Wednesday, August 20, 2014

THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966) - ENGLISH

One of the greatest Western Films ever made that stands tall even today.

There is an element of thrill right form the first frame till the last in this film. Mind you, this has a running time of nearly 3 hours (177 minutes to be precise). Thus, the greatness can be attributed to the fact that this film keeps a viewer engaged for such a long time. I watched this film a couple of time before and was always awed by the technical aspects of this film. When I finished watching it just now, I was thinking how a small story can be made into a grand script and then into a magnum opus too. It takes the vision of a director and his team. Sergio Leone definitely had that.

The music is iconic from Ennio Morricone and the theme music is great and the soundtrack is just terrific. The cinematography which was done as a cinemascope film in the desert and wastelands of New Mexico state is just amazing. Technically this film is flawless I must say and there is a touch of greatness too. Yes, this is taking forward the good work done in an earlier film "For A Few Dollars More". But the grandeur is something that's enticing. 

The characterisation is slick and straight, it's not complicated but very simple. Good plays good and Bad plays bad while Ugly struggles to be something in between. Ugly is perhaps the most interesting character in the three who does a wonderful job.  Eli Wallach as Ugly is just impeccable.

Clint Eastwood, who plays the Hero is a master of style and he shows it here. With minimal dialogue and mostly through the looks of his eyes, he conveys a lot. From the way he lights his Cigar to the way he triggers his gun, his style is unmatchable and indeed inspiring. I suppose, his style is replicated by many actors later.

Sergio Leone, has given one of the best cowboy films indeed. Also, he has given one of the finest films in terms of characterisation, style, cinematography and music. I loved it and this film will be there and watched over by many generations. A 5/5 for this.

2 comments:

  1. A wonderful review.. More of the younger generation need to watch these classics..

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Rajeev for the comment. Sure will post more reviews of classics like this.

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