Leone. There are no easy choices on this list/project. By and large, I think much more of all 3 Leone/Eastwood collaborations than the TSPDT critical consensus. Also, I view Leone’s style as a huge plus (i.e. I think he, as a stylist, is even stronger than his filmography which as I’ve said on this project isn’t always the case). Like many on this list (and coming after) I wish Leone had made more films but damn his top 5 is really strong and they compare favorably with nearly any director’s top 5 (especially when you get away from the top 10 directors on this list). His films are also really long and saturated with style. His 6 archiveable films are 934 minutes which is about 155 a piece. Every director has their own style but 934 minutes is about 10-11 Woody Allen movies– I’m just saying—it’s not always just about the number of films.
Best film: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. I don’t think this is open and shut. The consensus is Once Upon a Time in the West and you won’t get a strong argument from me. I think the showdown at the end of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is the greatest showcase of film editing (ahead of JFK and right there with Eistenstein’s Odessa Steps showcase in Battleship Potemkin) in film history so maybe this pushes it over the top for me when comparing Leone’s best two films.
total archiveable films: 6
top 100 films: 2 (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West)
top 500 films: 5 (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, Once Upon a Time in America, A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More)
top 100 films of the decade: 5 (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, Once Upon a Time in America, A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More)
most overrated: Once Upon a Time in America . TPSDT has it at #101 and I’m at#150. Once Upon a Time in America is the only thing close and even that is a fairly accurate ranking. That’s a wonderful film.
most underrated : A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More are nowhere to be found in the top 1000 on TSPDT and I think that’s a travesty. They are fantastic films. I guess you could argue that A Fistful of Dollars is one-part Kurosawa (it is a remake of Yojimbo), one-part Morricone, and one-part burgeoning star Eastwood and use this to detract from Leone’s accomplishment – but someone deserves credit for putting all of that together and revamping an entire genre.
gem I want to spotlight: For a Few Dollars More. It’s the least known of the man with no name trilogy but the middle entry, For a Few Dollars More, is not far off Leone’s masterpieces in terms of stylish direction. When the TSPDT readers voted this one of the most overlooked films for not being on the top 1000 I think they were in error and meant the first film but after another visit I have to tip my cap to them- this is sensational.
stylistic innovations/traits:
Leone was the complete package. He moves the camera like Murnau, he’s as strong an editor (the opening of Once Upon a Time in the West) as any in film history. There is gorgeous use of freeze frames in the opening of The Good the Bad and the Ugly quickly borrowing from the French new wave—and his films’ music are clearly iconic. To finish things off from a mise-en-scene standpoint there were no shortage of tableaus to draw from here for the images on the page- stunning.
top 10
- The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
- Once Upon a Time in the West
- Once Upton a Time in America
- A Fistful of Dollars
- For a Few Dollars More
- Duck, You Sucker
By year and grades
| 1964- A Fistful of Dollars | MS |
| 1965- For a Few Dollars More | MS |
| 1966- The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly | MP |
| 1968- Once Upon a Time in the West | MP |
| 1971- Duck, You Sucker | R |
| 1984- Once Upon a Time In America | MP |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-see- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
Sergio Leone Study Summary:
Sergio Leone has been a favorite of mine ever since my brother and I watched the Dollars Trilogy many years ago. Leone has a style that is so singularly recognizable that it can often be identified within just seconds of watching. Westerns were not really my go to movie selection when I was a teenager; this changed after the Dollars Trilogy.
As noted in the thoughts section for Fist Full of Dollars; “there is an interesting contrast with say John Woo or Sam Peckinpah; those two are masterful in depicting long and drawn out shootouts, Woo’s are insanely over the top. With Leone it is the building up of tension that he excels at. The actual shootouts themselves usually last just a few seconds, so it is really about creating suspense and anticipation more than anything else. The final shootout in The Good the Bad and the Ugly is one of the greatest built up scenes considering everything that led up to it and the way Leone allows the tension to mount before the bullets fire at each other
Ennio Morricone’s value, especially to Leone’s top 3 films cannot be overstated. There are long stretches in several of Leone’s films that have little to no dialogue. This is especially true in the first 15 to 20 minutes. The scores are crucial in establishing the mood and tone that will be present throughout much of the film. And even in sequences with more frequent dialogue it is clear that this is not one of Leone’s strengths. This is not to say that his films are completely devoid of great exchanges between characters, it just is not what someone would highlight as one of Leone’s greatest traits as a filmmaker
Leone’s expert framing is vital as well. He uses close ups of faces and extreme close ups focusing on the eyes of the characters right before they draw their weapons. Like Hitchcock with the MacGuffins, Leone uses a $200,000 in gold as a MacGuffin in The Good the Bad and the Ugly
Leone is a masterful editor, this is a huge part of the Dollars Trilogy with the shootouts, Leone maximizes the suspense by focusing on different parts of the characters such as hands, faces, eyes, etc. These montages are incredible in the smoothly these scenes are shot. Additionally, he is great at transitioning scenes across large time gaps. This is most prominent in Once Upon a Time in America and Once Upon a Time in the West. In the former he shows an adult Noodles (De Niro) looking through a brick sized hole in the wall and a slow zoom in on his eyes before revealing a change to Noodles as a kid looking through the wall at his love interest Deborah. Leone also has some fantastic dissolve edits in that film as well including a shot of the Manhattan Bridge
I have to admit that I really hate dubbing, yet Leone’s work is so great that I can basically overlook it. It is the only thing nearing a flaw with his work. And given that dialogue is not really one of his strengths anyways it further lightens the impact of some of the occasional brutal dubbing sequences
The Dollar Series is notably lighter in tone than the Once Upon a Time trilogy. The Dollar Series consists of 3 films that are Westerns obviously but have a more lighthearted mood and can be labeled closer to action and adventure films. There is humor throughout the Dollar Series that is not present in The Once Upon a Time trilogy which is closer to drama and evokes feelings of nostalgia and loss. There is a notable change in the actors and actresses he works with from The Dollar Trilogy to the Once Upon a Time Trilogy. Clint Eastwood and Van Cleef are tremendous physical performers and makes sense for Leone to use them in the Dollars Trilogy. Leone employs more accomplished dramatic performers for the more totally serious Once Upon a Time Series such as De Niro, Henry Fonda, and James Woods. I am not saying I prefer one set of actors over the other, simply that they have different strengths and Leone is great in his casting decisions
While Leone only has 7 films, those 7 films have an average length of 150 minutes or 2 hours 30 minutes. This is an insane average length with only A Fist Full of Dollars clocking under 2 hours. Once Upon a Time in America is his longest film at 3 hours 49 minutes making it the longest film I have covered since I started tracking and grading about 5 years ago
Of Leone’s 7 feature films, the top 5 and especially the top 3 are ridiculously strong. I am working on an updated top 100 films list. I expect Leone’s top 3 films to make the list and his # 1 film to make my top 15.
And for me that # 1 film is The Good the Bad and the Ugly
Both Once Upon a Time in the West and Once Upon a Time in America are towering MP as well and are not easy to separate but I do think Once Upon a Time in America is the slightly better film. I wouldn’t argue back much if at all for anyone who wanted to switch those. And really any order of those top 3 films is fine by me.
