The Greatest single moment in a Leone film

[Sabbath]

is in GBU when Blondie tenderly puts his cloak over the dying soldier and gives him a puff on the cigar. Totally revealing of a suprising side to a well known character. It moved me when I first saw it in 1968 and still does.

[SquareTex]

Very effective scene indeed.

Actually, I think the feeling begins as soon as Blondie and Tuco cross the river and see all the Confederate corpses lying around. Ennio's music is very effective here; the male choir mingled with the strings sounds incredibly sad. Then as it moves into "Story of a Soldier" for the cloak scene, it's easy to get choked up.

[Cal]

Another emotional scene is when Tuco is getting the crap kicked out of him in the POW camp, while the prisoners are forced to sing.  That whole scene was done very, very well.

[aeo]

is in GBU when Blondie tenderly puts his cloak over the dying soldier and gives him a puff on the cigar. Totally revealing of a suprising side to a well known character. It moved me when I first saw it in 1968 and still does.

[FanWithNoName]

I was just discussing some of my favorite GBU scenes on the Clint Eastwood web board, and had mentioned both the dying soldier/coat scene and the scene where the musician has a tear in his eye as he's ordered to continue playing as Tuco's being beaten.  Another scene in GBU that I found particularly moving was when Blondie and Tuco were leaving the mission and Tuco tried to convince Blondie how his brother was always happy to see him and always had a bowl of soup ready for him.  Blondie handed over his cigar, saying it was always good to have a cigar after a good meal... and never let on that he knew differently.  

[Jupa]

Yes,that scene is really tender and reveals a new side of Clint Eastwood's character.  

[Cusser]

I liked the scene in the bombed-out town when Blondie appears and asks Tuco "gonna die alone?" and re-joins him.  Of course the bathtub scene is super.  But when I first saw this in 1968 the ultimate difference between GBU and "American" westerns was for sure the ecstacy of gold sequence, with the background spinning and blurring.  No American ever thought of that.

[Concorde]

I'd have to agree with the first posting. That bit in GBU with the dying Confederate soldier and the cigar is my favorite moment from ANY movie I've ever seen.

What really nails it is the beautiful little piece of music Morricone drops in there as the soldier passes away, with the smoke trailing from his open mouth.

[aussiedave]

There are dozens of "moments" in the various films, but the Ecstacy Of Gold scene is the one that gets me.Tuco getting blown over by the cannon blast & landing against the grave marker, & then suddenly realising that "this was it", & then the music starts.Still gets me every time............................

[Il Buono]

One of the coolest moments in GBU is at the very end, where the tied-up Tuco shouts to Blondie: 'Hey Blondie, you know what you are?  You are a son of a AAA-AAA-aaa-aaaah' (blending into the GBU theme).  This is brilliant, people.  Really unique in film history.

[MARKGPL]

I'm inclined to agree with AussieDave that there are alot of very poignant moments in Leone's films and, in particular, TGTBATU.

I agree with every other poster about the scenes they mentioned ie. the Ecstacy of Gold scene with Tuco running through the cemetary, the dying soldier being offered a cigar, Blondie offering a cigar to Tuco, etc..

But for some reason the one that realy gets to me is at the beginning of the Trio scene where Clint has just written the "name" of the person of the grave and he's moved to his place.

Very cautiously Angel Eyes slowly moves by Tuco, the man he had the crap beaten out of earlier and the eye contact between them..it's a very subtle thing, but I like it.

Of course the music starts and one of the great scenes in western history unfolds.

I was very glad that Leone  used the musical watch again as he had in the gunfight scene in FAFDM...great touch..!!

[cigar joe]

The corrida three-way shoot out definitely is the greatest moment in a Leone film. The music the closeups and the editing, I can think of anything that comes close to that sequence.

[shorty larsen]

There's plenty of emotive scenes in this film. Remember the one between Tuco and his brother at the monastery, or the death f the caracter played by Aldo Giuffre the "blue" militar.

I insist that and all those emotive scenes the touch is given by the music of Morricone. Without his music, the scenes are nothing.

[MARKGPL]

I really have to agree with the points that Shorty is making here...I enjoy films alot - my wife and I make it a point to see a film each week together - after all these years together, it's like a regular date.

The point I want to make is that I can't think of another director or film where the music is such an integral part of the film...I think Leone and Morricone are alot like Lennon and McCartney in that individually, they are good, but together, there's a chemistry that works on just about every level...try to imagine the Ecstacy of Gold scene without the music ..or the Trio without the musical pocketwatch chiming and the flamenco guitar playing and the horns..

I don't regularly purchase soundtrack's, however, I'm not embarrassed to say that I have the CD's to all of Leone's SW's..

[shorty larsen]

If we talk of "the greatest single moment in a Leone Film" and not just in OUTW, let me mention also OUTA scene in wich Noodles kills Bugsy and goes to jail for that. As he enters the prison the rest of the band sees the action. Conmbine this with morricone's score and you have one of the most poetical scenes in all movie history.