directed by Sergio Leone, 1966
Starting with the obvious, the acting is wonderful, both on the parts of the actors themselves and also the voice artists. Clint Eastwood has come under some criticism for his supposedly "wooden" portrayal of the Man With No Name, but the character description is of a laconic, taciturn mystery man and there's only so much you can do with that. Lee Van Cleef is one of the coolest and scariest villains of all time, while Eli Wallach's "lovable rogue" portrayal of the Mexican bandit Tuco makes a welcome change from the "psychopathic killer" that Gian Maria Volonte had played in the two prequels. Special mention at this point goes to the voice artist used to dub the scenes starring Lee Van Cleef that weren't dubbed while he was still alive, having been added for the Special Edition. He gets the voice absolutely spot on. Also of note is the alcoholic Union Captain who strikes the perfect balance between wry humour and despair.
The cinematography is breathtaking. Leone's trademark style was to mix extreme close ups with extreme long shots, which is taken to a spectacular extreme here and gives the film a huge sense of scale. The very first shot of the film, in fact, is both a close up and a long shot at the same time. The faces Leone chooses to zoom in on are, shall we say, interesting to look at, as well. While the build up to scenes of violence is long and intense, the violence itself is for the most part short and sharp. The film is therefore extremely tense. The one extended scene of violence, Tuco's torture, is transformed by the juxtaposition of the orchestra playing a slow lament outside-the sight of the young musician crying in the knowledge of what is happening behind closed doors is a haunting moment. The rather flashy cinematography comes to a head at the film's climax in the graveyard, culminating in the single most perfect shot in cinema history. I won't reveal it as I loathe spoilers, but it's there.
Good scenes are made better by a wonderful score by the ever-dependable Ennio Morricone. The rousing 'Ecstasy Of Gold' transforms Tuco's sprint through the graveyard into a scene so beautiful it hurts, and 'The Trio' does the same for the climax. As for the title theme...well, everyone's heard it so I won't waste time talking about it, except to say that even if you thought you hated it you'll end up loving it.
Ennio Morricone stated that he tried to reflect the film's "larger-than-life" quality. Indeed, there are some moments that are somewhat surreal. These range from the obvious ("the good", "the bad" and "the ugly" appearing in brightly coloured letters next to the characters' faces) to the subtle (the insane fight over the bridge and the state of the soldiers). The film is at the same time unreal and grittily realistic, to great effect.
Several questions have been asked about the film. Firstly, there is the question of whether or not Clint Eastwood plays the same character throughout all three films. I say no: looking at it like that causes continuity problems. Plus, if Eastwood is the same character in all three films, then what about the other actors who appeared in the other films like Lee Van Cleef, Luigi Pistilli and especially Mario Brega, who dies in all three films? "The Man With No Name" is a marketing exercise, post-modernism before the term was invented. One thing I do agree with is the softening of Eastwood's character-although you have to do more than play with a kitten to come across as a goodie in my book, the tending to a dying soldier and the famous quotation "never seen so many men wasted so badly" make Blondie much more human than either Joe or Monco. Also, some have said that the film is a Christian allegory. There are scenes to support this, such as the prisoner being made to carry his coffin to his place of execution, but these scenes are unconnected both to each other and to the main plot and thus this claim is a somewhat dubious one.
The film has entered my top ten at number two, not quite dislodging Pulp Fiction. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful piece of work.. If you don't believe me, believe Quentin Tarantino.
*****
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