Final Ranking and Grades:
# 1 The Good the Bad and the Ugly (1966) – MP
# 2 Once Upon a Time in America (1984) – MP
# 3 Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) – MP
# 4 A Fist Full of Dollars (1964) – MP
# 5 For a Few Dollars More (1965) – MS
# 6 Duck, You Sucker! (1971) – HR/R
# 7 The Colossus of Rhodes (1961) – R
Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Notes:
Robert De Niro as “Noodles”
James Woods as Max
Elizabeth McGovern as adult Deborah
Jennifer Connely as kid/teen Deborah
Starts with woman entering dark apartment and notices blood dropping from ceiling
3:32 rapid pan to dead eyed gangster looking for Dave aka Noodles
4:28 dead woman in foreground and 3 gangsters in background
6:38 amazing mise-en-scene inside opium den
7:12 De Niro as Noodles lying in opium den
8:52 slow zoom out from crime scene with phone ringing off screen
16:39 inverted image of Noodle’s shown after killing gangster who beat his friend to near death
18:13 zoom in and cut followed by zoom out
23:30 photo of city dissolves into city as adult Noodles travels to Brooklyn
25:50 window used to frame shot, which is shot from the outside looking into the restaurant/bar of an adult Fat Moe Gelly
27:18 Noodles speaks with Fat Moe from inside phone booth so conversation inaudible to viewer until Noodles enters the restaurant/bar
33:13 slow zoom on black and white photo
37:37 slow zoom in on adult Noodles eyes through a brick sized hole in the wall, transition to teenage Noodles watching Deborah (his love interest) practicing dancing inside room with white hazy light dispersed throughout the frame
43:50 there is already significant change in tone from the somber opening 37 minutes
53:37 inverted image from POV of Max standing behind camera
54:24 Noodle’s showing off timepiece
55:56 pan across cakes and pastries at bakery
57:57 Patsy slowly eats the cake he brought to pay or sex with the neighborhood prostitute
1:01:15 the young crew black mails a cop they catch red handed having sex with an underage prostitute
1:08:42 David and Deborah alone in room, with shot reverse shot with close ups on the two characters emphasizing the intimacy of the moment
1:14:20 high angle shot after beatdown of David and Max in alleyway, showing power dynamic in that moment
1:18:47 the young gang displaying their value to the local wise guys
1:19:18 great edit from the warehouse of the local wise guys with Noodles demonstrating their invention to a shot with the young gang on a boat in a thick layer of fog actually doing the work they promised
1:20:21 beautiful composition with the red balls spread throughout the frame and industrial buildings in background of frame
1:21:35 beautiful silhouette image
1:23:02 the gang making their agreement in train station with bars in foreground
1:24:09 museum worthy image with Manhattan Bridge in background of frame and gang crossing the street in foreground/mid-ground
1:24:56 slow motion as gang runs away from Bugsy who shoots and kills the youngest member of the gang, young Dominic
1:27:34 Noodles kills Dominic in revenge and is sent to prison
1:36:24 Noodles now played by De Niro just out of prison and greeted by Max now James Woods
1:40:50 Noodles brought to club with jazz music in background, Noodles greeted by old friends and learns of their business success
1:49:00 Pesci and Burt Young make their appearances into the film
1:54:16 disturbing rape scene during armed robbery
2:02:19 POV shot with shaky camera with Noodles driving car into the water following argument with Max, shortly after shot of older Noodles watching TV in bar
2:06:06 transition to empty warehouse
2:17:18 Noodles in profile shot inside space similar to confessional booth as he blackmails man
2:20:53 two-shot with nice blocking as Noodles and Max look through circular part of door
2:26:43 Noodles takes out Deborah on official date in very upper scale restaurant with
2:27:13 depth of field showing size of restaurant with no other customers in it, but instead orchestra and restaurant staff. Impressive production design with mise-en-scene dominated by white
2:30:15 blue lit background with view of water through window
2:35:25 shocking scene where Noodles sexually assaults Deborah, the scene goes on for nearly 2 minutes uncut making it hard to watch but showing the sheer barbaric nature of Noodles that you sooner expect sometime Max to commit
2:40:32 Leone holds shot of a devastated Noodles watching Deborah leaving on a train and headed for California
2:54:00 “yen for the seashore”
2:59:30 zoom out and frame in frame of Federal Reserve Bank
3:03:10 Noodles is pensive throughout this scene, it’s a patient scene that is rare in movies but shows the seriousness of scenario
3:13:25 Noodles shows up at Deborah’s dressing room
3:13:54 triangle composition with Noodles, Deborah, and Deborah’s reflection in the mirror
3:22:36 slow zoom on young man who looks like Max as a teenager, the boys name is David and he is Secretary Bailey’s son
3:24:11 Secretary Bailey is revealed to be Max
3:26:46 face to face between Max and Noodles in the office of Max aka Mr. Bailey
3:33:05 several flashbacks and dissolves including the famous Manhattan Bridge shot
3:37:30 slow close up on Max’s face after Noodles exits is devastating
Thoughts:
Leone’s swan song may well be the best swan song of all time. Some other contenders would be Kubrick with Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Tarkovsky’s Sacrifice (1986), Bresson’s L’Argent (1983), and I am sure a few others, but this is about as great a final film that you can ask for. Apparently Leone wanted to retire from Westerns after completing The Good the Bad and the Ugly but for whatever reason did not, which is great otherwise there would be no Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
This film is perfect for Leone with its epic scope and length. It is not really a plot driven film but rather operatic in its examination of friendship, love, loss, missed opportunities, and regrets. Similar to other Leone films there is very little dialogue in the opening 20 minutes and the exchanges that do happen are brief and to the point
The opening sequence creates intrigue instantly with the 3 Syndicate hit men looking for Noodles first at a woman’s place, then a loyal friend, and then an Opium Den. The mise-en-scene inside the Opium Den contains a few of my favorite shots in the scene early on with
De Niro has so many great performances that it can be easy to overlook some of his best work and I think this qualifies. There are a couple of scenes in the later part of the film where you see Noodles just contemplating everything, in particular when he’s with Carol sitting outside of the Federal Reserve. James Woods is excellent as well, I initially thought he gave the film’s best performance when I last watched it years ago. But with this most recent viewing I would pick De Niro although Woods was great
