The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly seems to be about the most popular western in the world. One can't help but wonder how that happened, considering how unusual and seemingly uncommerical it is. It is a film about style and mood, which means it is not a strictly staged and constructed production designed to funnel us through all the plot points and mandatory gunfights with a maximum of speed and a minimum of effort from either the producers or the viewers. It has a central plot, for sure, but nothing to demand the 3 hour running time. Not even half of that really. Instead of letting the plot create and then rule the world, Leone created a world and allowed the plot to creep its way through it. This is something which is disappointingly rare in film, and Leone has made a film which is exceptionally good at performing this rare trick. This style can be a good or a bad thing, depending on who you are, but it's usually a good thing for me, and this film is pretty damn great film, no two ways about it.

The basic plot synopsis goes that the 3 titular characters are searching for a hidden treasure of Civil War gold, and though they don't trust or like each other, they need to work together to some degree because no one of them has all the information necessary to find the gold. That however, doesn't tell you a fifth of what actually occurs during the film, and nothing that really matters as far as watching or enjoying the film is concerned. This is a genuinely epic tale, which is set in a dark, filthy and corrupt world. This provides a strong contradiction, as there is no epic hero, and no fantastic setting, but instead we have a trio of outlaws, and the backdrop is a long, highly destructive war.(which the characters are not concerned with.) Thus the characters tranverse many miles and do many unlikely deeds, but they do not change the world, and do not care to. And although they are all outlaws and killers, the sort of destruction they reap pales in comparison to what is occuring around them. So as this and the other westerns of the era de-mythologized the old west, this film de-mythologizes the rest of the world as well, reminding us that violence, death and corruption were hardly unique to the old west. Yet this is not all the film is about, and it isn't as dark and cynical as that may make it sound. It still has humor, still has excitement and intrigue and countless other things.(much like the real world) Wisely, no one theme or motif is allowed to dominate for too long. The tone shifts from the comedic to the hyper-dramatic to everything in between at various points in the film, and Leone does them all with ease.

Contrary to my expectations it's Wallach's Tuco Ramirez that dominates the film, not Eastwood's Blondy. Tuco stands in strong contrast to the other 2 leads, as he is a nervous, tittering character who is often played for laughs yet is still violent and deadly and occasionaly truly brutish and sadistic. Lee Van Cleef is great as Angel Eyes. He manages to portray an utterly heartless and irredeemible character without turning him into a ridiculous caricature. These two characters illustrate what makes this film so good. They stand very close to the edge, nearly becoming overblown and ridiculous, but never going so far as to actually become so. In many ways Eastwood's Blondy is the least interesting of these 3 characters, but is largely redeemed by the fact that he is, well, cool. His cool demeanor and sardonic dialogue stand in opposition to the more extreme, polarized characters, and he thus provides a sort of base for the highly-dramatic and stylized film.

Good characters aside, the real strength of this film is in the visual and audio presenation. Cinematography and sets are fantastic. Not so gritty as to be unpleasant to look at but not overdone and overly picturesque either. Lots of great wide angle shots, particularly during the bridge scenes. Morricone's famed score is great too. The main theme is overused a bit, but the rest of it is strong, particularly the brilliant Ectasy of Gold and The Trio in the closing scene of the film. The gunfights are just great. On one level, they are a sort of anti-action scene, as they are all build-up with little action. The final shootout in the graveyard naturally stands out, and is one of the great scenes in all film. It is a clinic in the Leone style, contrasting the beautifully conceived long shots with countless close-ups of the 3 characters doing essentially nothing. 5 minutes pass between when the last word of dialogue is spoken and the first round is fired in what proves to be a very brief exchange, yet it does not disappoint. The blaring score and the frantic editing just before the first blast are the true climax, and it is as effective as one could hope. It is, as many have pointed out, dramatized and extended far more than is reasonable, but it holds up emotionally and visually and thus works beautifully. The early scene between Angel Eyes and his first target is similarly effecting, and is another standout. It's got darker more horrific scenes as well, such as Tuco's torturing of Blondy and his later torture at the hands of Wallace. And many of the scenes with the armies have great sorrow and desolation. In fact, it pretty much all works, so while not every scene may be utterly necessary to move the plot along, they all manage to entertain in varying ways. Most movies have difficulty entertaining on one level, so this is quite an accomplishment.

