I finally sat down with both Dracs a while ago and actually found that I rather dislike the Spanish version. I understand why it has its reputation, but aside from being visually stronger and having some more spirited performances, it drags considerably. It's too long, and has none of the atmosphere or charm of the English version. And with the Spanish actor, Dracula gets quite hammy.
Usher and Pit are kinda funny since they are essentially the same film. But Pit is so much more realized in every way that it makes Usher seem one-note. It may drop Poe, but it is a much better flowing film for it. I love these scripts written by Richard Matheson, even as a person who adores Poe's work.
Once Upon a Time in the West
Bold, operatic leap from the "Dollars" trilogy into the mythology of the Western Leone loved so much. However, his reasoning and mind couldn't stand the "always righteous" fake moral quality of classic Westerns (I can't either) and had to make a true Western that used the mythology to shatter these amid all the cliches. This came out even further in the criminally forgotten Duck, You Sucker!
It took an Italian to fully appreciate and realize the American genre. It is a simultaneous glorification and subversion of the Western that finally becomes grand operatic drama. The cast is perfect, the visuals are striking, the pacing languid and long, and as a filmmaker Leone raises the bar for himself. Morricone creates yet another of the great film scores.
"Something to do with death." 4 balls with duster coats out of 4 harmonicas.