The casting of the younger characters could not be more perfect, especially with the young David and Max, as there is an uncanny resemblance to De Niro and Woods. I also liked the casting of Jennifer Connelly as young Deborah and Elizabeth McGovern playing Deborah as an adult
This film has scenes that are far more brutal than anything from The Godfather or Goodfellas. In particular, the rape scene in the car which occurs when Deborah tells Noodles she’s leaving for Hollywood. This scene goes on for a couple of minutes which is hard to watch but the impact hits you hard. There is also the rape scene that occurs during an armed robbery leading to the victim Carol actually becoming Max’s girl. There is plenty of violence of course, but that aspect is not much different from many other mob films. However, the sexual violence is extremely disturbing
Ennio Morricone’s score is magical as usual. This is probably my favorite score of his aside from The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, and possibly Days of Heaven. It is so crucial in establishing and maintaining the film’s melancholy tone. While there is plenty to track regarding the films narrative it is more atmospheric than most other great gangster films
The film avoids primary colors and heavily saturated colors for the most part. Leone uses a palette of browns and grays in depicting the industrial buildings, bridges, and streets of New York City. This is one of the reasons the red balls stand out so much during the first water scene where the boys move through a thick layer of fog. The bright lights and white mise en scene during the date scene stands out in Noodles ultimately failed attempt at wooing Deborah leading to a brutal sequence
The Manhattan Bridge is used in perhaps the film’s single best shot. A few minutes after is when Dominic is killed, followed by Noodle’s stabbing Dominick’s killer to death leading to his arrest and incarceration. The symbolism here makes sense with the gap from childhood to adulthood following this sequence. Speaking of symbolism, the never ending phone ringing is a brilliant as Noodles conscience will not leave him alone, and attempting to ignore it won’t make it go away
There is a theory that the entire film is an opium induced dream that an old and guilt ridden Noodles imagines as he killed all his friends years ago. Fan theories are certainly fun to debate and even though they do not directly impact my gradings I do believe a film having multiple interpretations can be viewed as a strength related to rewatchability
The final scene between Noodles and Max followed by the slow zoom in on Max’s face is devastating. The Bookend in the Opium Den is perfect
Verdict: MP (top 100 film)
@James Trapp- really enjoyed reading this one James- keep up the good work
@Drake – thank you, I was really excited to revisit this one. For me might be one of the 10 best films of the 1980s
Duck, You Sucker (1971)
Notes:
Starts in 1913 in Mexico
Rod Steiger plays Juan Miranda, a Mexican who becomes involved in the Mexican Revolution
James Coburn plays John (Seán) H. Mallory, a revolutionary and explosives expert who is on the run from British law enforcement and runs away to Mexico
4:45 nice two-shot with depth of field
9:50 arrogant and racist group of people insult Juan
10:20 extreme close up of this arrogant man
13:09 slow pan through back of wagon, effective in showing their fear
23:17 distorted image though goggles of John Mallory, played by James Coburn
24:42 “duck you sucker”
26:37 extreme close up on eyes of Juan
32:42 high angle shot of landscape showing they are isolated in the middle of nowhere
39:34 two-shot nice use of depth of field
41:55 “duck you sucker”
47:53 Juan sales pitch to John in order to work together, reluctant partners
49:56 slow zoom in on horse
50:20 camera panning back of wagon
57 min Leone holds shot for considerate amount of time with troops moving in an out of frame
58:02 great camera movement with sweeping pan from 3 men who refuse to pledge their allegiance to Mexico’s political regime and who are executed by a firing squad off camera
1:00:31 another zoom used
1:01:49 inaudible flashback from John’s perspective
1:20:56 shallow focus
1:29:09 binocular frame
1:30:05 high angle long shot held for several seconds with score indicating danger
1:32:10 John in in foreground facing away from camera when firing down
1:34:28 clouds of smoke rising while shot held
1:41:55 camera pans over killed civilians including children while gunfire is audible off screen
1:47:12 great composition in flashback with John in bar with the authorities in the background of frame with a frame in frame
1:49:18 shadow over John’s face, horrified by the brutality he is witnessing
1:52:01 Juan is saved at the last moment by explosives
2:04:26 extreme close up transitions to rapid montage of victims
2:13:30 blurry low angle shot of train’s exterior passing through
2:16:52 slow motion murder shown in flashback sequence
2:21:30 thrilling sequence ending in head to head train collision
2:24:28 acknowledgment between Juan and John shortly before John is shot in the back
2:29:31 emotional final scene between the two unlikely friends
Thoughts:
Leone’s penultimate film and final Western
This is not of the caliber of his previous 4 films which is no insult given that his prior 4 films have been MP, MS, MP, MP. Even so it has plenty to praise, or perhaps that is Leone to blame. Morricone is a little off his game here as the score is solid at times but again the standard of the prior 4 films is so high that it feels like a setback
Leone uses zooms more than his previous films. There are some great pans throughout the film, sweeping shots capturing the landscape and slow pans showing the victims of violence waged by all the political factions
Despite the political nature of the subject matter the film according to Leone himself is not about politics, rather it is a story of a friendship with the politics just part of the canvas so to speak
Some nice uses of slow motion in some of the flash back sequences
Verdict: R/HR
The great Italian Character actor Romolo Valli (No relation to Alida Valli – co star in 1900) worked with Visconti, Leone, Bertolucci and De Sica. Also with Polanski and Pollack in weaker films. Impressive lineup
@Malith – crazy, he was great here
* above I meant to say:
“Even so it has plenty to praise. Morricone is a little off his game here (or perhaps that is Leone to blame) as the score is solid at times but again the standard of the prior 4 films is so high that it feels like a setback.
@James Trapp-Given you are doing a Bertolucci study you should pay close attention to Romolo Valli’s performance. He is very prominent in the Act 1 of the film. He is the only one in all 3 timelines I believe. I don’t know any other actor who could play a buffon and then transform into a chilling landlord and all of this in the same movie. It’s crazy impressive.
His character is not there in the Act 2 of the film which is a shame but still. Also the Act 1 in Novecento is much stronger than Act 2.
