Sergio Leone Web Board

Films of Sergio Leone => The Good, The Bad and The Ugly => Topic started by: Il Buono on April 20, 2003, 03:59:12 AM

Title: Setenza? Angel Eyes? The Bad? Lee Van Cleef?
Post by: Il Buono on April 20, 2003, 03:59:12 AM

I always wondered why Van Cleef gets two names in GBU...  Why Setenza?  Does it mean something?  Is it a Mexican name, maybe he's Mexican too?  Or Spanish?
Why Angel Eyes?  Is there a story behind it or did Leone find Van Cleef's eyes just angelic? ???

Title: Re:Setenza? Angel Eyes? The Bad? Lee Van Cleef?
Post by: cigar joe on April 20, 2003, 07:26:44 PM

Didn't Clint and Eli Wallach as the story goes give Van Cleef the nickname Angel Eyes, I think I remember reading that somewhere. Leone must have liked it and used it.

Title: Re:Setenza? Angel Eyes? The Bad? Lee Van Cleef?
Post by: Harmonica on April 21, 2003, 07:38:53 AM

I'm sure that Angel Eyes was his hired gun nick name.  I'm sure his parents didn't name him that...  The Union Army would need a birth name for you to enroll.  Sargent Angel Eyes just would have never had worked...

Title: Re:Setenza? Angel Eyes? The Bad? Lee Van Cleef?
Post by: Cusser on April 21, 2003, 11:14:34 AM

One name is as good as another.  I had also heard the story of Eastwood and Wallach coming up with "Angel Eyes"

Title: Re:Setenza? Angel Eyes? The Bad? Lee Van Cleef?
Post by: aaronson on April 23, 2003, 07:44:40 AM

 I always heard "SENTENZA" like a punishment after judgement (is it Italian or Spanish ? SENTENCIA in Spanish ?) It's SENTENCE in french

Title: Re:Setenza? Angel Eyes? The Bad? Lee Van Cleef?
Post by: aaronson on April 23, 2003, 08:21:54 AM

.... so SENTENZA is a good name for a killer paid for that and very professionnal.He said that" he always find a guy when he looks for him and he always kills when he is paid".

Title: Re:Setenza? Angel Eyes? The Bad? Lee Van Cleef?
Post by: Il Buono on April 23, 2003, 03:01:42 PM

thanks

Title: Re:Setenza? Angel Eyes? The Bad? Lee Van Cleef?
Post by: noodles_leone on May 01, 2003, 10:54:40 AM

you're right, aaronson: sentenza means what you said.
For "angel eyes", this is a "mistake":
Leone wanted Henry fonda for the role, and fonda had, as you know, blue eyes. That's why the character is called angel eyes. He just kept his name after that fonda refused the role.

Title: Re:Setenza? Angel Eyes? The Bad? Lee Van Cleef?
Post by: Millions in Hand on May 19, 2003, 12:59:34 PM

Actually, Clint gave him that name during the filming. Lee Van Cleef said it in an interview.

"That name `Angel Eyes' in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly; was that tailor-made specifically for you?" I asked.

"If it was in the script, I didn't see it," Van Cleef recalled, "and I'm usually pretty careful about giving scripts a close reading. I think Clint came out with it one day. It just kind of sprung out, and it was used ever since. I made no complaints about it. They've referred to me as that quite often in publicity since that time. I thought it was pretty good."

The full interview can be found here:

http://members.aol.com/ilcattivo2/bijou.htm (http://members.aol.com/ilcattivo2/bijou.htm)

*Note* This is not my site.

Title: Re:Setenza? Angel Eyes? The Bad? Lee Van Cleef?
Post by: mortimerforever on June 05, 2004, 10:49:11 AM

sentenza means sentence or as leone intended it to sound''death sentence''.

Quote

see you soon idi

idiots. It's for you.

Title: Re:Setenza? Angel Eyes? The Bad? Lee Van Cleef?
Post by: shorty larsen on June 06, 2004, 01:13:01 AM

Anyway, "sentenza" is NOT a spanish word, so it doesn't have any "mexican" connection.

It has more to do with the "sentence" explanation, in its italian meaning.