Jan 09, 2006 08:45 PM
1674 Views
(Updated Jan 09, 2006 08:45 PM)
When one speaks of Western movies two names instantly come to mind John “The Duke “ Wayne and Clint Eastwood. When I was growing up as a kid in the 70’s and 80’s, John Wayne was a very distant memory, but Clint was a hero most of us adored. For us the definition of cool meant Clint Eastwood. And there were a series of movies which immortalized Clint’s style, Where Eagles Dare, Dirty Harry and of course The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, was the third in the series of what many call as Dollars Trilogy or what many American critics would derisively call as Spaghetti Westerns. They were called as Spaghetti Westerns as they were directed by Sergio Leone who was of Italian origin and many were shot in Spain . The Good, The Bad and The Ugly was preceded by For a Few Dollars More and A Fistful of Dollars.
The Good is “The Man with No Name” played by Clint Eastwood. He is a free lance bounty hunter who forms a sort of weird partnership with The Ugly a.k.a “Tuco” played by Eli Wallach. Tuco is the most despicable criminal you have ever seen and wanted by every Sheriff and he calls Eastwood as “Blondie”. Blondie turns in Tuco to the authorities for a bounty. After collecting his bounty, he helps Tuco to escape from hanging and they split the bounty between them. They share a love hate relationship and keep playing a game of one upmanship with each other. The twist in the tale comes when a dying Civil War soldier, tells them of a $200,000 treasure stashed away somewhere in a cemetery. Problem is both Tuco and Blondie know only half of the treasure and they are again forced to collaborate. During the course of their treasure hunt, they come across The Bad who is Angel Eyes Sentenza, a ruthless killer in the Army, played by Lee Van Cleef. The rest of the movie boils to a show down between these 3 characters.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is not your conventional John Wayne type of Western where a heroic sheriff battles against the bad guys. All the 3 characters are drifters and professional killers, who are only interested in getting their share of treasure, and that’s what makes it my favorite Western movies.
Some of the best scenes in the movie are
The opening scene introducing the characters.
The scenes between Blondie and Tuco with great dialogue and repartee.
The scene where violins are played in background, while Tuco is tortured in the Army camp.
The scene where Tuco makes Blondie suffer in the desert as a means of getting back.
And of course the final climactic showdown in the graveyard.
One thing please don’t go expecting a conventional Western, with grandstanding dialogue and blockbuster action sequences. The movie proceeds at a very leisurely pace, and you have to really absorb the movie. But whatever dialog you have bristles with wit.
Sample this sequence, Tuco the ugly guy is having a bath, when one of his rivals, approach him and does a monologue:
Tuco ‘s rival: Hey Tuco, I have been looking for u all this while, been wanting to take revenge on you………
Tuco takes out a gun and calmly shoots him dead and delivers what is probably the best line of the movie
“When you shoot, shoot don’t talk.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly has one of the best photographic shots you would ever witness in a Hollywood movie. Segio Leone makes the camera talk with long panoramic shots of the wild and harsh desert landscape. The camera work is outstanding without taking recourse to any gimmicks. And of course the final climax, when the camera zooms from one actor to another, just builds up the tension, without a single dialog being uttered.
And yes the music by Ennio Morricone is just top class. The war like music with the hyena like cry, should set any one’s adrenaline pumping. The background music has been ripped off in a dozen desi Westerns and also some ads. Along with the James Bond & Star Wars theme, this is one of the most popular music themes copied all over the world.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly has great performances from all three characters. Clint Eastwood is in top form here, as the cool, laidback, Good guy. He perfectly fits the role of the drifter.
Lee Van Cleef with his cruel looking face and almost piercing eyes makes a perfect bad guy. He creates menace just by his expressions.
But the best performance is undoubtedly by Eli Wallach as the “Ugly” guy. With his witty lines, his smirks Eli Wallach brings to life the lovable rogue character.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly might not appeal to every one due to it’s slow pace and violence, but if you love to see a real good movie, just go for it.