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
Notes:
Starts inside train station in the Old West with 3 men who speechlessly intimidate an old man working for the train station
3:23 silhouette image of man in foreground with back turned to camera and woman running in background of frame
6:55 long take with close up on a man’s face with a fly on it
10:02 split diopter
10:20 train arrivals at station
11:51 triangle composition
12:07 triangle is remade after hearing a harmonica and seeing the Charles Bronson character in the background
12:23 Harmonica in foreground and three other characters in the background in triangle
13:17 museum quality low angle shot with each of 4 characters in different depth level followed by shootout that lasts just a few seconds
18:00 family with widowed father and 3 children
20:58 slow zoom in followed by 360 pan
21:44 long shot of daughter shot followed by multiple shots fired and family murdered
22:04 great POV shaky camera movement
22:53 wide angle shot making use of 2.35 to 1 format with 5 men spread across the frame
23:29 camera pans around to showing man’s face who turns out to be Frank played by Henry Fonda
24:36 close up on Frank’s face
25:40 Claudia Cardinale makes appearance as she steps off train looking for new family
28:08 Ennio Morricone score takes over
30:39 beautiful shot with hazy light striking through middle of frame
31:01 beautiful shot that could be out of Searchers (1956) or several other John ford films
32:03 another shot of horse and carriage surrounded by beautiful landscape
34 min the beautiful Claudia Cardinale as Jill McBain enters the station from the opening of the film
37:39 Jason Robards as Cheyenne characters hear harmonica off screen
38:30 shot of Charles Bronson as Harmonica
44 min great stare down between Harmonica and Cheyenne with Harmonica taunting about the 3 men he killed in the opening sequence
46:53 shallow focus shot of Cardinale
48:51 devastating sequence with the funeral of the murdered family that Cardinale’s Jill was supposed to marry into
50:10 extreme low angle shot
51:44 great two-shot
53:53 overhead shot of Jill lying in bed under covers
57:09 frame in frame
1:00:48 profile shot
1:07:13 excellent mise-en-scene inside the office of the man, Morton, who hired Frank to scare the family although Frank did not merely scare
1:08:23 deep focus with Frank and Morton on opposite sides of frame diagonally
1:09:36 “like holding a gun…only much more powerful” great shot of Frank stroking the desk imagining playing the boss
1:15:28 surveillance camera angle of Jill McBain
1:15:36 Harmonica in silhouette displaying his mysterious nature
1:22:30 Frank watches shadow
1:23:34 dissolve
1:24:16 Frank and Harmonica finally come face to face
1:24:26 soft focus image
1:35:30 pan across all the materials in piles to build the new station
1:36:44 pan up to shot of Frank standing over Jill
1:38:03 Frank towering over Morton in this two-shot showing Frank’s increasing power advantage
1:39:52 Harmonica and Cheyenne talking shop, explaining Brett McBain’s deal
1:43:21 Frank looks to be intimidating Jill McBain, camera pans 90 degrees and it is revealed Frank is on top of her in bed
1:48:28 shot of Jill McBain zoom out to show an auction for the land taking place
1:56:00 Harmonica offers $5,000 leading to the closest thing there is to a humorous scene in this film “Judah was content with $4,970 dollars less” “there were no dollars in those days”
2:00:14 triangle composition
2:02:30 Harmonica with another flashback with soft focus
2:07:55 window used as frame in frame with Harmonica in foreground face away from camera and man shot to death falls from billboard
2:09:49 timepiece motif
2:12:21 split diopter
2:13:32 low canted angle shot of interior of the train
2:15:07 Frank, with a satisfied smile, walks away from a dying Morton who is crawling and near death
2:22:03 immaculate use of window as frame showing Frank and Harmonica
2:23:30 inevitable showdown between Frank and Harmonica; split diopter, close ups, long take
2:26:27 flash back sequence that was partially shown earlier but only briefly before cutting away
2:31:05 Harmonica towering over a dying Frank, low and high angle shots to depict power dynamic is Frank’s final moments
2:33:56 Harmonica, Jill, and Cheyenne all shown in close up 1 at a time; communication is largely nonverbal here but speaks volumes
The final 15 minutes following Frank’s death are a sort of epilogue
Thoughts:
What an incredible follow up to The Good the Bad and the Ugly (1966); here Leone almost outdoes himself with another brilliant Western that some consider his very best work. I’ll get more into this in the final grades section
There is a significant change in tone from the Dollars Trilogy which of course had plenty of violence and disturbing scenes but also had plenty of humor mixed into it. This film is much more somber in terms of mood. Morricone’s score creates powerful feelings of loss, sorrow, danger, etc.
The opening 25 minutes have very little dialogue, practically a silent film at times. The story is told with incredible patience. The first shootout features Charle’s Bronsons Harmonica stare down 3 men who are there to kill him, the long takes and Leone’s obsession with holding shots on character’s faces is present and sets the tone for what is to come
Like other great westerns the set pieces are crucial in creating an authentic setting. The film is set in a “boomtown” that is crucial for the narrative and characters motivations.
Leone uses similar stylistic techniques from the Dollars Trilogy with slow takes, close ups and extreme close ups of faces, deep focus, long build ups with Ennio Morricone incredible score. Leone uses high and low angle shots in depicting power dynamics between characters
The performances are top notch, in particular Henry Honda as Frank, when I saw this with my parents as a kid/teen they were shocked as Fonda was known for playing protagonists. The only other film I had seen of his at the time was 12 Angry Men. Here Fonda plays a chillingly evil man with a steely glare. In particular it is his eyes that really unnerve you
Claudia Cardinale is excellent, the Dollars Trilogy did not have any female roles as important to the story as Cardinale’s Jill McBain. Her character has a certain fearlessness to her, almost like all the worst possible things have happened to her that she is able to stand up to violent and powerful men
The Death Wish Series, featuring Charles Bronson as an ordinary family man turned vengeance killer, started 6 years after this film. Bronson seems to be somewhat limited as an actor from what I can tell but he is quite effective in this film using his mere physical presence and glare which is not a crazy like Fonda’s Frank but rather there is a sadness to his character. He plays him as a man with nothing to lose and it works to perfection
Verdict: MP
The Good the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
Notes:
Starts with incredible 3 minutes that outdoes A Fist Full of Dollars opening graphics
3:20 extreme close up of face
Juxtaposing long shots with close ups as 3 men meet who are actually bounty hunters who all make a move to capture a man inside a building
5:23 freeze frame on Tuco “the ugly” who then rides off following with shot of 3 men inside wounded
6:40 Van Cleef as Angel eyes rides in on horse
7:26 masterful deep focus and frame in frames
9:58 first words of dialogue near 10 minute mark
11:13 back and forth with body language that speaks volumes, threatening presence of Van Cleef throughout this scene building the tension
13:47 “when I’m paid for something I always see the job through “score is thumping with malice
16:45 freeze frame on Van Cleef as “The Bad”
17:37 Eastwood’s character introduction occurs off screen where you hear his voice with a badass line “yeah but you don’t look like the one to collect it” followed by shot of the back of his head
22:10 nice foreground/background work
22:30 Blondie and Tuco scamming boundary hunters
28:41 Clint Eastwood as Blondie gets the freeze frame introduction about 11 minutes he first appears on screen
30:42 close up on Angel Eyes evil face
38:27 over shoulder shot POV of man in foreground
42:26 pan up to shot of Tuco pointing gun at Blondie
47:3738:27 over shoulder shot POV of Blondie in foreground
49 min now Tuco is the one in control of Blondie
54:22 magnificent shot with an exhausted and dehydrated Blondie lying horizontally across the frame in the foreground with a beam of light across the frame vertically with soft focus shot of Tuco in background
59 min Blondie saved by unforeseen circumstances
1:01:37 great two-shot of Tuco and Blondie’s heads taking up most of frame
1:02:01 one of the funniest scenes as Tuco shamelessly pretends to care about Blondie when he stumbles upon information related to the hidden gold
1:07:28 again Tuco shamelessly tries to feign sympathy for Blondie
