Sergio Leone’s name doesn’t ring the same bells as other masters like Kubrick and Hitchcock, but it should!
I’ve wanted to talk about to Westerns for some time. Although it would be a shame if most of the spots would be taken up by one filmmaker. I figured I go over this and then tackle the westerns after I’m done talking about one of my favorite directors, Sergio Leone. A few SPOILERS ahead.
1.)”The Colossus of Rhodes
At this point Sergio Leone had worked on some famous movies in Italy. His big break sadly came when the original director of “The Last Days of Pompeii” fell ill. To make sure the film finished on time he stepped in and finished directing it. It gave him a chance to be the official director on his own project, “The Colossus of Rhodes.” Here’s my promise from writer to reader, I will always be honest with you about films I’ve seen. As in I’ll only ever discuss movies I have actually seen from beginning to end. So believe me when I say I can’t remember what happens in this damn movie! It is so dull, so boring. People just stand around on their hind legs and talk about blah-blah-blah! You’d honestly be hard pressed to be able to tell that this is even a Sergio Leone film.
It has NONE of his style or trademarks, Ennio Morricone doesn’t even do the music! You’d have to be a fortune-teller to see the bright future he had as a filmmaker. Still there is ONE thing of note… for me anyway. The lead actor is Rory Calhoun. In “The Simpsons” season 6 episode “A Dozen and One Greyhounds” there’s a joke about Mr Burns seeing a dog stand on its hind legs. Which of course reminds him of “the person who’s always standing and walking”… Rory Calhoun. It’s such a random joke made funnier by the actor’s obscureness. So for a “Simpsons” fan like myself it’s cool to be able to say I’ve seen a Rory Calhoun movie. Plus for some reason it’s just a fun name to say, Rory Calhoun. Ya that’s honestly the most interesting thing I can think to say about this film.
Eric’s Advice: Skip unless you must see all Leone films and obscure Simpsons jokes like me.
2.)”A Fistful of Dollars”
Here’s how filmmaking in Italy worked at this time. As described by Sergio Leone biographer Sir Christopher Frayling, it’s a very stop-go kind of industry. One film comes out and then everyone else rushes to make more of that kind of film. For years the sword and sandal movies were king, hence the first films of Sergio Leone. However, he was actually a bigger fan of westerns from his childhood. He was able to make his own western with “A Fistful of Dollars.” While it’s debatable which is the first spaghetti western, (a western made by/for Italy often in Spain) it is this film that broke the sub-genre into the mainstream. As a result it caused spaghetti westerns to be the default kind of films made in Italy for many years after. It wasn’t enough for them to just start a new trend, but there were unspoken rules in Hollywood westerns like not showing the gun in the same shot as the victim that Leone broke. Partly because he wasn’t aware of the rules. Also, partly because he just didn’t care and wanted to break the mold.
This also began Sergio Leone’s quest to cast his favorite actor Henry Fonda, but instead he got a young Clint Eastwood. His contract with the TV show “Rawhide” wouldn’t let him make movies on his time off… in America. So he jumped at the chance to star in something even if it was such a strange idea. Still it paid off for everyone including Akira Kurosawa. Let me explain, this film is an unofficial remake of “Yojimbo” just done as a western instead of a samurai film. Leone tried to fight this, but had practically no defense so he ended up being the only person not to make money off this film. Instead, Kurosawa got a percentage of the profits and ended making more money from this than he actually ever did for “Yojimbo.” My first exposure to the film was in “Back to the Future Part II.” What’s really weird about that scene aside from slightly editing the footage to move faster to set up “Back to the Future Part III,” they completely redid the music for it too.
Eric’s Advice: See it! Speaking for myself I prefer this to “Yojimbo” probably because I like westerns more than samurai films.
3.)”For a Few Dollars More”
Let me start off by saying that this is probably the best sequel title ever. First, “A Fistful of Dollars” then “For A Few Dollars More.” They just fit together so nicely. However, here’s the weird part it may not even be a sequel. The director Sergio Leone did say that all the films in the Dollars Trilogy aren’t actually related. That’s fine, but I would ask THEN WHY IS THE MAIN CHARACTER IN EACH FILM DRESSED EXACTLY THE SAME AND WITH THE SAME MANNERISMS?! Don’t tell me they were so low-budget they couldn’t afford a new outfit! Each film got a bigger and bigger budget to match Leone’s growing ambitions. Now even though “Yojimbo” did have a sequel “Sanjuro” it did not serve as the basis for this film. It is about two very different bounty hunters coming together to hunt down a criminal. First they start off as adversaries, but over the course of the film come to respect each other.
