50th anniv. next year of the ultimate spaghetti western (1 Viewer)

[Tom St Jones]

Sergio Leone's "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly" (AKA "il Buono, il Brutto, il Cattivo) marks its golden anniversary next year. Although I actually appreciate the extended version - I'll grant I may be a man of discriminating taste, but not impossible to please - any chance MGM/ Fox might finally give us the shorter theatrical version (the way most of us Yanks were introduced to it) fully restored/remastered, "restored mono" included??? BTW, am I correct in my understanding the original mono has been lost?

Perhaps they'll even give us (yet another) new trilogy box set, this time with restored versions of the first two films?

 

[Dale MA]

Wasn't there a rumour that Criterion where going to release this one?

 

[Derrick King]

Wasn't there a rumour that Criterion where going to release this one?

Yes, when people pages were found for Leone and the cast were found on Criterion's website, but it seems that isn't going to happen, so the reason for the pages is still unknown.

 

[marshman1138]

A fine film to be sure, but for my money, Once Upon a Time in the West gets the mantle of "ultimate spaghetti western".

 

[Squire]

A fine film to be sure, but for my money, Once Upon a Time in the West gets the mantle of "ultimate spaghetti western".

OUATITW is merely the ultimate BORING spaghetti western. I'll take TGTB&TU any day!

 

[Alan Tully]

I think we've already had a "golden" anniversary edition, if you know what I mean.

 

[David_B_K]

I think we've already had a "golden" anniversary edition, if you know what I mean.

Yeah, I still cannot bring myself to the point of liking the look of that release.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Yeah, I still cannot bring myself to the point of liking the look of that release.

While the transfer of the latest release of GBU has many fine qualities, the overall color aesthetic looks nothing like previous versions of the film I've viewed over the years on broadcast, VHS, Laserdisc, DVD, and Blu-Ray. (The color palette that I've become conditioned to over 40 years of viewing.) The visual elements are so distracting and when combined with my love of the film and anticipation of that release it adds up to - one of the most disappointing Blu-Ray releases in my collection.


IMHO, the theatrical cut, the "other" color scheme, and mono combined with the detail of the new version would be a fine way to celebrate the 50th anniversary. (Assuming such a thing is possible.)


- Walter.

 

[Tom St Jones]

"The Good, The Bad & the Ugly" has to be the most famous spaghetti western of all. It is iconic, no question. Whether or not you think OUATITW or OUATIA is better is irrelevant next to the above fact, and the fact TGTBTU is also widely considered a masterpiece. It's like arguing over whether The Beatles "Sgt. Pepper" album is better than "Revolver" or "Abbey Rd". (they're all great, being the work of geniuses and all. Geniuses seem to produce 'masterpieces' fairly often). It's TGTBTU's popularity and critical acclaim combined that makes it the "ultimate" spaghetti western.

I just want to see the theatrical cut on Blu-ray and maybe some new swag. Sure, we all want to see the film as we believe it "should" look, or originally looked but it's unlikely we'll see another new transfer/ restoration anytime soon. Personally, I don't have a problem with it, and I'm sure most people don't... I wouldn't mind seeing a RAH review of the current Blu, though.

 

[Race Bannon]

For me it has to be Fistful of Dollars. TGTBATU is the expansive cinematic achievement, but "Fistful" is the one that marks all of time into "before" and "after." For so many things -- the anti-hero, the visual predominating, Eastwood and Leone's careers, etc.

 

[Osato]

For me it has to be Fistful of Dollars. TGTBATU is the expansive cinematic achievement, but "Fistful" is the one that marks all of time into "before" and "after." For so many things -- the anti-hero, the visual predominating, Eastwood and Leone's careers, etc.

Love them all! Looking forward to the next reissue!!!

 

[David_B_K]

For me it has to be Fistful of Dollars. TGTBATU is the expansive cinematic achievement, but "Fistful" is the one that marks all of time into "before" and "after." For so many things -- the anti-hero, the visual predominating, Eastwood and Leone's careers, etc.

For me, Fistful of Dollars is my least favorite of the bunch. It is so obviously a remake of Yojimbo that much of the cleverness of the film goes to Kurosawa; and the low budget makes it a tad cheesy to me. I agree it is still quite good, though.

 

[Race Bannon]

For me, Fistful of Dollars is my least favorite of the bunch. It is so obviously a remake of Yojimbo that much of the cleverness of the film goes to Kurosawa; and the low budget makes it a tad cheesy to me. I agree it is still quite good, though.

So not a big fan of Magnificent Seven? If something's a western adaptation of a Japanese movie, that robs it of cleverness?


I actually prefer For a Few Dollars More as an enjoyable movie. But I'm saying the title of "Ultimate" goes to Fistful because I have to take account of its primacy in time.

 

[Race Bannon]

 

[David_B_K]

I do like The Magnificent 7, but I still have to give a lot of credit to Kurosawa again. I do think both it and Fistful are good movies.

 

[Derrick King]

For me, Fistful of Dollars is my least favorite of the bunch. It is so obviously a remake of Yojimbo that much of the cleverness of the film goes to Kurosawa; and the low budget makes it a tad cheesy to me. I agree it is still quite good, though.

Wile FISTFUL is undoubtedly an important film, every time I watch it (or try to watch it) I end up wishing I'd re-watched YOJIMBO. Which makes sense, as Kurosawa is my favorite director and Mifune > Eastwood (I'm not really an Eastwood fan, so I prefer Leone's ONCE UPON films to his DOLLARS films.)

 

[Race Bannon]

(I'm not really an Eastwood fan,

Computer rejected, does not compute . . . .

 

[Dr Griffin]

I'm not really an Eastwood fan

 

[Derrick King]

More confessions, I'm not a John Wayne guy either (in general, I'm not big on Westerns and those I do love tend to be Spaghetti Westerns) and I've never seen a James Bond movie...

 

[Scott Merryfield]

More confessions, I'm not a John Wayne guy either (in general, I'm not big on Westerns and those I do love tend to be Spaghetti Westerns) and I've never seen a James Bond movie...

Okay, it's time for the tar and feathers.