Product ReviewsThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly (DVD, 2004, 2-Disc Set, Collectors Edition Extended 3-Hour Version)

Christopher Lee Rhyne Review 113

This film was rated violence in 1966. DVD is an Italian epic spaghetti western film by Sergio Leone. Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach. Tonino Delli Colli formated this film in widescreen cinematography making it a trilogy with “A Fistful of Dollars (1964)" & "For a Few Dollars More (1965)”.

Gunslingers, hangings, Confederate Gold main focus and plot. Gold coins buried in a cemetery, a ghost town setting and Bill Carson. A bandit Tuco (the ugly), has to escape three bounty hunters for his freedom. Angel eyes (the bad) an interrogator seeks the Confederate gold as well and Blondie (the good) will divide this trio.

Tuco and Blondie bond a relationship in the films satire. Sad Hill Cemetery (where the gold is at) is blocked by a great battle by Union and Confederate soldiers. They must cross the river into Mexico where the gold is buried. Arch Stanton’s grave marks the spot for the gold dig. A standoff between the good, the bad and the ugly begins. Sad Hill Cemetery has marked the spot in films history as being the most popular scene.

CAST
Clint Eastwood as Blondie: The Good----- Lee Van Cleef as Angel Eyes: The Bad----- Eli Wallach as Tuco: The Ugly----- Aldo Giuffrè as Union Captain: Drunk Union Captain----- Mario Brega as Cpl. Wallace. Corrupt Prison Guard----- Antonio Casale as Jackson: Bill Carson (knows location of grave)----- Luigi Pistilli as Father Pablo Ramirez: Catholic Friar----- Antonio Casas as Stevens: Farmer----- Rada Rassimov as Maria: Prostitute----- Al Mulock as Bount.

I like this film very much, the old classics are here in this film. I rated 5*****, also Clint is at his most roled out performance if I had to pick one from his career. I also want to say this: Eli Wallach also gave a great performance as Tuco.Read full review...

They don't make them like this anymore...

One of the top 25 most stylistic motion pictures of all time. Italian director Sergio Leone took his childhood fascination with the American wild west and put his dream on film in the early 1960's. This is his unique vision of how the West was experienced during the time of the American Civil War, and whether or not it is the most factual and valid portrayal of it is unimportant. This film is not even Sergio Leone's best Western (that would come later with his epic, Once Upon a Time in the West, a movie in which he had to settle on Charles Bronson as the hero because Clint Eastwood turned him down!). The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly is Leone's best MOVIE, and that is the important point to remember while enjoying this larger-than-life tale of revenge and greed and violence between a bandit and two bounty hunters in search of buried treasure (reviewers at the time of the film's release bemoaned the picture's gratuitous use of violence and torture, but in terms of movies today, the content is not too hard to handle and is even done in a tongue-in-cheek, artsy manner). This is an epic movie, one in which the characters evoke strong feelings within the viewer, the cinematography is top-notch even though it focuses on dry desert a lot of the time, and the soundtrack would set the standard for movie scores to follow.
Although the triangular showdown between the three gunslingers at the spot of the gold is one which people identify most readily with, there are many other scenes which are just as absolutely majestic and compelling to watch. The high-speed revolving shot of Tuco running through the graveyard in search of the treasure-laden grave, set to the beautiful music of Ennio Morricone, is one of the greatest scenes in movie history. Indeed, Eli Wallach's portrayal of Tuco ("The Rat") is one of the most bold and dynamic versions of an outlaw ever acted out on screen.
If you like quickly moving plots, non-stop dialogue, female characters, and traditional Westerns, you may NOT like this movie. Many people have labeled it cartoonish and boring. Leone took his time with this story, and there is often minutes between dialogue (thank goodness for the incredible soundtrack!). There are only 2 or 3 women on screen for about a minute or two - this is definitely a MAN's movie. And the plot is something more out of a mythic fable than it is High Noon!
I have seen the Godfather, the Sting, Rocky, One Flew Over the Cookoo's Nest, and hundreds of other great films, and THE GOOD, THE BAD, & THE UGLY is my favorite movie of all time. It is simply unequaled in its originality and had a huge impact on me. An absolute CLASSIC.Read full review...

MY FAVORITE MOVIE OF ALL TIME!

WARNING! THE FOLLOWING REVIEW MAY CONTAIN POSSIBLE SPOILERS!

Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach try to outrun and outgun each other for the stolen loot in my favorite Western and possibly my favorite movie of all time...Sergio Leone's THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY.

In preparation for this review, I wanted to discuss my Top 3 moments of the movie in precise detail.

NUMBER 3: THE WALK IN THE SUN SEQUENCE
In one of the darkest scenes in TGTB&TU, Tuco forces Blondie to walk across the scorching Spanish desert. Without food or water, Blondie's face becomes a crater full of blisters. Just when Tuco draws the gun on Blondie, a stagecoach filled with dying men becomes his personal salvation.