We can really see Sergio Leone coming into his own as a filmmaker here. Many of his trademarks can be seen in the last film, but here they become more refined. The scenes are a little longer paced and the principle of “wait, then pay-off” really begins here. Again, Leone tried casting Henry Fonda in a role, (Col. Mortimer) but again had to settle for another actor. Luckily they got Lee Van Cleef who is an awesome character actor finally getting a chance to play a major character. The villain (played by the same actor (although different character) from the last film) is a little more interesting. Although the depiction of marijuana is just silly. You may not hear as many people talking about this film, but it has references in other films like with the chiming watch in the “Pirates of Caribbean” sequels which itself is a reference to “The Bravados.”
Eric’s Advice: Also see this!
4.)The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
This is not only MY FAVORITE WESTERN OF ALL-TIME, but it’s also #4 on my list of personal favorite movies. I love this movie! This is where it all comes together. The actors, the music and style it all flows together so perfectly. This is Ennio Morricone’s greatest masterpiece. The theme is probably the best western main theme ever. I particularly like the track Ecstasy of Gold. Clint Eastwood returns as the Good (Blondie) although the funny thing is that this is the darkest we’ve ever seen this character before. Lee Van Cleef returns as well now playing the Bad (Angel Eyes) with one of the greatest villain introductions ever. And the new piece of the puzzle, Eli Wallach as the Ugly (Tuco). He’s oddly enough the heart of the film. He’s immoral, but there’s just something charming and unpredictable about him. Their chemistry is great and they work so well off each other. The visuals are some of the best it was so hard deciding through all the shots what to pick. I’d gladly hang so many of them on my wall like a painting.
So where does this fit in The Man With No Name trilogy (the dollars trilogy)? Well first let’s explore that alternate name for these films. The Man With No Name is a marketing gimmick made up by United Artist, the studio that released these films in the US. It’s not terribly accurate as Clint Eastwood has a name in each film. Although with each one you could argue they’re just nicknames and not his real name. If you like myself prefer to think of these as one continuous story then this would be the prequel. We see Eastwood’s character slowly assemble his iconic outfit throughout the film. There’s also the fact that this takes place during the Civil War, which is generally considered the era right BEFORE the time of the cowboys. It has some references to real history, but still takes great liberties. The battles are modeled more off of War World I battles with the trench warfare. It’s cool and unique looking in a Civil War context, but not accurate for history buffs. Still that’s not why you watch this sort of film. You watch to see three badass actors try to take the buried treasure first. The tagline sums it up perfectly,”For 3 Men The Civil War Wasn’t Hell. It Was Practice!”
Eric’s Advice: Do I even have to say anything? Ya big shock Eric highly suggests that you watch what he considers to be the greatest western ever.
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5.)”Once Upon A Time in the West
After having put everything he thought he had into “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” Sergio Leone was ready to move on from westerns. He found a gangster book called “The Hoods” and fell in love with it. However, getting it made would take a long time. United Artist was only interested if he agreed to make one more western for them. “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” had been such a huge hit for them that they wanted another even bigger film. So Leone set out to make his ultimate western. Still the man had basically created the spaghetti western where do you go from there? They decided they were going to do the ultimate tribute to the American westerns of John Ford. This is the first time Leone filmed in America. While much of it is still filmed in Spain and has that southwest vibe of spaghetti westerns it was filmed in the great Monument Valley and stuffed with all sorts of John Ford references.
Leone also finally got to fulfill his dream and hire Henry Fonda. It’s an all-star cast with one of the most famous nice guy actors, Henry Fonda playing the villain. Charles Bronson taking on the role I’m sure Eastwood would have played had he accepted. Jason Robards as our world-weary comedy relief. Lastly, we have Claudia Cardinale as our first major female lead of a Leone film. One the surface she may be the standard whore with a heart of gold trope, but they give her a lot of character. Now she’s already one of the great beauties, but you pair her with a visual master like Sergio Leone and man does she end up looking as gorgeous as the epic visuals of the landscape. He even does the same with Charles Bronson. Let’s just say he may not have been a pretty man, but boy did he have a unique looking face and we get the closest close-up ever.
For the last couple of films Leone and Morricone tried to record all the score before filming, but never could. Here, they were able to make it work. As a result each character has their own theme that follows them around. At first it may seem a bit lazy and repetitive, but give it time and I think you’ll find it works. Now I’ll say that I didn’t like the movie at first. It’s really long and can be a bit hard to follow with the inner workings of this mystery they’re trying to figure out. Multiple viewings make it clearer although I still feel some of it could have been filmed in ways to not make it drag. Other than that if you can get into the slower pace it’s a great western. This film marked a turning point for Sergio Leone as his films would get more mature. That’s fine, but personally I do prefer the more carefree style of storytelling from the Dollars Trilogy. That’s just personal tastes though.
