My review of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly...

[Moorman]

I've been discussing this movie in another thread, so before it gets too far out of hand over there, decided to review it here.  Like most fans of Westerns, this movie ranks very high on my alltime list of great westerns.  That being said, i've always had a couple of problems with the script of the movie.  Lets get the good stuff out of the way:

1. Cinematography. As always, Sergio doesn't disappoint. He mixes up the desert with your western town scenes,  villas, and of course, the civil war scenes.  Very on point.

2. Characters.  Tuco could've won a best supporting award for this movie. Blondie and Angel Eyes did their thing also.

3. Musical Score.  Does anyone need to ask? One of the best scores EVER for a movie.

4. Script. Great.  Once of the greatest endings to a movie, ever, period, end of discussion.  The whole premise of Tuco and Blondie working together, breaking up, and reuniting to find the loot is very on point.  The script was tight....BUT...here is where i also run into a couple of problems. After receiving feedback from forum members, i've learned that i've only seen the 161 minute version that i currently own on DVD.

This is important because its been explained that the one extended portion of the movie that has always confused me is when Angel Eyes pops up in the civil war camp, leading it, as a officer in the Union Army.  This always bothered me because no explanation was given. He just popped up liked that. I've always thought it was either Sergio or the screen writers being lazy.  Forum member Cigar Joe gave me a timeline and a explanation that makes this work. I've got to get the longer version of this movie to see exactly how it plays out over that version.

The second part of the script i didn't like, and this is me being picky, is the scene where Blondie is "saved " by a stray cannonball when Tuco has him strung up. I've always thought the escape was too cartoonish, or batman like.  Again, this is me being picky because of the overall tight script.  These two points, makes me rank the movie at 9/10 at this point.  I may move it up after seeing the extended version. Dont't get me wrong, its a great movie nonetheless...

[stanton]

Don't worry too much about these things. GBU is, despite the civil war background, a film still set in a fantasy west with superheroes instead of realistic characters.

The longer version doesn't give you an explanation how LvC managed it to become not only a Sergeant, but also how he came exactly to this prison camp. Find yourself an explanation which fits, like he bribed someone, or he has connections, or better both.
There's only a scene which makes clear that he isn't there by coincidence, but actually, that was what I had assumed already in the 161 min version. The scene is not really important for what it explains about that.

[Lil Brutto]

Extended version gets 9/10 while the 161 min version gets 10/10. Heck, I'll pretend I'm Spinal Tap and give it 11/10. Screw it, I'm giving it 100/10.

[drinkanddestroy]

Moorman: the point is that the war keeps interrupting Blondie and Tuco's adventures. First when the cannon hits the hotel where Blondie is about to be hung. Then when the carriage with the corpses comes by just as Tuco is about to shoot Blondie. Finally when the cannon hits that bombed-out town. It is not random: we hear the cannon roars and know a cannon may hit at any time.

This is one of the themes of the movie: The war keeps interrupting their quest for the gold. A historic war is going on all around them, but these guys don't give a damn about it; it's just an annoyance for them.

[Moorman]

Moorman: the point is that the war keeps interrupting Blondie and Tuco's adventures. First when the cannon hits the hotel where Blondie is about to be hung. Then when the carriage with the corpses comes by just as Tuco is about to shoot Blondie. Finally when the cannon hits that bombed-out town. It is not random: we hear the cannon roars and know a cannon may hit at any time.

This is one of the themes of the movie: The war keeps interrupting their quest for the gold. A historic war is going on all around them, but these guys don't give a damn about it; it's just an annoyance for them.

Ok.  I can see that.  What exactly is in the extended versions that i don't have. I'm debating whether i should get a Blu Ray extended version, if its available...

[Lil Brutto]

The extended version is the only option available on BD.

[stanton]

Ok.  I can see that.  What exactly is in the extended versions that i don't have. I'm debating whether i should get a Blu Ray extended version, if its available...

It's basically the original Italian version, while the 161 min version was a cut version produced for the international market. Main approach surely was to make the 3 hours film a little bit shorter.

But meanwhile worldwide only the longer version is released. But still not exactly the same version as the Italian one, as the English version contains now even one scene more, but one which shouldn't be in the film.

But if this one new scene should be in the film or not, or if the international version is the better one, or not, that is all depending on one's personal opinion.

