A Little Bird Told Me.
In the opening scene of Sergio Leone's, “Once Upon A Time In The West,” notice the bird in a cage. It's a green-yellow bird, a wild desert bird, and not a canary. Nobody cannot notice the bird in the cage, as it is thrust in the camera's lens by the director and, therefore, into the viewer's face. It's a "tell," or gamblers' slang, for a reveal.
Sergio Leone is revealing to the viewer he is a gambling casino insider. A player. Without bragging, he is letting those also in-the-know, know he's been inside “the cage.” In Las Vegas (as any player can tell you), “the cage” is the casino bank tellers' window. Every player has been TO the cage. The director has been IN the cage.
As even anyone who has never been in a casino can imagine, the cage has bars. It's a danger zone. What Sergio Leone is saying (metaphorically), is that he has been behind the bars, he has been “back of house.” That's casino talk for the business office, in Las Vegas. Not everybody gets to see the back office of a Las Vegas casino. Not, that is, if he doesn't have business to discuss.
The business of Las Vegas. If that doesn't impress, you may ask, "Why the elaborate subterfuge of making a feature-length movie about anything so trivial as a trip to Las Vegas?" Sure, it was a nice gesture for the casino to show the director around. Vegas hospitality is famous. What every tourist knows, but can't see, is the office behind the back office of a casino. The secret room only insiders know exists.
It's called the count room. Is the director revealing he was there? INSIDE the count room? He must put on a complex charade because the casino can lose its license if anyone—without the proper credentials—enters that room. That rule is always in effect, whether money is on the table, or not.
If you get caught in that room by State gaming officials—and you can't show your gaming license—it's a violation. See the Badge? Badda-bing, you're busted. Just like that. Clear the saloon. Lock the doors. Turn off all the lights. So, maybe I am exaggerating. The casino might not close, but you could be staying in Vegas until it gets straightened-out.
The problem is accounting. All the money the casino made must add-up at the end of the day. And if it does not, it's called “skimming,” as was common before the State removed mob influence. You, there, keep counting, while I take this stack of hundreds. It's not for me. It's going to Kansas City. And remember, you did not see me take it, and I was never in here.
That little skit of mine is more than a misdemeanor -if you see where this is going. Even talking about "the count" is taking a big risk. Director Leone accepted that risk and, indeed, did what he did so that he did feel remorse for what he did. How else could he get in the zone to make the greatest Spaghetti Western of all time? “Behind every great fortune there is a crime.”
Sergio Leone's crime was a crime of honor. He had to do it. Skin-in-the-game, or not believable. It was worth it, to feel that shudder of dread (real fear), every criminal experiences after committing a crime. The once-in-a-lifetime heist. A gem stone to die for. Worth it. Look at it this way: for a man to feel self-respect, he must feel dangerous. Nobody will deny Sergio Leone is dangerous. And, he got away with it.
The bird cage make a second appearance in the cantina scene, better-known as “Cheyenne's entrance.” Cheyenne (played by Jason Robards), hears the playing of Harmonica (Charles Bronson) in the dark, and slides a lantern dangling from a wire down the bar for a better look. The Harmonica's revolver comes into view. Wary, Cheyenne says, “Do you only know how to play -or, can you shoot?”
It is the director's way of providing comic relief in the midst of a tense scene. It refers to the 1952 song, by Julius La Rosa, “Eh, Cumpari! ci vo sunari.” It's a wink to the goombahs in the audience. Italians play a big role in the Las Vegas casino trade, as elsewhere, and yet, in a movie which I argue is all about Las Vegas, there's no distinctively Italian character in the cast. Maybe the girl.
Back at the cantina, a customer (who always remains silent), slowly reaches for his gun, which is in his pocket. “You!” Cheyenne snaps at him, “You don't know how to play.” In the Italian-dubbed version he actually says, "Eh, cumpari!" Meanwhile, the viewer wonders what the guy wearing a vest and white collar has to do with anything. He doesn't even look dangerous. Another random detail, like the bird cage?
To the eye accustomed to notice the details of cinematic background scenery, the customer appears to be dressed in the style of a service worker, specifically, the type of the casino card dealer. Why else would a card dealer be in a hovel in the middle of the desert wearing an outfit like that, hundreds of miles from Kansas City, or San Francisco (where it would be commonplace), unless he's waiting for a train?
Other “tells” that the character is a card dealer can be read into his interaction with Cheyenne in the scene. Like, why is a revolver in his hip pocket, and not in a holster on his belt? Did you ever shove a revolver in your pants pocket? Don't. It's uncomfortable. It's to show he's not a gunslinger. He's not dangerous. The most dangerous thing about a card dealer is pocketing stolen chips -or hiding a high card.
The Dealer is not a bad guy -but he is untrustworthy. There are more symbolic details in the interaction between Cheyenne and “The Dealer” than meet the eye. Unfortunately, they are too convoluted for me to elaborate. I would here add that, meanwhile, the director sneaked-in another “tell,” or non-verbal sign. It is the bird cage hanging above the bar behind Cheyenne. At one point only inches from his face, as if he's posing with it for a snapshot.
The bird cage in the cantina scene was not the whim of some stage hand. It is a motif, as is the harmonica refrain, and not a coincidence. The cantina represents a wild west gambling joint. The bird cage prop in Once Upon a Time refers to the modern casino bank (with its security bars), and specifically to an object contained within casino banks, used for carrying cash and playing chips between stations within the casino: the “bird cage.” It is, today, made of clear Lucite plastic -in order that the contents may be seen. Before clear plastic, an actual bird cage was probably used, both being unbreakable (unlike glass), and both showing what's inside.
Enough! I don't know if Sergio Leone, in fact, ever visited Las Vegas. Maybe I am imagining the whole thing. There are similarities. We can leave it at that; however, if it WAS Sergio Leone's idea, it is testament to the brilliance of his imagination, the telling of the true history of Las Vegas by an allegory, as a fable; “Once upon a time...” Otherwise, we must conclude it IS my brilliant imagination.