Original intermission

[The clint]

I've read that an intermission was originally placed at the point after the dehidrated Blondie spills the coffee on Tuco's face and says something like "It's nice to know my good friend is watching over me." but the restored edition does not include the intermission. I think it should be included if it was part of the premiere version. Does anyone know if the Italian disc has it?

[titoli]

What was the intermission supposed to be made of?

[moviesceleton]

Are you sure that the intermission was "official" and not something that the theaters did by themselves?

[Jordan Krug]

I always find that on dvd's where they include the intermission (like on the recent re-release of the roadshow Sand pebbles, which also has like 3 minutes of black at the beginning with music) that it's pretty pointless for home viewing...I guess it's nice to have it for completeness, but usually it's a card that says "intermission" with music underneath for like 5 min....and I always fast forward.....it would make sense in a theatre, but I have the pause button on my remote for any kind of "intermission" I require....

[dave jenkins]

Are you sure that the intermission was "official" and not something that the theaters did by themselves?

I wonder the same thing myself. Does anybody know if GBU even had an intermission? (or BBC, for that matter).

[moviesceleton]

I wonder the same thing myself. Does anybody know if GBU even had an intermission? (or BBC, for that matter).

I think Frayling said on the commentary of FAFDM that even that film had an intermission in some theaters in Italy. Or am I remembering wrong?

[dave jenkins]

I think Frayling said on the commentary of FAFDM that even that film had an intermission in some theaters in Italy. Or am I remembering wrong?

I don't know. There are some countries where every film gets an intermission whether it needs one or not (this was true in New Zealand 10 years ago, I don't know about now). The projectionist comes to a reel change but turns the lights up instead. Everybody is thereby encouraged to patronize the concession stand. Then the movie starts again, but everyone's forgotten where they left off.

But this is very different from what we're talking about, an intermission planned for by the film's director.

[Tucumcari Bound]

I wish films had intermission's today. It's all apart of the film going experience in my opinion. Everything is all about business today. They want to get you in, and get you out. I hate it! This is why I loved Grindhouse so much. It was old school.

[titoli]

In Italy every movie was divided in 2, sometime 3 halves called "tempi" (fine del primo tempo/end of first half; secondo tempo/ second half were the legends on cards at the end and beginning of the two halves). During this intermission the lights go up and you buy refreshments by the seller who makes the rounds of the theatre like the one to be found in stadiums. More rarely there was a stand. I don't know how things stand today.
Until 10 years ago, mre or less, when programmed on TV channels, expeciallyh the public ones, the masters used to keep the original legends dividing the two halves. And it still happens with movies programmed at night. But for the rest they are cut in 4 or 5 pieces to accomodate commercials and the original cards are eliminated.       

[Cusser]

The first few times I saw GBU (1968-1970) in theaters (U.S.) it didn't have an intermission.  I saw it at theaters maybe 15 times, and only had intermission once or twice.  It occurred just after Tuco jumps onto the train, resumes with Blondie and Angel Eyes' men riding into the bombed town.

[dave jenkins]

The intermission, then, was always in the same place?

[cigar joe]

I'm with Cusser, During the New York city premier in 1968 and subsequent viewings, I don't ever remember seeing intermissions for GBU.

[Tucumcari Bound]

cigar. How often do they play Leone's films in NYC?

[cigar joe]

cigar. How often do they play Leone's films in NYC?

Do you mean now or then?

Then in the late 60's there were double bills on Times Square when the first two Dollars films came out, the after GBU they had triple bills of all three running back to back, on huge screens. Every summer for at least three years after they continued to do that adding Hang 'em High as a fourth film in the rotation to create a sort of linkage with the dollars films.

Now every couple of years they have some kind of Leone festival at a revival house or a museum.

[The clint]

I know for sure that the International Export Version did not contain a planned intermission, I'm just wondering about the original Italian premiere version.