This is a fine DVD. It looks great, even the restored scenes. Too bad they don't have old dialogue for them, and you'll definitely notice the new dubbing, but this should only be a mild annoyance at worst. The extras seem pretty interesting, though I haven't watched them all. All in all, a good version of a classic. Get it.

Rating:
Summary: "Such ingratitude after all the times I saved your life..."
Review: "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" is Sergio Leone's epic masterpiece. While it is part of his Spaghetti Western Trilogy( all three films have different characters and plots), the film stands on its own and really shows you how good a movie can really be. This movie has it all. It has action, drama and even some comic relief in it. It is a timeless classic that is unforgettable. When I first saw it, I was a little kid and couldn't truly appreciate it as I can now at age 22.

Blondie (The Man with No Name) isn't your typical good guy. He mainly does things that suits his own agenda. However, when compared to the murderous Angel Eyes and the greedy Tuco, Blondie is saint. This tale involves bloodshed, shoot-outs, search for treasure, and double-crossing. And it all takes place while the Civil War is going on, which makes things a lot more "interesting" for the notorious three. The West has never been wilder or more unpredictable than it is now. With an incredible score, excellent acting, and superb story-telling, this is one memorable film that you will never forget.

As I said in the beginning, the first time I saw this was when I was a little kid. When I just recently purchased this new edition of the movie, it truly was like I was watching it for the first time. Coming from a guy who isn't a big fan of Westerns (I don't mind them, but I don't watch too many of them), I absolutely LOVED this film. In fact, I wanted to give it a standing ovation when it was all said and done due to how moved I was by it. This really is filmmaking at its finest. I wasn't terribly impressed with Leone's "Once Upon a Time in America," but he is absolutely flawless with this amazing and timeless Western. It is slower than the second film ("For a Few Dollars More"), but I think that makes this all the better. The build up of tension is much more present in this film, and you really get the sense that these characters are real people. Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach are brilliant in their roles, and a lot of props need to go to Lee Van Cleef as he is absolutely chilling in his role.

This new edition really does the film the justice it deserves. The film has been restored to the director's original vision as much as possible, giving you an extra 18 minutes. You will notice the added scenes as the voices have been re-dubbed (the first time you will notice this will throw you, as I think that specific part has the worst re-dubbing, but the other added scenes are done a lot better, even if you still notice it). The picture looks incredible and the sound is great. Extras included are commentary from Richard Schickel, a couple of documentaries and featurettes, poster gallery, deleted scenes and the original theatrical trailer. Along with the nice packaging, you get an 8-page booklet that includes pictures from the film along with Roger Ebert's most recent review of the film. And, you get some mini-posters included inside the packaging as well. A superior edition of the movie, without question.

"The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" is a pure triumph in filmmaking and should be seen by everybody at least once. Don't let the fact that this is a Western throw you. I think this can be enjoyed by everybody, and even by those who are not big fans of Westerns. A film filled with authentic emotion and action, this is one that shouldn't be missed by anyone. I LOVE this movie, and I cannot express that enough. -Michael Crane

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Restoration!
Review: "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" is Sergio Leone's magnum opus. An audacious undertaking, it would have flopped miserably in any other director's hands. Only someone so commited to his artistic vision as Leone could have pulled off this bombastic pageantry of human nature in all its facets, its capacity for cynicism, greed, bloodlust, revenge, heroism, redemption and honour.

