Very few people catches the importance and the beauty of the scene between Tuco and his brother, the way Leone is able to transform Tuco from a dastardly scoundrel to a sympathetic anti hero in just few minutes is amazing.
she's missing something! there was NO agreement between eastwood and the fugatives he turned in for the reward money! these people were eastwood's PRISONERS! they had no choice! would you agree to something like that? eastwood's character is called an "anti-hero!" he may do good things on occasion but he does them for the wrong reasons! and he usually does them in a corrupt and violent way. that's an anti-hero.
I love the scene after that between Tuco and Blondie. Tuco says his brother is crazy about him, Blondie knows Tuco is lying. Tuco knows that Blondie knows. They have a cigar and move on.
You really are a film expert. You understood EVERYTHING they were trying to say with this film masterpiece. So impressed with your ability to grasp every nuance of this film. The directing by Leone, the set designs, and of course the unmatched music made by Ennio Morricone. You raved about all three and were absolutely right to. I first saw this film in the early 1970’s as a kid. My dad and uncle introduced me to this movie, and I’ve watched this particular spaghetti western dozens of times. It’s literally in my top 5 favorite films of all time. I was so impressed with how you mentioned the grit and reality of the sets. Before the first film of this trilogy, all famous westerns were so vanilla and all used the same system (pretty much). These 3 films changed the Western genre forever. Also your recognition of Eli Wallace’s acting in this film, you’re 100% correct, it was outstanding, so much so, he should have been nominated for an academy award. People raved about his performance. Clint, of course, was perfect in the no name roles, and became a huge star because of them. As an impressionable youngster, I of course became a huge fan of his. One of the coolest dudes ever. Your reaction and knowledge of film creation is extremely impressive. You understood everything about this film, I’ve yet to see a reaction to this film from others that gets this film as well as you did.
Your comments about them not being all bad or all good are spot on. Hollywood's westerns of the time were very explicate as to good and bad, there was no ambiguity. Leone wanted his characters to be human, to be relatable. No one is totally good or totally bad.
The classic Western film, all three lead actors are fantastic and the film score is one of the best ever made. The scene where Tuco is racing around the cemetery is accompanied by Morircone's classic theme 'Ecstacy of Gold'. The Danish National Symphony Orchestra performed a concert of Morricone's music including all three Spaghetti Western themes, well worth a look.
The reason why the noose was needed at the end for Tuco is because Blondie knew he couldn't trust Tuco to simply separate and go his own way. Blondie knew Tuco would easily shoot him in the back to take all 200,000 in gold for himself, so he had to devise a way to make sure he was far enough away and Tuco was at a disadvantage with no horse to pursue him.
You are are the one. Once again... If i have already seen it , you make it better the second time with your review and reactions. Then you pull out the best of the ones I haven't seen. Love it ❤.
Someone already mentioned that revolver parts were often interchangeable because they were copied from Colts and Remingtons. Also, because they were produced by hand back then, fit and alignment of moving parts wasn't consistent, so Tuco looking for the parts that fit and functioned the best. The scene is so iconic that there is an homage to it in 2019's "John Wick 3."
I really hated that scene in John Wick. I loved the homage, don't get me wrong, but they spent so long making it happen and then the payoff was gone and he didn't use the gun more than a few seconds. An empty homage if you ask me.
Just to clarify the parts issue, yes you could do that. Sam Colt played mix and match with ten Colt revolvers in London in 1850 and the crowd was astonished. What Eli Wallach did is simply play mix and match with two 1851 percussion revolvers and, when he cocks the hammer, it becomes one the cartridge revolvers because they are going to fire it.
The 'other two' in the series aren't bad either. And in one, you get to see Lee Van Cleef as the 'good guy', Col. Mortimer. And the music is great as well for the showdown.
Wow, I never once made the parallel between Blondie, "The Man With No Name," and the grave marked "Unknown" with the gold in it until you mentioned it. That totally makes me see that scene and now symbolism much differently now :)
The poncho Eastwood gets in this movie (near the end) becomes iconic apparel in the other two movies from A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More, the other 2 parts of the Man with No Name series.
