"The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly"-Sergio Leone-1966
Leone directed few films, but the quality was very high. This film received an infusion of capital from United Artists, Itwas made in Spain with an Italian cast except for the principals. The actors spoke their native tongue. Leone spoke little English; Van Cleef, Wallach, and Eastwood spoke no Italian, Wallach and Leone spoke French.
The Spanish Army was heavily involved in the production. They provided the Civil War weapons; they cane from a military museum. There is a scene where a bridge is blown up. The Spanish captain blew the bridge up early before the cameras were running. They rebuilt the bridge at no cost to the film.
The original version ran just under three hours. It was cut drastically for the US market. MGM completed a major reconstruction early in this century. That version ls available on DVD. Try your library, It streams for free on Daily Motion, but the extras are excellent and take up an entire disk. They include an extensive discussion of Ennio Morricone's score. Leone worked with Morricone before shooting. Parts of the score were played during shooting. The score was so popular that it became a bestselling album. The use of a coyote like sound in the theme us particularly memorable.
None of the three principals has a real name. Tuco for Wallach's character comes the closest. Van Cleef is angel eyes, and Eastwood is blondie. Wallach;s character has the most screen time. He has the best line "When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk." This was an ad lib by Wallach. Bond would have died in the 60"s if the bad guys were Leone fans.
The story is confusing with several plot holes. How does Angel Eyes become a Union sergeant? A huge stash of Confederate gold coins has gone missing. The trio are determined to find the stash. Tuco and blondie had a relationship where blondie collected the bounty then shot the noose, freeing Tuco. They split the bounty, but they fall out.
This is still a winner 60 plus years after opening. The TV version runs 95 minutes, avoid it. I still prefer "Once Upon a Time in the West," but this film deserves its rep as a classic.