This movie must be *experienced.* Put the DVD in, turn the stereo all the way up and let it pummel you from the moment the Lardani titles blast onto the screen in a blaze of Technicolor fury. The montage of colour, interspersed by stark black and white visages of Eastwood, Van Cleef and Wallach is a tough act to follow, like Saul Bass' mesmerising titles for Hitchcock's "Vertigo."

The wait is now over! Last year, MGM/UA issued a restored 35mm print, which showed at the Film Forum in Manhattan. First restored in Italian by Cineteca Nazionale, the English-language restoration was spearheaded by Martin Scorsese, whose efforts with the Film Preservation Foundation have helped fund preservation of America's celluloid heritage. Both Eli Wallach and Clint Eastwood returned to the sound studio to dub new dialogue for approximately 20 minutes of restored footage. Both sound a little older and scratchier, but these added scenes help to explain both Tuco's and Angel Eyes' gangs and some plot points that were previously unclear. However, they both sound great! (Van Cleef's voice was dubbed by a professional voiceover artist, and sounds almost on target). The movie now has the true feel of a sprawling epic, one that's earned its right to take its time.

This special edition DVD features the movie restored to its original length in the Italian version, and comes jam packed with interviews with Eastwood, Wallach, producer Alberto Grimaldi and -- most importantly -- Mickey Knox, who wrote the English language dialogue. Knox crafted lines that lived up to the larger than life screenplay. You'd swear the original was in English, the dialogue is so perfectly tailored!

But the vision is singularly Leone's. It starts slowly, as a band of bounty killers home in on their prey, small-time bandit Tuco Ramirez (THE UGLY, played by the venerable Eli Wallach). They pile through a saloon door, then the camera imediately pans away laterally. Suddenly, his body hurtling through the front window in a rain of glass, Tuco bursts onto the street -- in what has to be the most absurd grand entrance in screen history -- revolver in one hand, a chicken leg in the other. It's total chutzpah on Leone's and Wallach's part.

If you think *that* can't be topped, watch Wallach's entire performance. Animated is putting it mildly. More than a performance, Wallach is a one-man band, nay, Army. Never has such a selfish, petty, ratty and shifty little man been played so larger than life. Wallach smirks, scurries, grimaces, chuckles, shouts, bellows and slyly oils his way across the screen in what has got to be the hammiest performance ever by a method actor. Or *any* actor: He makes Orson Welles, Burt Lancaster and Charles Laughton look like the grey and sullen cast of Woody Allen's "Interiors," he's so alive with passion that he literally sweats his performance out through the filthy pores on his stubble-ridden face. And he's wonderful!

If that's a tough act to follow, you haven't met the bad. They don't come any badder than Angel Eyes, Lee Van Cleef's hired killer who's got ice water running through his veins. Van Cleef is ruthless, bold and heartless. Riding out of nowhere onto a doomed man's rancho, Angel Eyes pays a visit, carrying out a murder for hire. The price: $500. But the victim offers him $1000 to look the other way. No dice: Angel Eyes isn't in it for the money. Rather, he's a man who loves his work, and always sees the job through. So, the poor sod dies anyway.

Clint Eastwood is as cool as a cucumber as The Man With No Name (but really one with sort of a name, in this case "Blondie," which is Wallach's moniker for him). It's fun watching the ongoing relationship between Blondie and Tuco as bounty hunter and prey. In another life, they would have been great pals, but in this life ("we're all alone in this world," Tuco confesses to Blondie, half seriously, half cynically) their love of money is thicker than friendship. So, they invent ingenious and cruel ways to exact revenge of each other.

It's during one of Tuco's sadistic plots - in which he marches the pale-skinned Eastwood across 100 miles of scorching desert - that the plot finally comes to a head: A driverless stagecoach full of wounded Confederates happens across their path, and through a twist of fate, Tuco and Blondie each have two halves of a secret which, if put together, will make them a quarter of a million dollars richer. But, without each other the two halves are worthless. Thus does Tuco do a 180 from brutal executioner to Blondie's would-be saviour. Now that he could be rich, he suddenly realizes how valuable their friendship is.