So this is a prequel to the other two movies? I'm sorry, but I'm on Team Not-a-Trilogy, so I have this need to point this out. Nothing against you personally. The idea of the "man with no name" was made up by the American distributers when they sold the three movies brutally cut as a trilogy. Eastwood plays three different characters in the movies; Joe, Monco and Blondie, just as Lee Van Cleef and Gian Maria Volontè plays different characters in their respective two movies of the three. Sergio Leone used the same actors for similar roles in different movies. In the first two movies in this "trilogy" Joseph Egger, Nazzareno Natale, Enrique Santiago, Lorenzo Robledo and Edmondo Tieghi play smaller roles, but not the same characters. Natale, Santiago and Robledo are even in this movie too. But the poncho was a great reference to the earlier movies. It was a nice touch. Or maybe it was just better for the upcoming truel than the heavy jacket?
I loved it when you added the facts for this movie, there is one more fact about Lee Van Cleef's Angel Eyes, For the scene where Angel Eyes interrogates Maria the prostitute for information about Bill Carson, Lee Van Cleef was appalled by the fact that he was required to actually hit Maria (played by Rada Rassimov), complaining "I can't hit a woman." Rassimov replied with, "Don't worry. I'm an actress. Even if you slap me for real, it's no problem," but Van Cleef further stated, "I know, but I can't!" As a result, a stunt double was used for shots where Rassimov was slapped, which were intercut with shots of Van Cleef himself. As he later put it: "There are very few principles I have in life . . . one of them is I don't kick dogs, and the other one is I don't slap women in movies"
Angel Eyes learns about the Confederate gold by accident when interrogating the family man before he kills him. The guy that hired Angel Eyes didn’t tell him why he wanted to find the soldier who was using Bill Carson’s name. This is my favorite western, next is The Big Country (1958) with Gregory Peck. Tuco is my favorite movie character of all time. Great movie reaction!
Eastwood's physical performance throughout this film is a textbook example of how to maintain higher status. No matter what situation he's in or who is pointing a gun at him, he moves with relaxed slowness, never rushing even when under threat, which would display fear and weakness.
Ennio Morricone for the music!!! There are many greats, but there is only one Morricone. Lee van Cleef IS handsome! I agree! You can see him in a nice large role again, opposite Eastwood in "A Few Dollars More", the second of this informal trilogy. Eli Wallach confessed to Leone that he didn't know anything about guns and didn't know what to do in the gun shop scene. Leone told him to just improvise, which, as you see, Wallach did. Angel Eyes can be classified as "bad" since he has intelligence, forethought, and devotes himself to greed, self-interest and disregard for life. Blondie is, by comparison, good, since he also has intelligence, forethought, and doesn't kill unless necessary. His morals are questionable, at least at the start, since he uses Tuco to scam, but his experiences throughout this story (listening in on the Tuco-brother scene, the entire nightmare of the captain and the bridge, including the young dying soldier) makes an impression on him, and by the end of the movie, he might actually be good. Tuco is an animal, a creature without morals, who, as you say, doesn't always think ahead. He's primarily instinct, not stupid, but not a chess player, like Angel Eyes and Blondie. He can and does learn, but he can't afford to have anything touch his heart. The tragic captain is Italian actor, Aldo Giuffrè. When I first watched this movie, long ago, all chopped up on a tv broadcast, and probably under fifteen years old, this character made me cry, and this section along with the Tuco-Pablo scene, remain, for me, one of the strongest and most "important" parts of the movie. But Blondie does care about more than the money. Remember his quiet observation during the battle: "I've never seen so many men wasted so badly." I feel this carnage really affects him. And he knows and feels enough to let the captain know what's going to happen - the captain asks the doctor to keep him alive for a bit because "he's expecting good news." He dies in peace, with that nightmare bridge that destroyed his life and conscience. "Rebecca"! Fantastic - wonderful cast. I must point out that, in addition the the fabulous Olivier and the lovely, sensitive Joan Fontaine (sister to Olivia de Havilland), the supporting cast priceless: Judith Anderson is Mrs. Danvers. She was a world-class theater actress, famous for playing Medea like no one else. You will see George Sanders in one of his signature charm and smarm roles. Gladys Cooper has a small role here, as does Nigel Bruce. Bruce became famous as Watson to Basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes, and Gladys Cooper made a career out of playing icily classy antagonists. One of my favorites for her is as the mother in "Now, Voyager", with Bette Davis.