1:18:18 Tuco and Blondie are taken in by a group of Union soldiers (the film is set during The Civil War)
1:19:58 iris shot
1:20:27 great blocking with foreground/background work
1:34:46 close up on Blondie’s face upon learning that Angel Eyes has the information from Tuco
1:42:45 low angle shot with Blondie on horse next to Angel Eyes as they are now partners
1:47:34 Tuco shoots gun while taking bath
1:57:00 Blondie and Tuco are taken in by a Confederacy Camp (this reminds me of Barry Lyndon when he fights on both sides during the 7 year War)
2:03:23 nice camera movement with camera gliding with wide angle shots of the battle
2:04:10 wild battle sequence with explosions going off, cannon balls fired, and gun
2:07:11 nice blocking with this two-shot
2:09:12 tracking shot of Blondie and Tuco carrying a box labeled “explosives” toward the bridge in order to blow it up
2:14:00 cannon ball montage
2:19:33 Ennio Morricone’s score taking over
2:20:17 high angle shot of massive cemetery
2:22:08 rapid camera movements, disorienting as camera follows Tuco to the grave
2:27:06 triangle composition with Angel Eyes, Tuco, and Blondie in final showdown
2:31:44 greatest shootout ever, all build up with a few seconds of actual shooting
2:39:02 freeze frame ending montage
Thoughts:
Leone’s final film of the “Dollars Trilogy” is also the best. It takes all that made the first two films of the trilogy great and amplified it for an incredible Epic Western that has it all: great performances, a perfect blend of humor, an enthralling narrative, iconic shots, and immaculate direction. Leone throws everything at you here with freeze frames, extreme close ups, deep focus work, and perhaps the best use editing I have ever seen in Cinema. And I feel contractually obligated to mention Ennio Morricone in every single review so far because the score is just that good. Particularly the score in the final 15 minutes is epitome of epic
For A Fist Full of Dollars, I noted that “Italian graphic designer Iginio Lardani created the opening credits which are spectacular. I really love it when auteurs treat the opening credits as more than just a mere formality. It is a work of art in and of itself that along with the incredible score, sets the tone for what is to follow.” This takes it even further with gorgeous multi-color opening graphics
Following the opening 3 minute opening credits, we get a patient introduction of the films 3 main characters; Tuco who is played by Eli Wallach, Angel Eyes played by Lee Van Cleef, and Blondie played by Clint Eastwood. All three are introduced separately with freeze frames. The film also ends with freeze frames for each of these characters
After playing a (relatively) sympathetic character in For a Few Dollars More, Van Cleef plays the chillingly evil Angel Eyes and his “when I’m paid I always see the job through” which is his line before he kills people. The first scene with Angel Eyes is terrifying, he appears in the doorway (great frame in frame) and gives off an increasingly sinister vibe leading to brutal violence toward a family
Clint Eastwood and Eli Wallach’s Blondie and Tuco are one of the film’s great duos as they become unwitting partners and have shifting power dynamics and loyalties throughout the film. They are a humorous duo as well with their verbal jabs and attempts to constantly one-up each other. Both are schemers and they never fully trust each other though there is a sort of begrudging respect by the end of the film
Leone’s signature juxtaposing close ups and long shots is at his best. Leone uses shot-reverse-shot frequently but with deep focus or long shots in depicting one on one shootouts. He uses over the shoulder shots of characters in foreground with face turned from camera; Clint Eastwood’s character is introduced this way
Tarantino loves this film, and you can tell as you have; the Mexican standoff at the end that Tarantino uses in Reservoir Dogs but also the building of tension that Tarantino does so well although in a different way. Tarantino builds with long verbal exchanges like in Inglorious Basterds and Pulp Fiction whereas Leone uses supreme editing and close up shots of characters faces. The introduction of Angel Eyes riding on a horse, visible in long shot reminds me of the introduction to Hans Landa from Inglorious Basterds; in particular the way their characters menace a family man in order to obtain information
The final scene is an all-time great sequence, the built up suspense is present throughout the Dollars Trilogy, but this is the single best sequence in the trilogy. There are some great set pieces, the bridge, the graveyard at the end of the film, and the towns which depicts the old west during the American Civil War, which factors into the film’s plot. The story is so well crafted and slowly but surely moves to the inevitable standoff
Verdict: MP (all timer somewhere in my top 15)
For a Few Dollars More (1965)
Notes:
Starts with high angle shot of man riding horse through barren desert
Eastwood again as “man with no name” although he’s called Manco by some
4:49 man holding newspaper revealed to be Van Cleef’s character, Colonel Douglas Mortimer here he’s playing a bounty hunter
7:44 Van Cleef enters tavern in background of frame
8:39 excellent two-shot
10:24 rapid zoom after being shot
11:06 extremely low angle as camera is placed on the ground
12:36 gorgeous shot capturing Eastwood’s entrance into film during sun shower as he walks into town
14 min Eastwood playing poker in smoke filled bar, little purpose for plot but gives authenticity to this Wild West type setting
18:24 camera static as Eastwood rides off on horse
19:58 gorgeous shot during magic hour with orange colored sky in background of frame
20:50 intro to Gian Maria Volonté as El Indio, a bandit with a violent past
22 min El Indio breaks out of prison with help of his crew
24:20 rapid cuts between wanted poster and close ups on the face of Van Cleef
Gian Maria Volonté as El Indio
27:41 build up with close ups and score including the chimes
35:38 great high angle shot from top of bell tower
43:21 close up on Klaus Kinski character, in this scene you have Klaus Kinski, Van Cleef, and Eastwood
46:21 split diopter with character on left side of frame shown in profile close up
46:46 Iris shot from POV of Van Cleef
48:05 back and forth cuts with Eastwood and Van Cleef spying on each other with telescope/binoculars
53:32 through the legs as frame for shot
55:01 shooting of Van Cleef’s hat sequence
57:04 Van Cleef returns the favor shooting Eastwood’s hat several times
1:02:32 Chimes music playing with an extreme close up shot of a subdued El Indio dreaming, disorienting shot into house through window during rainstorm with haunting music in background
1:03:52 dissolve back to reality to shot of El Indio
1:05:12 pink/purple sky taking up upper part of frame
1:12:30 high angle long shot of men on horses in desert
1:15:19 POV shot from Eastwood of the exterior of El Paso Bank
1:19:17 creative framing of shot from over Eastwood shoulder
1:21:01 stampede like shot of thieves running away on horses following the El Paso job
1:22:51 two shot framed diagonally
1:28:26 close up juxtaposed with medium long shot
1:31:17 Kinski vs Van Cleef part 2
1:32:50 chimes music returns as El Indio and Van Cleef sit down to negotiate
1:40:27 overhead shot capturing beatdown of Eastwood and Van Cleef
1:41:38 low key high contrast lighting with heavy use of shadows throughout the sequence
1:48:00 orange and blue lighting used throughout the sequence
1:58:41 another shot on watch
1:59:05 close up on watch fades to out of focus shot followed by haunting dream
2:00:28 bright red screen follows end of dream sequence
2:01:33 light orange tinted frame
2:03:00 Leone style face off
2:04:30 Eastwood reenters the film leading to the final sequence and significant plot reveal
2:10:00 gorgeous shot of sun soaked landscape with Van Cleef riding away
Thoughts:
Sergio Leone with the 2nd in the Dollar Series, there is an increase in scope here as well as length as this is about 30-35 min longer than Fist Full of Dollars. There are 3 primary characters here whereas A Fist Full of Dollars had just Eastwood as the main character. There are more total characters as well although it is not all that difficult to track
A Clint Eastwood/Lee Van Cleef team up is just as awesome as it sounds on paper; especially the Eastwood/Van Cleef stare down scene consisting of them shooting each other’s hats
At the 43 min mark you have Klaus Kinski, Van Cleef, and Eastwood all in a scene together. There is a great wordless exchange between Kinski and Van Cleef that reminds me of the opening of Rio Bravo with the Dean Martin character Dude
A Fist Full of Dollars was set primarily in one town, and it was desolate while the towns are more established in this film with saloons, card rooms, tailors, hotels, etc.