It's not before long that they wind up with Angel Eyes, as they're captured by Union soldiers. At the prisoner of war camp, a deadly game of cat and mouse begins. Van Cleef is now more restrained and less thuggish as he deals with Tuco to extract the secret; his henchman Wallace (Mario Brega, a Leone stalwart), pummels it out of Tuco.

In epic fashion, after a shootout in a deserted town and a bridge demolition that explodes across the screen, Tuco, Blondie and Angel Eyes make their way to the cemetery where the treasure is buried. In a fanfare of brass, percussion and chorus, the three face each other down in the cemetery plaza. It's a gorgeous and cathartic set piece. Credit must go not only to composer Ennio Morricone but also to musical director Bruno Nicolai, who conducts the score con fuoco.

Rating:
Summary: One of the great Westerns in an amazing package!
Review: MGM released a DVD edition of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" in the late 1990s, but it had few extras, a mono soundtrack, and a scratched print. Finally, MGM has given Sergio Leone's Western epic the double-disc special edition it deserves. The print is restored and as clear as I've ever seen it, the sound is now an astonishing 5.1 Surround (listen to the glass falling off Tuco after he springs through the window in the opening sequence!) nineteen minutes of footage from the Italian original have been restored, and the discs are packed with extras. Even the packaging is great: a sturdy interlocking box, with the DVDs kept in the upper and bottom parts of the two lids. Also inside the box are cards containing posters for the film in five different countries.

The film, like most of the European Westerns of the 1960s, was critically disregarded in its day. The New York Times said of it: "the most expensive, pious, and repellent movie in the history of its peculiar genre. There is scarcely a moment's respite from the pain." It's amazing how people missed the brilliance of this movie, which turned Western conventions upside down in such a wonderfully bizarre, European way. Now the film is considered a classic, and only Sergio Leone's own "Once Upon a Time in the West" (another great 2 DVD set, by the way) has more respect in the genre. Leone's strange style -- stretched out time, obsession with close-ups and extreme wide-shots, focus on rituals, and use of Morricone's wild and avant-garde score -- are all in full force in this tale of three treasure-seekers searching for a cache of gold coins on the Texas-New Mexico border during the Civil War. The implacable and unflappable 'hero' Blondie (Clint Eastwood), the crazy comic bandit Tuco (Eli Wallach), and the calculating immoral sadist Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) cross each other's paths amidst the senseless violence of the war. Leone perfectly contrasts the self-interested men with the greater backdrop of the tragedy of war. It's a strangely emotionally affecting picture despite its focus on three men who are detached from normal society and seem not to care about anything but money. So many individual scenes stand out for their virtuosity that the movie a parade of "greatest hits." Most astonishing of all is "The Ecstasy of Gold" sequence where Tuco dashes madly through a cemetery, looking for the grave that might hold the gold. Morricone's music here is especially overwhelming.

Chances are you've seen the film and love it. What about the new scenes and the extras?

Nineteen minutes of footage have been restored that were never shown in the American prints. The scenes integrate perfectly into the film, and after seeing them once, you won't be able to imagine they were ever missing. Among the scenes are Angel Eyes visiting a destroyed fort; Tuco hiring bandits to help him chase Blondie; Blondie and Angel Eyes having a face-to-face when they first set out together to find the gold; and some extra conversation between Tuco and Blondie in the desert. However, these scenes were never dubbed into English in the 1960s. Therefore, the DVD producers had to newly dub them. Eli Wallach and Clint Eastwood do their own voices. An actor named Simon Prescott does the imitation of the deceased Lee Van Cleef. Admittedly, Wallach and Eastwood no longer sound the same, but I couldn't imagine someone else imitating their voices -- it couldn't have been done any other way. Prescott is pretty good as Angel Eyes, if a bit more gravelly.

The extras...

