Films Worth Viewing Year 3

[zymurg]

Remembering the 60's

The 60's brought us the Bond series the longest lasting movie series in history. "No Time to Die" should mark the end , but the search has begun for the new Bond. The Beatles had some huge successes with scripted films. In art houses, film societies, and on college campuses a market developed for non English language films. Today we are facing the effects of a worldwide pandemic. This is accelerating the change in viewing patterns. Next up is "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly." Leone was a great master, but he never really reached the US market in his lifetime. MGM did a great job restoring this film at the turn of the century. We are able to see this movie as he wished it could be seen.

 

[zymurg]

"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.

 

[Palatine]

TGB&U is a tremendous film. Easily one of the top five westerns ever made. Leone balances drama, humor and pathos beautifully. The underlying moral of the film is that there is almost no difference between the good, the bad or the ugly.

The backdrop of the Civil War sets the story on a larger canvas that makes the drama of our players smaller, almost petty. Blondie got the gold. The world is still awful. It means almost nothing.

None of the plot holes bother me. Angel Eyes was smart and devious. How did he become a Union Sergeant? Where did his gang come from? Not important. He could shown up anywhere at anytime as anyone and the audience would have have bought it. In the chaos and confusion of the time, all things are possible especially for such a man as Angel Eyes.

 

[Palatine]

The Drop - 2014

This is a taut, well made, well acted mystery suspense gangland romance. Yeah, I said that. The characters are interesting and layered. The performances are tense yet restrained. The movie simmers yet never boils over. The cast is top shelf, Tom Hardy, James Gandolfini, Noomi Repace, Michael Aranov, Matthias Schenaerts and John Ortiz. Aranov as a Chechen crime boss delivers a knives edge performance part psychopathic criminal and part sophisticated, even friendly, capitalist. He is completely unnerving.

The story slowly unwinds with small twists and turns the entire way. Bob the bartender is robbed in his cousin Marv's bar that is actually owned by Chechen gangsters. The Chechens want Marv to make good. But nothing is what it seems. This is woven over a subplot of Bob, his new dog, his would be new girl friend and her psycho ex-boyfriend.

Shot in Brooklyn everything feels completely authentic. I LOVED it. Not for everyone but just a notch below a four star for me.