [Cardinale] for example, in Once Upon a Time in the West, she represented the birth of American matriarchy. Because women had enormous weight in America.
![You see in Once Upon a Time in the West the whole film moves around her [Claudia Cardinale]. If you take her out, there's no more film. She's the central motor of the entire happening.](http://cdn.quoteddaily.com/images/sergio-leone/you-see-in-once-upon-a-time-in-the-west-the-whole-film-moves-around-her-claudia-cardinale-if-you.jpg)