Disc 1 has audio commentary by Richard Shickel, a film historian who wrote Eastwood's biography and also did commentary on Leone's "Once Upon a Time in America" DVD. His comments can be pretty dry, and he focuses mostly on Leone's style and techniques instead of on background information on the filming itself. Nonetheless, there are many interesting insights, and Shickel manages to say a lot during the three-hour running time.

Most of the extras are on Disc 2:

"Leone's West" -- A 20-minute documentary about the making of the film. Includes interviews with Shickel, producer Alberto Grimaldi, author of the English dialogue Mickey Knox, and best of all, Eastwood and Wallach. There's some very interesting info and memories here, mostly from Knox and the two actors.

"The Leone Style" -- A 23-minute documentary, really just an extension of the first one. It spends more time on Leone's unusual techniques. The same interviewees appear here.

"The Man Who Lost the Civil War" -- A 14-minute documentary that was produced separately from the DVD. It makes no mention of the movie, but is about its historical backdrop: the disastrous General Sibley campaign in Texas. Sibley appears in the film briefly, and this short documentary gives the viewer an important insight into the world of Blondie, Tuco, and Angel Eyes.

"Reconstructing The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" -- An 11 minute look into the painstaking work involved with fixing the picture and sound, restoring the cut scenes, and re-dubbing it.

"Il Maestro: Ennio Morricone" -- 8 minutes; mostly an interview with music scholar John Burlingame about the film's score. At the end of the feature, you can choose to listen to an audio-only twelve-minute lecture by Burlingame that provides a much more in-depth analysis of the music.

"Deleted Scenes" -- Two scenes couldn't go back into the film. The extended torture scene had a damaged negative, so here it is in its rougher state. An apparently lost scene is reconstructed through text, stills, and clips from the French trailer.

Finally, there's a gallery of posters, the original trailer, and MGM tossing in some gratuitous advertising for their other films.

Don't miss this DVD. Not only is it one of the great action films and one the great westerns, but it's the kind of release that the DVD format was invented for!

Rating:
Summary: Most Entertaining Western
Review: This movie is a personal favorite of mine because I just can't seem to get tired of it even though I've seen it many many times. I had the biggest crush on Clint Eastwood when I was a young girl and this was the film that did it for me. It has a good story, outstanding acting from the three leads, superb music and touches of humor that just make the film a very enjoyable one to watch. There may be more profound western films out there but for me, this is The One I watch repeatedly. And for that matter, I also love and recommend A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More but this one is better.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific all time classic Western
Review: Well the only thing that prevented me from giving this 5 stars is the sound tracking....that the actors and some of the voices are so out of sync its horrendous. They could have done better....it was 1967 and they could have at least overlayed the sound properly.


That gripe aside, this is one of the all time great classic Westerns. They really put in the time and Hollywood cashola on this one because the storyline, backdrops, cinematography, and music are all tremendous. The music I think deserves special mention....it is one of the most breathtaking scores I have ever heard and Im sure that the folks who worked on the Star Wars movies took a few cues from this score. Its awesome.


So if youre a fan of westerns and/or great movies, go pick this up right away because its terrific!!!

Rating:
Summary: Not just "another western movie"
Review: And to assume so would be incredibly stupid of someone, why before I saw this movie I had never really given westerns a try thinking they all had the same boring plot,paper-thin characters,and uninspired lines. How wrong I was! I'm so glad I bought this movie since it has become one of my personal favorites. With that said this is Sergio Leones third enstallment in the "Man with no name" series(I have yet to see "For a Few Dollars More") and is easily the best, the cinematography is breathtaking and no shot is wasted, the acting is excellent, Eastwood portraying one of the best "heroes" in a movie I've ever seen, and the music which I love fits in perfectly with the movie. This movie strikes a chord with me deep down, don't ask why it just does and I love every second of it. If you still have yet to see this movie, then don't hesitate to rent or buy it whenever you have the chance! Also, this has opened me up to the western genre and I have seen other classics such as The Wild Bunch, Unforgiven, The Searchers and Once upon a time in the west.