NUMBER 2: THE ESCTASY OF GOLD SEQUENCE
The perfect marriage of Tonino Delli Colli's cinematography and Ennio Morricone's music. Tuco frantically runs around the Sad Hill Cemetery looking for Arch Stanton's grave. This scene shows why Morricone is indeed God's gift to film composing.

NUMBER 1: THE TRIO SEQUENCE
The final showdown to end all showdowns. Blondie, Tuco and Angel Eyes form a circular duel to see what it takes to become a rich man. A powerful, breathtaking and brillant moment of celluoid thanks to Leone Morricone.

These moments are the real reason for seeing this movie. If you don't have it, buy it, rent it, steal it, download it (you probably shouldn't do that), or borrow from a friend.Read full review...

The best motion picture of all time!

It's not a Western, it's not about the American Civil War--the extras are obviously Latin Europeans, there are no cowboys. The characters are fully formed when the movie begins and they do not undergo any transformation during the story; except for one, all of the characters are the same when the movie ends as when you first meet them.

The surreal landscapes are characters in the storyline, too. This movie could not have been filmed in 20th century America, they didn't even try to make it look as if it was...it's totally stylized--19th century 10¢-novel wild west America.

The soundtrack is the fifth major character of the film; it expertly drives your emotions and reactions in concert with what your vision is delivering to your mind. Without this soundtrack the movie would be stagnant, yet it's not something you'd want to simply listen to; the two work together, the visual and the auditory, neither stands alone.

Considering the tragedy that the characters do not evolve or learn from their mistakes, the relative lack of dialog, the importance of backdrops and costumes, and the critical importance of the soundtrack to the story; this is a twentith-century Italian opera set in an imaginary American West. Given that the facial expressions are so critical to adding the details to the actions, this is a new genre...a cinema-opera.

The extra features and the restoration of some scenes that were not in the US theater-release makes owning this Collector's Edition the mandatory way to fully appreciate this all-time masterpiece.Read full review...

This Cult Spegetti Western Classic Sets Bar For Genre!

Blondie (Clint Eastwood), mercenary drifter Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef), and Tuco (Eli Wallach) are gunmen who admire each other professionally but dislike each other personally. Encountering a group of dying soldiers, Tuco learns the location of the graveyard where a Confederate treasure is buried, while Blondie learns the identity of the exact grave. Joined by they cross the desert, each of the desperadoes knowing half the secret and each focusing his squinty eyes on the $200,000 bounty in confederate gold. Italian director Sergio Leone collaboration with Clint Eastwood in the Man with No Name Trilogy, made a true classic that has both style & substance! Produced and released internationally in 1966 with it's vivid Cinemascope imagery to depict a bleak and bloody American West in this final installment of his Spaghetti Western genre, the film solidified Eastwood's position as a major international star with his stoic, brooding presence. Cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli's stunning visuals are a match for the vivacious Ennio Morricone score, one of the most recognizable in all of cinema!Read full review...

Beautiful Product

This is one of my favorite westerns, and I'm very pleased to have it in my collection. I was also fantastically pleased by the DVDs' packaging. The DVD case itself is well-built and handsome. Opening it was like opening a wrapped gift, because inside were small representations of the original posters, along with some other interesting materials.
Very pleased with this purchase!Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: epicci1

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

I bought it because it's a classic western with an European point of view.
This is a great motion picture that I could qualify as a shotgun shot.
It's Historical for it shows another side of our tough american history.
It's Psychological because shows three main ways of human thoughts.
It's Sociological showing the American western evolution.
It's Philosophical leaving the viewer to find philosophical values in the three main ways to achieve a goal shown in the movie.
This movie should be in the personal collection of every man in the whole world.
This movie helps to understand what America is what it is and why.Read full review...

This movie sets the standard

When it comes to westerns, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly sets the standard. The acting is superb and the setting is very convincing. The plot is also unbeatable. The movie does not have a great deal of dialogue, and that adds to the feel of the movie. This film is known for its music also, and its main theme has become the epitome of the "Western sound." Lastly, if you are a Clint Eastwood fan, this will be one of your favorite movies.Read full review...

"Great Western Finale!"

Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach
star in Sergio Leone's 1966 western. Two gunmen
and a drifter search for confederate treasure in
this final chapter of the "Man With No Name"
trilogy. Clint is great as usual and this dvd set
has nice picture and sound plus neat extras.
I recommend this great western finale.Read full review...

The best of the best!!!!!!!!

This move is must for any move lover. I swear you will be surprised. This is not one of those classic Hollywood westerns that makes you throw up. It is just unbelievable! I have seen it at list 30 times ... lol ... the way the scenes were shot was unique for that time. Many movies after that have followed its steps. Even now, over 40 years later, every once in while, a TV commercial or move scene or game show gets inspired by it.Read full review...