Adventure/Western
2 hours and 41 minutes
Approved
Written by: Agenore Incrocci, Furio Scarpelli, Sergio Leone, and Luciano Vincenzoni
Directed by: Sergio Leone
Produced by: Alberto Grimaldi
Cast:
Clint Eastwood
Lee Van Cleef
Eli Wallach
They formed an alliance of hate to steal a fortune in dead man's gold.
There's something magical about the spaghetti westerns of the 1960s - particularly, the ones made by Sergio Leone. Sure Corbucci and Petroni had some fantastic entries in the genre, but no filmmaker ever came quite close to the sheer perfection that Leone was able to touch upon several times within the genre, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is arguably Leone's greatest film of all.
The film begins with the standard Leone direction, closeup cinematography of nameless killers attempting a coup on one of the story's main characters. This same direction in camerawork is a common reoccurrence in Leone's work - and it was handled well by director of photography Tonino Delli Colli. These closeups are inserted in scenes to build tension and add claustrophobia to moments that warrant such a build. The perfect example of this (besides the film's epic climax) is the opening scene where the audience is introduced to the character of Angel Eyes, portrayed by Lee Van Cleef. Van Cleef's character enters the home of a man who is about to eat breakfast with his family. His presence in the house is undeniably unsettling. This is conveyed to the audience through Leone's perfect use of closeups, as well as the sheer and utter silence that dominates the first half of the scene. Van Cleef is able to express his sinister intentions before he even utters his first line of dialogue, a testament to what was his fantastic acting capabilities. Indeed, it is this opening scene with Van Cleef that remains possibly the most memorable moment in the entire motion-picture.
Ennio Morricone's score is perfect for every moment within the film. I'm not entirely sure that the man is capable of producing bad music, and I'd argue history will look favorably upon him as being one of the greatest (if not the greatest) composer of his time. It's obvious why such filmmakers as Leone, John Carpenter, and Brian De Palma would want to work with him.
A unique quality to this film that sets it apart from not just other spaghetti westerns, but period pieces set during the American Civil War, is its setting. While most films with scenes set during the Civil War tend to glorify the bravery of the soldiers, or express how devastating the losses were on the battlefield (which Leone does here as well), The Good, the Bad and the Ugly examines - albeit somewhat briefly - the cruelty and conditions bared by prisoners of war. It's interesting that such a topic is discussed in the plot of an Italian-made western, considering how minuscule in importance the American Civil War was to the rest of the world's history in comparison to America's. Perhaps it took the eye of an outsider to examine such a disturbing topic. Surely there was cruelty and torture committed against Civil War POWs, but it's easy for Americans to choose not to discuss such an ugly topic - especially considering how ugly the Civil War was overall. It's incredibly refreshing to see that ugliness brought to light, even if it does only act as a backdrop for a section of the story.
The actors within the film are all perfect for their roles. Eastwood handles "the Man with No Name" with such ease at this point, one has to wonder if he even had to memorize his lines or if they just came naturally. Wallach is entertaining, and acts terrifically as a much needed comic relief from the darker, more serious tones conveyed through the rules of the genre. The dialogue between Wallach and Eastwood stands as some of the best written in a spaghetti western. The most fun is watching Van Cleef portray such a sinister character - something he had been typecast to do since the beginning of his career. His portrayal of such an intelligently evil villain is remarkable, mainly due to how simple it appears for him to do so.
Whenever I have the opportunity to revisit this motion-picture, I always attempt to find some flaw with it. After who knows how many screenings, the conclusion has always remained the same - it is flawless. It remains the pinnacle of success and standards for what a spaghetti western should look like - and indeed, it was the success of this film that led to the "Italianization" of American westerns, or their becoming more gritty and scandalous in their content.
An outstanding motion-picture, that could quite possibly be Sergio Leone's masterpiece, which boasts amazing settings, beautiful cinematography, breathtaking performances, and has the bravery to handle darker, uglier backdrops in US history - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly remains a perfect film to this very day and, as long as people are interested in movies, will continue to remain so.
10/10
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