So far:

Old theatrical international version: 161 min (available on the first DVD)

New English version as released on Blu: 178 min

Italian version as released in Italy on DVD and Blu: 174 min

(The Stanton cut aka the most reasonable version: 171 min (holy shit, still totally unreleased) )

[Cusser]

I'd say that at least 5 of the additional scenes are worthwhile.  Most notable: the Confederate outpost, Tuco getting information that Mission San Antonio was only a few miles away, and he might be able to get help there, leaving the mission, all the dead bodies on the way, Tuco telling Blondie that they have a long way to go, will need to cross enemy lines several times.

[dave jenkins]

Old theatrical international version: 161 min (available on the first DVD)

New English version as released on Blu: 178 min

Italian version as released in Italy on DVD and Blu: 174 min

(The Stanton cut aka the most reasonable version: 171 min (holy shit, still totally unreleased) )

You're leaving out the DJ cut: 210 minutes. Using modern technology (CGI, new voice actors) we now get to see scenes like the one where Angel Eyes steals the identity of the Union sergeant. ("Do you believe in heaven, Sergeant?" "Yes, I do." "Good. You've just been promoted." BAM!--ha ha, that scene gets me every time!). Naturally, the Socorro sequence is in there. Also a bunch of stuff I haven't written yet. What a cut!

[stanton]

You're leaving out the DJ cut: 210 minutes. Using modern technology (CGI, new voice actors) we now get to see scenes like the one where Angel Eyes steals the identity of the Union sergeant. ("Do you believe in heaven, Sergeant?" "Yes, I do." "Good. You've just been promoted." BAM!--ha ha, that scene gets me every time!). Naturally, the Socorro sequence is in there. Also a bunch of stuff I haven't written yet. What a cut!

You mean 310 min ...

[stanton]

I'd say that at least 5 of the additional scenes are worthwhile.  Tuco getting information that Mission San Antonio was only a few miles away, and he might be able to get help there, leaving the mission,

Hmmm, unfortunately that's one of two totally superfluous scenes the acclaimed Stanton cut leaves wisely out, otherwise it would hardly be the most reasonable cut.

[dave jenkins]

The whole point of GBU (IMVVVVVVHO) is to tell the story through digressions. That's why it takes an hour before the central problem is introduced to the heroes (i.e. the quest for the gold). There can never be enough extraneous scenes; in fact, there can never even be any extraneous scenes at all, by definition. GBU is the Leonean equivalent of The Odyssey (as OUATITW is Leone's The Iliad). It took Odysseus 10 years to get back to Ithaca: hence, many adventures in between. CJ has demonstrated how GBU spans at least 8 months of time--there's plenty that Leone didn't have time or resources to show us. Who can doubt, though, that he would have given us an even longer movie if he could have? We who follow him now have to technology to fulfill his vision. Let us not shirk this important task.

[emmo26]

You're leaving out the DJ cut: 210 minutes. Using modern technology (CGI, new voice actors) we now get to see scenes like the one where Angel Eyes steals the identity of the Union sergeant. ("Do you believe in heaven, Sergeant?" "Yes, I do." "Good. You've just been promoted." BAM!--ha ha, that scene gets me every time!). Naturally, the Socorro sequence is in there. Also a bunch of stuff I haven't written yet. What a cut!

Maybe a mashup of
For a few...
GBU
and Once Upon a time....

and make it into a 4/5 season mini-series called Leone's West? 

[drinkanddestroy]

The whole point of GBU (IMVVVVVVHO) is to tell the story through digressions. That's why it takes an hour before the central problem is introduced to the heroes (i.e. the quest for the gold). There can never be enough extraneous scenes; in fact, there can never even be any extraneous scenes at all, by definition. GBU is the Leonean equivalent of The Odyssey (as OUATITW is Leone's The Iliad). It took Odysseus 10 years to get back to Ithaca: hence, many adventures in between. CJ has demonstrated how GBU spans at least 8 months of time--there's plenty that Leone didn't have time or resources to show us. Who can doubt, though, that he would have given us an even longer movie if he could have? We who follow him now have to technology to fulfill his vision. Let us not shirk this important task.

Along the way, Blondie and Tuco go to Le Marais for Sunday brunch; visit The Woman in Gold at Lauder's gallery; see a few Hoppers at MoMA and The Met; then catch Beethoven symphonies at Lincoln Center before topping it all off with a Super Bowl party that evening. Oh, I forgot about the knockwurst and sauerkraut at the Nazi bar.

We could make it at least 410 minutes 

[Lil Brutto]

Italian version as released in Italy on DVD and Blu: 174 min

But the "Italian version as released in Italy on DVD and Blu" that you refer to is NOT the original Italian theatrical version as we've discovered from Italian 35mm elements (circa 1966) that have surfaced over the past couple years. This revelation was unveiled in another thread last year.