I always watched this movie as a kid, and I thought the guns and all the showdown stuff was the best. As I get older, I think the scene where he puts his jacket on the dying soldier and gives him a final smoke is really the best scene
You’re the Robert Osborne of a new generation. Your dedication to the history and circumstances as well as the production notes of the films you watch elevate your videos to S-tier.
You know, I read this comment once you posted it, and I have to say it really has reminded me of why I do certain things the way I do them on this channel. Thank you so much for sharing this! It has given me a lot of encouragement and motivation to keep going! I am so grateful for your comment!! 😊
@@MoviesWithMia I grew up watching so many of these movies with my parents because my parents grew up with them. That was the start of my love for movies as a way to bond with my family. The women of my family have an annual classics and cocktails day every Christmas. Robert Osborne and early dvd director commentaries were my introduction to film as a language, and the intricacies of production. Thank you for giving me both of those feelings together. I recommend your videos to so many people who I know just love talking about and watching knowledgeable people talk about movies.
she's missing something! there was NO agreement between eastwood and the fugatives he turned in for the reward money! these people were eastwood's PRISONERS! they had no choice! would you agree to something like that? eastwood's character is called an "anti-hero!" he may do good things on occasion but he does them for the wrong reasons! and he usually does them in a corrupt and violent way. that's an anti-hero.
Wallace is played by Mario Brega, an actor that was so famous in Rome that he is a symbol of "Romanity" (that is, famous for speaking the Roman dialect and with a strong accent). A true myth of Italian Cinema
I'm a super Lee Van Cleef fangirl too, and his performance here as the satan of the west is one of the finest of his career, but Eli Wallach as Tuco steals the show. bTW, if you haven't already, you need to check out these three of LVC's next movies that he did, all of which he starred in: Death Rides A Horse, Day of Anger and The Big Gundown, in which he is considered to have given his finest performance. And of course, a MUST see is the one that came before this one, a co-starring role with Clint Eastwood in For AFew Dollars More, where LVC plays Colonel Douglas Mortimer, a veteran of the civil war, turned bounty hunter, although very different from Angel Eyes. He and Clint discover they are on the trail of the same people, although for very different reasons, and decide to work together.
A lot of “Spaghetti Westerns” not made not made by Sergio Leone are not very good. Not only are Leone’s movies the absolute best of the spaghetti westerns, they are some of the best films made in any genre.
I really enjoyed and loved your video. You got the target when you say that, back then, in America they rejected this film, because Leone showed them the dark side of America face (the cruelty of the civil war, the close ups of the scarred faces of those dirty bandits, where there wasn't almost difference between the good and the bad (the good kills even more people in this film than the bad), He showed them that in the far west there weren't unstained heroes as depicted by john ford or john wayne, but they had the filthy face of Tuco or Angel Eyes. I agree with you about the character of Tuco, the only one among the three of them with deep layers and his story, I consider Tuco the main character and Wallach was amazing in that role. Once, in an interview, Wallach said that he risked his life twice in this film: in the scene of the train and in the second scene in which Clint cut the rope (he really risked to be hung). The actor playing the union captain was a famous (in Italy) theater actor named Aldo Giuffré (from Naples), he was an excellent actor and yes, you're right again: his real voice was better and warmer than the english voice they gave him in the movie. it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldo_Giuffré. This movie is really wonderful and the music by Morricone simply amazing! Last but not least: greetings from Rome, Leone and Morricone's city.
Brilliant reaction. Your observations were superb. Now time to watch ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST. Leone said, "I want to make the best Western ever." And he did. Oh, yay, Hitchcock! And your starting with a great one. Joan Fontaine is perfect in it. Hope you'll watch NOTORIOUS as well. Ingrid Bergman's best performance IMO.
Once Upon A Time in the West was a fantastic film, but in my opinion, it doesn't surpass or even match The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. This was the greatest western ever made, hands down.
Ennio Morricone was a musical genius. Now that you've done this movie, you have to do Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West. It's the Gone With the Wind of westerns. Truly a masterpiece. Lee Van Cleef was a good bad guy. Truly a friendship of convenience. You need to check out Clint Eastwood's 1973 High Plains Drifter. It's very deep.
I've mixed feelings about Once Upon a Time (except for the train station scene which is brilliant)... Better: The Outlaw Josie Wales, The Wild Bunch, and a few others.