Eric’s Advice: See it, but be warned it’s going to be a slow burn and may take another viewing or two to fully appreciate it.
6.)”Duck, You Sucker!
Now there are some who may take issue with this article as it is missing some films that it is claimed Sergio Leone directed either under a fake name or as a meddling producer. I decided I just wanted to discuss the films we know without a shadow of a doubt he directed as the main credited director. This film could have fallen into that, but it was released as a Sergio Leone film so it’s here. You see this was at time Leone was trying to get his passion project made. He was writing and producing this film, but it was always intended to be directed by Peter Bogdanovich. The exact reason varies according to whom you ask, but we do know Bogdanovich left and Leone took over.
Let’s go over that crazy title. “Duck, You Sucker!” is an Americanization of an Italian phrase Giu la Testa which literally translates to “keep your head down, balls.” I guess Leone believed in transitive property in language because he was CERTAIN this must be a phrase we say to each other in America. Despite all the American actors explaining to him that wasn’t the case. The best title of the film is the French one, “Once Upon A Time… The Revolution.” It fits in with the themes of the film itself and the film’s placement in Leone’s second trilogy the Once Upon a Time trilogy. Still the titles were too long or weird for United Artist so they released it as “A Fistful of Dynamite.” I think you can guess why. So with spaghetti westerns there’s a subset of films that especially deal with politics usually using the Mexican revolution as a backdrop. This is Leone’s take on this form of spaghetti western.
It may have a lot to say politically, but it can also be a bit overly long. The first half suffers from deleted scenes that make it a bit hard to follow. The actors Rod Steiger and James Coburn are great, but I can’t help but think of the other choices they had which were Eli Wallach and Jason Robards. Man those two would have been great together in these roles. There are still some amazing scenes. I think my favorite is when Rod Steiger’s character finds that his entire family has been killed in an ambush with some rebels. It’s a great shot of him walking through the grotto seeing all of his children’s dead bodies. Now similar to Tuco this character often obsessively does the sign of the cross all through the film. He goes to do it after seeing all the kids dead. Stops, then looks up at God with the cruelest expression possible. So well-done without any dialog.
Eric’s Advice: Not so much of a Skip it, but also not a must see either. Some issues may be too much, but if you’re a completionist like myself then there are far worse films out there to force on yourself.
7.)”Once Upon A Time in America
At first glance this may seem like a “The Godfather” ripoff. Sergio Leone was indeed offered the directing job on that film, but declined due to the similarities with this project. He later regretted it, but I think history worked itself out nicely. While they’re both gangster epics they aren’t terribly similar. The best way I can describe the film is that it’s like an in-between of the romantic depictions of old gangster life in “The Godfather” and grittier nastier depictions of the more lowlife mobsters in “Goodfellas.” Although even that cheapens it a bit because this film is still very much its own thing. The story is about the life of two best friends/gangsters played by Robert De Niro and James Woods. They’re both fantastic and really feel like old friends.
The first half of this film is basically seeing them grow up and become made men. It’s all to support the second half of the movie about the decline in their friendship and this very “Great Gatsby”-ish personal story. The city doesn’t provide Leone with as many chances for the sweeping visuals of the west like what we’re used to, but there are still plenty of damn impressive ones throughout. Because the film takes place in different times some of it is modern and it’s really weird to see Leone film modern locations with stuff like The Beatles playing. Now you may remember in “Once Upon A Time in the West” I said that film marked when Leone’s films got more grown-up. Well it was also the time where studios began ruining his films. His films from “West” to “Duck, You Sucker!” all had major changes forced on them in the editing. In the case of this film they ordered it in chronological order and cut out almost half of the movie. It of course flopped until they re-released Leone’s true cut that critics who originally panned the film later put this version on their top films of the decade lists.
This ended up being Leone’s final film and the ambiguous ending seems oddly appropriate. Despite starting his career which had itself led to a directing career, he and Clint Eastwood had a falling out. Leone had made some petty remarks comparing Eastwood unfavorably to De Niro. Eastwood is typically the kind to not engage with people coming after him. So they went their own ways. However, it is said that before Sergio Leone died Eastwood did come to see him and the two men managed to patch things up. Sergio Leone died as he had lived working on plans for this next film, a true filmmaker and storyteller.
Eric’s Advice: See it, but remember it is a LONG film. Use the break in the DVDs to maybe stretch your legs.