There is a Split Diopter: shot around the 46:21 mark that would make De Palma proud
Many of the duel like shootouts use over the shoulder shots and shot reverse shot
El Indio has a recurring dream, he seems like a sociopath, but the dreams seem to haunt him, it is not clear as to whether it is guilt or something else. These dream sequences are some of the most interesting shots in the film featuring soft focus/blurry images, fade to red screen, extreme close ups
There is an orange/blue lighting contrast present that is connected to a scene with El Indio at night. There is an interesting contrast with El Indio as a character as he alternates between violence and the near catatonic state when he lies down and moves into the dream state
Ennio Morricone’s score again dictates the tempo/action and is invaluable to the film’s atmosphere
Verdict: MS
A Fist Full of Dollars (1964)
Notes:
Starts with a phenomenal opening credit sequence with
5:23 Clint Eastwood as mysterious stranger, the “man with no name” wearing the iconic Pancho
7:25 over the shoulder POV from Eastwood cuts to shot placing 3 men in midground and Eastwood on other side of frame with his back turned to the 3 men
8:24 Bar/Tavern owner warns Eastwood on danger of town
12:45 two-shot in foreground
12:52 low angle shot of Eastwood shot from waist to top of head taking up height of frame
13:02 great low angle profile shot of Eastwood
13:30 “get three coffins ready”
13:50 Ennio Morricone
14:02 great triangle composition with Eastwood in background of frame
14:38 great blocking of 3 men spaced across the frame
14:48 extreme close up on Eastwood’s face with high pitch music building up
15:04 “my mule don’t like people laughing”
15:25 Eastwood’s character kills 4 men single handed
24:14 another strong two-shot with background/foreground
25:05 wide angle shot of river
26 min POV from Ramon as he guns down his dozens of men on horses
28 min introduction of Ramon and Eastwood
30:03 the man with no name using his manipulation skills
33:08 great blocking in this composition with characters spread across the screen and different depths of field
39:36 two-shot of Eastwood and Ramon exchange money quickly cuts to men traveling on horses
41:39 Silhouette of head of Eastwood in right foreground and oblivious man in left background of frame
41:56 Eastwood’s face covered by shadow while arm and gun visible
45 min shootout with quick edits and silhouette figures
49:40 red interior of hotel is notable contrast with the color palette so far which has consisted of blues/grays/beige/brown
51:09 Eastwood sitting down holding a drink, looking like a man watching a movie
51:34 music building tension
52:35 excellent compositions throughout this sequence
53:45 excellent close up on faces and blocking
1:00:15 faking being drunk
1:00:44 nice dissolve edits to shot of landscape and Eastwood running on a horse
1:05:30 great overhead shot of men on horses moving through landscape
1:07:40 great triangle composition and lighting
1:08:15 high angle with diagonal frame
1:10:47 dissolve
1:11:11 great death scene, I like the framing the 2 men who enter into wide open space followed by a cut where they are trapped within a small part of the frame as the massive wood barrel crushes them to death
1:19:00 chaos through sequence leading to fire
1:21:04 diagonal frame from POV of Eastwood’s character inside a coffin and opens it up slightly
1:22:48 wide angle shot of Ramon’s entire crew outside burning house
1:24:31 extreme close up
1:26:19 low angle shot of Eastwood whose face is partially obscured by shadow
1:27:14 one of best shots of film with hazy light entering empty tavern along with silhouette image
1:30:34 one of best shots with Eastwood’s “Man With No Name” standing in background of frame by himself in deep focus
1:32:05 triangle composition
1:34:00 immaculate compositions through this final shootout, incredible blocking, and framing
1:36:10 Eastwood and Ramon face off after extreme close ups of their faces
1:36:44 POV from Ramon is shot with disorienting camera movements and usual angles
Thoughts:
Sergio Leone with an unofficial and unsanctioned remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo (1961), which is for me one of the most purely entertaining films I have ever seen. Apparently Kurosawa took issue with the unsanctioned aspect but praised the actual film itself
Italian graphic designer Iginio Lardani created the opening credits which are spectacular. I really love it when auteurs treat the opening credits as more than just a mere formality. It is a work of art in and of itself that along with the incredible score, sets the tone for what is to follow
Clint Eastwood is perfect as the mysterious stranger who stumbles into a violent town with two warring factions. The opening shot is brilliant as it zooms out until you have Eastwood’s character in the foreground standing next to his mule. There are two buildings flanking the frame in the midground, thus showing Eastwood’s character in between the two buildings which is a visual representation of what is to come with Eastwood’s character playing the town’s 2 rival crews against each other so he can profit. Triangle compositions are used frequently for the same purpose. The compositions are really impressive here, the 2.35 to 1 aspect ratio works well for the film’s wide angle shots, many of them capturing the surrounding landscape.
The high contrast lighting works, the film uses shadows and silhouette images frequently. Characters are often shown with shadow over their face in the 2nd half of the film
The editing is top notch, during the shootouts and in particular the build up to the shootouts. There is an interesting contrast with say John Woo or Sam Peckinpah; those two are masterful in depicting long and drawn out shootouts, Woo’s are insanely over the top. With Leone it is the building up of tension that he excels at. The actual shootouts themselves usually last just a few seconds, so it is really about creating suspense more than anything else. Leone’s expert framing is vital as well. He uses close ups of faces when building the suspense
The final shootout scene is perfect with all the buildup and the extreme close up shots on the characters faces along with quick cuts and music. The value of Ennio Morricone’s score can simply not be overstated, it is crucial in controlling the tone but especially so in setting up the shootouts by building the tension to a crescendo
For the record I do think Yojimbo (1961) is slightly better than Fist Full of Dollars. I would pick Mifune as the better performance but again it is close as both are amazing. Both Eastwood and Mifune have a sort of laid back demeanor that is adds to their mysteriousness
Verdict: MP
The Colossus of Rhodes (1961)
Notes:
Starts with a sweeping shot along water
The film is set in 280 BC, after the era of Alexander the Great
Darios, a Greek war hero visits his uncle on the island of Rhodes
4:03 massive statue on right side of frame
5:09 long shot tracking men riding horses
8:11 low angle shot of Colossus of Rhodes statue which was one of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World”
9:15 ceremony for statue
14:04 impressive choreography
16:01 medium close up shots of characters face one at a time
18:14 Darios and Diala in foreground with fountain between them into background of frame
30:01 nice blocking in this shot with four men on horses evenly spaced out across the frame
35:20 statue visible on screen in back of the frame
41:54 2 characters with diagonal spacing in frame and fountain in background
47:40 overhead shot building tension right before shot of Colossus Statue and then fire dropped onto the boat below
51 min the Darios shown the torture chamber
56:20 frame filled with men entering building in symmetrical shot
1:01:13 symmetrical shot of dancers who proceed to put on a show
1:06:10 massive sword fight
1:12:10 dissolve following the drawing of sticks
1:21:30 hold shots as Darios and Diala enter from back of frame to foreground
1:26:11 long shot of sword fight on top of statue
1:33:12 camera panning 360 in Colosseum
1:40:08 back and forth exchange using high and low angle shots to depict power dynamics
1:44:09 similar shot from earlier with 2 characters entering the frame at the bottom of the Statue the walking up the spiral staircase
1:45:36 nice silhouette image of men arriving on boats
1:50:42 shot with part of the statue taking up the height of the frame, similar shots have been shown throughout the film
1:54:51 waves crashing on rocks followed by flash of lighting in the sky. Approximately one minute later there is an earthquake though it lasts for only a couple of seconds
1:56:42 overhead shot of men running in stampede like conditions
1:57:53 all out battle in intense weather conditions, gray/blue palette during this stretch of the film
2:01:12 cutaway shot of statue
2:06:16 the slow motion falling of the statue
Thoughts:
Sergio Leone’s first film, technically he directed The Last Days of Pompeii (1959) but that was as a backup since the original director became sick during the first day of shooting. This is his true directorial debut and it’s definitely a far lesser film than what is to come but it is not all bad.