@@t0dd000 I like all of those. Once upon a time in the west was the first spaghetti western I saw and it was different than any other I had seen. I was more interested in the differences than anything else about the movie. First impressions and so on.
One of the best western reactions here Ive seen on youtube by you Mia. The 3 Leone movies with Clint Eastwood must be the 3 best western movies ever done,spaggetti movie,ordinary western or whatever. John Wayne fans may say whatever they want,this is as high as it goes concerning cinema-westerns. Its just way above everything else,these 3 movies. The the music in these 3 movies is also way beyond any other western movie music ever done. Morricone is the man behind that music. Masterful.
John Wayne fans may say the what??? 🤦♂️ you better go and watch The Searchers... as much as I love this trilogy and Leone, he's no John Ford, ask Orson Welles
Putting a like just doesn't seem enough! I echo some of the above comments and say once Upon A Time In The West is a must watch, also The Professionals and The Wild Bunch should really be on your radar. Take care. XX
I think that it is marvelous that classically trained method actor Eli Walloch interacted so well with Clint who had zero training. I can't wait for Rebecca. I love Sir Lawrence and Joan Fontaine.
I've always loved this movie, ever since I watched it on TV when I was a kid. And now, it holds a special place in my heart because it was the last movie my mom and I watched together. ❤️
Two other Leone classics are Once Upon a Time in the West with Henry Fonda against type as a killer and Charles Bronson; and Duck, You Sucker with James Coburn.
The bridge that Blondie and Tuco blew up at the end got blown up twice. The Spanish army constructed the bridge. As a reward, the director gave the lead officer of the Spanish army the privilege of initiating the blast. An itallian camera operator said he was ready which in Spanish sounded like "blow the bridge". So the officer did. There were no cameras rolling so no footage existed. The army rebuilt the bridge and someone who spoke italian held the detonator.
I remember reading somewhere that part of the reason Clint Eastwood had that squint for the whole movie on his face was actually because he hated the cigars so much and the smoke kept stinging his eyes.
THIS! Eli Wallach's performance is my all-time-favourite. Sergio Leone was a genius for casting him. BTW the Western is a film-genre Europeans always liked. I love it too, because there are no phones or cars, so the filmmakers can concentrate more into the story and the characters. Just my opinion.
Both Clint Eastwood and Eli Wallach were almost killed on this film. You mentioned those about Wallach and his near disasters. Eastwood’s is in the scene where the bridge blows up and cannons go off. Some of the debris comes back on them. You can see a rock about the size of an fist hit the sandbag about a foot and a half from Eastwood’s head. Also the $200,000 they split in 1864 would be worth over $3.5 million today.
Sergio Leone was very particular in casting... He picked people, who would convey so much about the character they played. Without them even saying a word...
Hi Mia. You were watching the extended cut of this film. I prefer it as it gives more Tuco moments and a little more Angel Eyes hunting down Bill Carson. I love this film for the amazing acting, camera/editing work and that phenomenal score by Ennio Morricone. It also has the best last gunfight of any Western I've ever seen.
A great reaction, thank you. Some of the dialog must have influenced modern actors and filmakers. In my head I can hear Arnold Schwarzenegger saying "When have to shoot, shoot! Don't talk!"
I like your commentary. If I had to sum it up- Leone, like many Europeans, grew up adoring classic American westerns, whenever they could see them. But you can almost feel Leone saying to himself "I can make a better western". He used traditional western themes, but through the lens of the European experience.
The second guy Angel Eyes killed hired him to find the guy that had the gold (and then kill the guy who told him who had it). The first guy he killed told him that the guy with the gold was going under the name of Bill Carson. Before Angel Eyes killed him, he gave Angel Eyes $1000 to kill the guy that hired him. So he goes back to the guy that hired him and tells him Bill Carsons name, then killed him. That's where you get the line "I always see a job through". He completed ever task he was hired for. Now he has knowledge of the gold and the others who know about it are dead (except Bill Carson). A few scenes later, Angel Eyes is talking to a soldier about Bill Carson. He says they are probably all dead, but if he is alive, he would be at the prison... that is how Angel Eyes got to be at the prison when the good and the ugly showed up. Ben Carson is the guy who is still alive in the stagecoach out in the desert. He tells Tuco the cemetery, and Blue Eyes the name on the grave. Just by bad luck, they get captured and taken to the prison where Angel Eyes is at. By this time Tuco has assumed Bill Carsons name, so when they call role, Tuco answers up as Bill... and that is the name Angel Eyes is waiting to hear.
with those old revolvers many of the parts were interchangeable regardless of models as most used the same caliber and actions. There were also lots of copies made of Colts & Remingtons
I was in love with this movie and the music since I was a kid. My mom even bought me the album. I still have it to this day. You've made me notice things in this movie that I really didn't pay much attention to till you pointed them out, thank you.
