Sergio Leone: a tribute at the Rome film festival

The Rome film festival is paying homage to Sergio Leone with an exhibition of photographs – including this one of Clint Eastwood on the set of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) – drawn from the archives of the Leone family, the Cineteca di Bologna and the Experimental Centre of Cinematography Photograph: Angelo Novi/Cineteca di Bologna

The pictures here are by Leone's trusted photographer, Angelo Novi, who also worked with Pasolini and Bertolucci. Here, Novi has captured Lee van Cleef on the set of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Photograph: Angelo Novi/Cineteca di Bologna

Leone grew up in the Roman neighbourhood of Trastevere but was obsessed with the great myths and open spaces of the Wild West, which he would return to again and again in his films. Among them, Once Upon a Time in the West, with Henry Fonda and Claudia Cardinale Photograph: Angelo Novi/Cineteca di Bologna

Leone presented a new vision of the west – multiethnic, dirty, poor, violent, but also breathtakingly beautiful. Here is Claudia Cardinale on the set of Once Upon a Time in the West Photograph: Angelo Novi/Cineteca di Bologna

Here's Jason Robards on the set of Once Upon a Time in the West. Leone is credited with directing only seven films in 23 years, but each one bears his unmistakable stamp Photograph: Angelo Novi/Cineteca di Bologna

Charles Bronson on the set of Once Upon a Time in the West – actors never seemed as dangerous as through Leone's camera … Photograph: Angelo Novi/Cineteca di Bologna

… nor as luminous – Maria Monti on the set of A Fistful of Dynamite (1971) Photograph: Angelo Novi/Cineteca di Bologna

James Coburn on the set of A Fistful of Dynamite Photograph: Angelo Novi/Cineteca di Bologna

Rod Steiger on the set of A Fistful of Dynamite Photograph: Angelo Novi/Cineteca di Bologna

Robert De Niro on the set of Once Upon a Time in America (1984) Photograph: Angelo Novi/Cineteca di Bologna

Elizabeth McGovern in Once Upon a Time in America Photograph: Angelo Novi/Cineteca di Bologna

Tuesday Weld on the set of Once Upon a Time in America Photograph: Angelo Novi/Cineteca di Bologna

James Wood on the set of Once Upon a Time in America Photograph: Angelo Novi/Cineteca di Bologna

Elizabeth McGovern and Robert De Niro in Once Upon a Time in America Photograph: Angelo Novi/Cineteca di Bologna