This is a flawed film no doubt. The acting is a weak point, the love story element is clunky, and the score is a little too on the que. This is the only one of Leone’s 7 feature films that does not have Ennio Morricone, and it stands out. With all that said it is still worth a view.
The film’s standout set piece is the depiction of the actual statue that is the title of the film. Hard not to think of the final sequence in Hitchcock’s North by Northwest (1959) on top of Mount Rushmore. Here you have the rebels battling on top of The Colossus Statue. Although in this film the statue plays a significant film throughout the entire film which begins with its ascension and ends with its (literal) downfall. There are some impressive compositions
There is a flash of the Leone style with a sequence at 16 min when several characters faces are shown in medium close up one face at a time in order to build tension
Some effective use of nature/weather during the final 15-20 minutes including high wind rainstorm, the use of fire as a weapon, and even an earthquake
The actress who plays Diala is Lea Massari, who played in Antonioni’s L’Avventura the following year. As noted above the acting was underwhelming although its more of an action/adventure film than a drama so the low quality acting does not do too much damage
Thoughts: R
Great write up, I’ve always been curious about this one.
@DeclanG – thanks, reading it over I almost wonder if I undersell it slightly. It is definitely worth a viewing
@James Trapp— me too- well done, James
@Drake – Have you seen The Colossus of Rhodes (1961)? I am going to do a Leone Study, just curious if you caught it. It has mixed reviews so I am on the fence.
@James Trapp- I have not seen The Colossus of Rhodes – but I would consider this a personal blindspot I’m not proud of. Leone has such a small body of work- I need to remedy this and see it
@Drake – Yeah, it has mixed reviews but I think I’ll check it out since Leone only has 7 films. Technically, he directed 8 but he directed The Last Days of Pompeii (1959 film) when the initial director became sick so its not really a Leone film.
My ranking of Leone`s films that I`ve seen:
1. Once Upon a Time in the West MP
2. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly MP
3. Once Upon a Time in America MP
4. For a Few Dollars More MS
5. A Fistful of Dollars MS
6. Duck, You Sucker R/HR
10 Best Performances
1. Wallach- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
2. Fonda- Once Upon a Time in the West
3. Robards- Once Upon a Time in the West
4. De Niro- Once Upon a Time in America
5. Eastwood- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
6. Woods- Once Upon a Time in America
7. Cardinale- Once Upon a Time in the West
8. Van Cleef- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
9. Eastwood- A Fistful of Dollars
10. Bronson- Once Upon a Time in the West
Drake, do you think OUaTiTW would be listed as Leone’s best film above TG, TB, & TU had Eastwood returned as The Man with No Name instead of being replaced by Bronson? Because in my opinion Bronson isn’t actively terrible but I don’t think he’s quite on the level of Fonda, Robards, and Cardinale, and Eastwood would definitely be on similar footing to them.
@Zane– fascinating. You know I love Leone and Eastwood and have never thought about that. It’ll be fun to watch again with that in mind the next time I get the privilege to watch Once Upon a Time in the West– I only have like 9 slots separating those two films on my all-time list which is a virtual tie anyways. Certainly Bronson is no Eastwood.
Ten Directors with Great Editing (followed by their best edited film)
1. Leone (tie) – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
1. Eisenstein (tie) – Battleship Potemkin
3. Coppola – Apocalypse Now
4. Peckinpah – The Wild Bunch
5. Truffaut – Jules and Jim
6. Nolan – Dunkirk
7. Scorsese – Raging Bull
8. Kurosawa – Seven Samurai but Rashomon and Ran are close editing-wise
9. Stone – JFK
10. Ozu – Tokyo Story
I’m sad to be missing Griffith (Intolerance), Dreyer (PoJoA), Fincher (not sure), Allen (Annie Hall), Bergman (Persona), Hitchcock (Psycho), Hill (Butch Cassidy) in the list. I have probably forgotten some.
I forgot Welles (Citizen Kane), Malick (ToL), Penn (Bonnie and Clyde), and Spielberg (honestly there are four or five films with a case as his best edited) in my editors’ list above.
Mann with Heat is another example.
Sorry for the late response. I agree that Mann should be among the best for editing. George Miller (Fury Road) and Friedkin (French Connection) came into my mind to add as honorable mentions as well. There are also some modern auteurs such as Chazelle, Aronofsky, and Innaritu who, although primarily long-shot directors, have sequences of tremendous cutting and montage. The only great directors that can be argued not to have very good editing (I’m not even saying I agree; it’s just that there could possibly be a logical case) are those who only use long shots, such as Tarkovsky, Cuaron, and Ophuls. However, that scarcely matters for them when other aspects of their films are so brilliant.
@Graham— great breakdown here again– I’ll add Wes to the mix– the way he edits the suicide attempt in Royal Tenenbaums and the helicopter crash in Life Aquatic come to mind
I’m surprised that I did not include him before. Wes Anderson is simply one of my favorite directors working today. His editing is playful and brilliant. I will also add Spike Lee (Malcolm X assassination) and the Coen brothers (Big Lebowski bowling montage). Actually, the worst offense I have done is to not have mentioned Stanley Kubrick, the greatest director, at all. 2001 includes the bone cut and stargate sequence, among other brilliant editing scenes.
Umm… Once Upon a Time in MEXICO? That’s what it says under the shot from the start of Once Upon a TIme in the West. “Once Upon a Time” movies seem to have a particular tendency to switch around words; I remember you wrote that Joe Pesci was in OuaTitW somewhere. Once Upon a Time in Spain would be more accurate, because I think that’s where they filmed them.
Great shot, though.
@Graham– haha thanks for the help- fixed. There must be a glitch in my brain that keeps messing the words around here
Haha, it seems the glitch you theorized above has struck again. I just noticed that under the first image you placed on the page (besides the slideshow at the top), you say the shot is from OuaTiA, when it is clearly from Once Upon a Time in the West.
Also, since it is officially 2021 now where I live, happy new year!