Mia, I am not sure where you can still find the theatrical release of the film. It may still be available that way on VHS, but everything later includes scenes that Leone had cut and because they have been added back in are quite distracting. For instance, these scenes were added back in and you can tell that the voices of Lee, Clint and Eli are very different and it doesn't really work: Tuco arrives at his old haunt to collect three comrades Angel Eyes meets the Confederates boiling corn cobs and gets information from them Tuco and Blondie arrive at a Confederate camp after sundown Blondie counts out one through six as he meets Angel Eye's subordinates and implies that he will kill all six of them soon
I love your reaction to this movie. I love this movie and your reaction to this movie was like I was watching it again for the first time. And you added layers to my original views on this movie. Thank you for that. Excellent reaction.
TGtBatU is definitely the quintessential "Spaghetti western" movie, but in my humble opinion, the pinacle of the genre is "One Upon a Time in the West." You can't close your western trip without reviewing this great movie. Furthermore, after that I believe that either one of the two possible "closure" movies would work out great. By this I mean either "My Name Is Nobody" or "Duck, You Sucker / A Fistful of Dynamite / Once Upon a Time... the Revolution." Both have a sort of elegiac "Times They Are A' Changing" feel to them. The former emphasizes the comedic/farcical aspect while the latter is more epic and political, but both are great and dear to my heart.
Arguably the greatest of the spaghetti Westerns this epic features a compelling story memorable performances breathtaking landscapes and a haunting score that was a big badass western 97/100% certified approved ☑️ I'll be better knowing my good friend if by my side to protect me.
OMG amazing film a true masterpiece very classic The Good, the Bad and the Ugly directed by Sergio Leone starring Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef and the incredible music score by Ennio Morricone. In 2014, The Good the Bad and the Ugly was ranked the 47th greatest film ever made on Empire's list of "The 301 Greatest Movies Of All Time" as voted by the magazine's readers. Thank you so much Mia Tiffany great reaction just awesome😊😊😊😊
The Captain, i think, receive them so good, cause he sees two bandits out of the army able to blow the bridge. Blondie is a Bad ass during the whole movie, but at the end, he reveals as good and noble. Leone filmed the movie on Almería desert in spain, so it's a real desert. Morricone's soundtrack is a Masterpiece of 20 th Century music
The finale is one of the best in movie history. I think Blondie put him in the noose at the end just to make sure Tuco wasn't going to shoot him in the back.
As unique and entertaining as this film is, I truly believe that it is "made" by the Ennio Morricone score. In fact, I dare everyone to watch it with the sound off. It is almost impossible to get through without the magnificent music. (For me, the other 'most memorable' Morricone score is Once Upon a Time in America. Leone's take on American gangsters...Jewish, rather than the stereotypical Italians.)
My favorite spaghetti western is not that well-known, but is a true hidden gem. It is "My Name Us Nobody" (1973), and stars Henry Fonda as an aging gunfighter who wants to retire, but a young admiring gunslinger (Terrence Hill) urges him to go out in a blaze of glory, and won't take no for an answer. There is a lot of humor, but the main story is terrific even without the comedic element. It was written by Sergio Leone, and the score is by Ennio Morricone.
Clint Eastwood...is all that has to be said! 🤠👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 You couldn’t trust anyone, that’s why they wore colts on their hips! My Dear, using bath over again was a common thing in the old west. They didn’t bath that often!
28:26 here's the thing - all of the dialogue was dubbed in post-production; all the actors spoke their own languages during filming. When additional footage was found to release in 2004 there was no dubbing on the scenes, so Clint and Eli agreed to provide dialogue 40 years after they were filmed (Lee van Cleef had died in 1984 so his additional scenes were done by someone else)