Rating:
Summary: One cool movie
Review: This movie is totally awesome. The way Leone puts it all together is totally sweet, and the music in it(by Ennio Morricone) is totally awesome as well!! In fact I like all of Clint's so called- "Man with no name" spaghetti westerns. This one is memorable for Eli Wallach's portrayal of Tuco, the lovably dirty, and greedy(as well as often humorous) "Ugly". The sympathetic view of the Civil War is also memorable, and the character development for the Characters especially the main ones: "The Good", "The Bad" and "The Ugly" also make the movie sweet. The additions in the special edition make the plot flow a little easier, and its pretty fun to watch in Italian(I still use subtitles, since I don't know Italian). I haven't seen all the special features yet, but I'm sure there good too.

Rating:
Summary: A must have DVD for movie fans
Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Extended Version Collector's Set is an amazing DVD that is a must have for fans of spaghetti westerns, Clint Eastwood, and Sergio Leone. Most people know the storyline of three violent men and their pursuit of $200,000 in Confederate gold coins buried in a cemetery. Allowing nothing to slow them down, the trio cuts a violent path to the gold. For the extended version DVD, 14 minutes of footage has been added to the movie that were never part of the American release. Clint Eastwood and Eli Wallach re-recorded the dialogue in these scenes because an English audio track was never created. It is almost forty years since the movie was made and Eastwood and Wallach have aged which is noticeable in their voices, but that doesn't detract from the overall viewing pleasure of the movie. My only problem with the DVD is the gunshots. Spaghetti westerns had a distinctive noise when guns were fired. Here on this DVD the gunshots have been changed to a more Americanized gunshot. Minor squabble, but I had to get it off my chest. Even with this minor problem this is an incredible DVD that fans of the movie need to have in their collection.

Clint Eastwood is excellent as Blondie, "the Good," a bounty hunter who by accident discovers the name of the grave where the gold coins are buried. Lee Van Cleef is equally as good as the steely-eyed Angel Eyes, "the Bad," a vicious gunfighter who will stop at nothing to get his hands on the gold. Eli Wallach steals the movie as Tuco, "the Ugly," the Mexican bandit who knows the name of the cemetery, but not the name on the grave. The trio are great throughout, providing plenty of great shootouts, but also some great dialogue. The movie also stars Luigi Pistilli as Father Ramirez, Tuco's brother, Mario Brega as Corporal Wallace, Aldo Guiffre as an alcoholic Union captain, Aldo Sambrell, Benito Stefanelli, and Al Mulock.

The Extender Version Collector's Set is full of extras viewers will eat up. The DVD features the widescreen presentation of the movie with 14 additional minutes of footage, audio commentary from film critic Richard Schickel, "Leone's West" a making of documentary with cast(Eastwood and Wallach) and crew interviews, "The Leone Style" a featurette about director Sergio Leone's unique style, "The Man Who Lost the Civil War" a documentary about the actual happenings of the Civil War that take place in the movie, "Reconstructing the GBU" on how the audio recording was done, and "Il Maestro" a feature about composer Ennio Morricone and his famous score. The DVD also has two deleted scenes that weren't able to be inserted into the movie, a French trailer with other missing footage, a US trailer that identifies Tuco as the Bad and Angel Eyes as the Ugly, several collectible mini-posters from around the world, and a collectible booklet with an essay by Roger Ebert. If you have the original DVD, I recommend you keep it just to have the original US release, but buy this DVD as well. This Extended Version DVD is truly one of the few movies you can say is a must have DVD. Buy this movie!


Rating:
Summary: I love spaghetti!
Review: It's sad to say, but the greatest western movie ever made was this Leone masterpiece. It had everything one could want, but it's main strengths were obviously its unique style and its humor. I would rank it slightly ahead of other great westerns like Shane, Magnificent Seven and Tombstone.