46. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
That theme. You know the one I mean. Ennio Morricone’s
unforgettable composition. That’s right; WOYOWOYOWAHHHH...WAH... WAH...
WAUGHHHH. That one. Sergio Leone’s majestic epic, his first of three films on
this list, more than stands the test of time, but not, I’m afraid, the test of
tiresome, overused clichés in describing it. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly may not be the best Western of
all-time, but it’s certainly the most iconic; Clint Eastwood’s Good, a calmly
smouldering beacon of all things cool and macho, is the definitive Western
protagonist; Lee Van Cleef’s Bad, the dastardly heartless villain of the piece,
straining every ounce of contempt out of the audience with his deliciously evil
sadism with a smile; Eli Wallach’s Ugly, hilariously bumbling while also
sneakily cunning, and also the movie’s show-stealer, is a pitiful,
back-stabbing rogue with no redeemable qualities, but he’s a laughing stock,
and is therefore redeemable in our eyes. Morricone deserves yet another
mention. His score corroborates Leone’s harsh, jagged imagery of delicately
framed desolate landscapes and even more desolate close-ups of its inhabitants.
‘Ecstasy of Gold’, the piano-centric piece played during the film’s
pants-wettingly exciting climax, is an example of the very best in film music. While
the first two in the ‘Dollars’ trilogy were entertaining and gripping, they
lacked the vastness in scope and ambition of TGTBATU. Leone’s final chapter is
not only thrilling, funny and sad, it’s also surprisingly profound, offering a
never-before-seen insight into The Good’s desperately lonely existence, and in
one section, even delivers a powerful anti-war message. I do not know a single
male who hasn’t adored this film. But then again, I don’t know a single female
that has. I don’t know how that’s possible. There can only be one type of
person who dislikes this; a son of a... WOYOWOYOWAHHHH...
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