@Graham–much appreciated- should be fixed now. Thanks for the help on the cleanup-
[…] 20. Sergio Leone […]
Beautiful, well edited films and iconic, memorable music in almost all of them. Great point regarding movie length. His filmography is not that deep but then you remember how long his movies are and that has to count for something. I go back and forth ranking his top 3 all the time and I agree with you that A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More are underrated and should be in top 1000. To bring up again what I said yesterday, we can find enough space for 13 Hawks and 11 Renoir films but can’t for these two? I find that hard to believe. I would even give some credit to A Fistful of Dynamite (Duck, You Sucker). Very good film too.
ennio morricone just died. his compositions were not my favorites, i prefer john williams, bernard hermann, or max steiner. but he was a great composer and the good, bad ugly is just straight up iconic. also helped out tarantino on his best film, inglorious bastards, and did one of the best film compositions in history, the tragic masterpiece once upon a time in america.
@ m – I saw this, too. What a loss– but I think he was 91 so a full life at least. Absolutely- a great composer. I just did a Corbucci study so Morricone’s work is in the front of my mind here.
Ennio Morricone left a gigantic influence on the film scoring world with emotional, heartfelt scores that add a lot to their respective movies.
Morricone’s loss is a huge
one:(
What’s the best Ennio Morricone film score? Or like a top 3?(This question is to Drake and all the other readers of the blog)
@Azman- I don’t know if I can do just three. Navajo Joe has a great score. The Good the Bad and The Ugly seems like the obvious choice- and for good reason. Days of Heaven has a brilliant Morricone score as does both “Once Upon a Time” films from Leone… The Untouchables is masterful as well.
For me, Ennio Morricone might be the best film composer ever. TGTBATU is my favorite score ever, but Lawrence of Arabia, Blade Runner, Empire Strikes Back and so many others make it difficult. Obviously there are many great scores and composers for them; who do you think has the best case for being the greatest in both categories (score and score composer)?
max steiner is the best. did the greatest score ever the searchers. i do think morricones once in america is masterful.
@Graham— another tough one! I’d have to really sit down year by year and do it but Bernard Herrmann comes to mind along with Morricone quickly. Of course John Williams is a genius… Hans Zimmer has been doing great work for a long time. This list is a little contemporary heavy for my money- but, does a very good job overall https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-50-best-movie-scores-of-all-time/?page=1
@graham, @m and @Azman
show some respect to my man Nino Rota please… La Dolcevita, 8 e mezzo, amarcord, The Godfather… I mean like three of the best films ever and I don’t know more iconic themes than 8 e mezzo and the godfather
Nino Rota certainly does deserve respect! I think The Godfather’s score has a strong case as the greatest movie music of the entire 70s, and that’s the decade that brought us Jaws’ ominous trills, Star Wars’ epic melodies, Days of Heaven’s soaring luminous tones, Apocalypse Now’s haunting soundscape, and Rocky’s uplifting beats.
Regardless of who places where, I think these six film composers can all be generally agreed upon to deserve placement in or near the top ten of all time:
Ennio Morricone
Bernard Herrmann
John Williams
Nino Rota
Hans Zimmer
Max Steiner
Hell yes, the more I watch of Fellini the more I consider Rota as a contender for the best of all time. Every score he made for the man has that wonderful carnivalesque feel that perfectly encapsulates the Fellini body of work, and in some of his later films (thinking the self-titled series from 1969-1976) can give us a chilling sense of unease.
Of course, I’ve mentioned a few times I would need to rewatch The Godfather films in order to consider that work myself, as it has been too long since I have seen them, but I would even think, based on his work with Fellini as well as Visconti alone that he would be a contender.
Il Maestro on Rota:
“The most precious collaborator I have ever had, I say it straightaway and don’t even have to hesitate, was Nino Rota — between us, immediately, a complete, total, harmony … He had a geometric imagination, a musical approach worthy of celestial spheres. He thus had no need to see images from my movies. When I asked him about the melodies he had in mind to comment one sequence or another, I clearly realized he was not concerned with images at all. His world was inner, inside himself, and reality had no way to enter it.”
@Zane- On this train of thought- I just finished City of Women from Fellini in 1980– and one of my observations is Nino Rota’s absence and just how much he is missed (Nino Rota passed in 1979)
@Drake – That is very intriguing as I considered watching a few of Fellini’s 80s films but got sidetracked by entering college (I didn’t go further into Fassbinder as well because I wanted to be done with him by the time that started) and needing to deal with that stuff. Would you archive it, or did you not think it was very good?
@Zane- I’ll have a page for it soon in the archives. It won’t be in Fellini’s top 10, but it is certainly worth seeking out and watching.
Hi Drake, love the site. Here’s a question about your methodology: if you remove ‘Duck, You Sucker’ from Leone’s filmography, does his ranking on this list become better (because his average film score goes up) or worse (because you’ve removed an archivable film)?
@Haider — thanks for the comment and praise of the site- so happy to hear it. Great question- I don’t think overall there’s a real right answer but it doesn’t really change my ranking of Leone if I remove it. I factor in a weighted ranking of the top 500 films, and then after that films that are in the top 100 of their respective decade (which includes roughly another 500 films)– and then it’s mostly about stylistic trends, authorship, etc. I don’t really look at “average film quality” or “total archiveable films” when I run my numbers. There are too many problems doing it that way (this would put Leone ahead of Kubrick and Ozu and I don’t think that’s right and on the flip side someone like Ron Howard has more archiveable films than Leone so sheer number of archiveable films shouldn’t be the deciding factor either… right? What do you think?
I think Once Upon a Time in America is one of the greatest films ever made and certainly Leone’s masterpiece. It’s thematically more substantial than any of his previous films, exploring themes of time, love, friendship, and the American dream. The structure of the film is also far more interesting, since the story is told non-chronologically and over multiple time periods. There is a level of ambiguity and poetry to the film that I believe lends it greater depth and shows Leone maturity as an artist – for example, the final scene with Max (James Woods). The sheer scope of the film is matched by few others – a true epic at 251 minutes (restored version). The accurate recreation of the time period is also very impressive.
On top of this, Robert De Niro gives an extraordinary performance as Noodles – this would be career best material were it not for his performance in Raging Bull. He evokes such genuine emotion in his eyes, shown in those beautiful extreme close-up shots. The acting in Leone’s other films is good but cannot compare. The original score by Ennio Morricone is superb – less iconic than his score for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly but more haunting and evocative. The cinematography is very good, not on a par with Apocalypse Now or 2001: A Space Odyssey say, but very good nonetheless.
Once Upon a Time in America is such an incredible viewing experience, full of emotional highs and lows. The butchering of the film for its original American release was a terrible injustice, and I suspect this has damaged the film’s legacy even to this day. I’m pleased to see it climbing TSPDT’s Top 1000 though – perhaps next year it will finally and deservedly enter the Top 100.
@Aaron– wow- thanks for sending. What a convincing argument for “Once Upon a Time in America”- I like it more already having just read your words here. Much appreciated. I have it as Leone’s #3 and #150 overall which is no insult– but has grown on me every time I’ve caught it so I think it could keep trending upwards. I’ll say i just think the editing, particularly in the final duel, in “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” has reaches a peak I don’t think any other Leone film reaches. And I just think “Once Upon a Time in The West” is Leone’s most beautiful work– but this is a strong argument here– the scope of the film– you’re so right!
All 3 are just equally great and perfect.
No fault in any of them
I agree. It’s as great as The Godfather.