I saw these film upon initial release myself, and yes the skies were always blue.
Yes, the English cut had those three titles in English. Each international territory was given virtually the same print with the credit sequence and those titles as separate elements. Interestingly, the length of those titles varies depending on how the distributor decided to splice them in..the Spanish DVD for instance has the longest tuco intro title out of all the cuts, even the Italian. It has about a second more footage at the beginning of the shot resulting in the action of tuco running towards the window being repeated.
I just watched the beginning of the "theatrical cut" (until after the second time Blondie shoots Tuco off the noose; approximately 27 minutes in).I watched with the commentary by Tim Lucas. His commentary is SHIT.Lucas violates my first rule of commentaries: You better sound like you are speaking naturally, rather than reading directly off pre-written notes. His voice is not great. Every time an actor appears onscreen for the first time, Lucas proceeds to recite what seems like the actor's entire filmography. Yeah, he spends lotsa time just naming movies. When Angel Eyes goes to Baker's room, Lucas says that on the chair are Union cap and shirt; it's Confederate!Lucas says that the opening ghost town set was "a village in Tabernas" - I trust Frayling, who says the ghost town was built by Carlo Simi & Co. in a remote area.One great thing Lucas does: He read the full text that the executioner reads aloud for Tuco's hanging in the second town – the audience cannot hear the full text, because part of it is drowned out by Angel Eyes's conversation with the half-soldier and the woman in the stagecoach. (Lucas does credit the person who showed him the full text). It is absolutely hilarious.Oh - he also astutely notes that Stevens is not to be trusted - because he wears both belt and suspenders Lucas cites Peter Hanley's book - for instance, in identifying the location of the Stevens farm and citing an interview Hanley did with Chelo Alonso - but he makes no mention of Frayling in the first 27 minutes. I am sure that lots of his info comes from Frayling. For example, he says that Leone insisted his inspiration in casting Wallach as Tuco did NOT come from his role as Calvera in THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN - that is a tidbit Frayling always mentions. Maybe he credits Frayling later on; I sure as hell won't listen to the rest of this shitty commentary. Bottom line: Anytime I want to watch the movie with commentary, it'll be Frayling's.And, once again, the overall bottom line: We're still waiting for a great BRD version of GBU.
The US version is now definitive! Great picture, correct sound mix, no cuts!!!!!!The only way this could be improved is if the Angel Eyes/Fort scene could be inserted (esp. since it is on the soundtrack album!)The International cut has wisely deleted the Grotto scene. The original mono mix is available. This is how this version should be viewed.Unfortunately, the oversaturated color scheme is intact. Estupidos! .Turning down the color level on your set will improve things a bit.The Tim Lucas commentary is a major disappointment. I hate to dis him because I was a big fan of his fanzine, but he is not an interesting commentator. He relies on what I call "biography as commentary" That is, we get a complete filmography of every actor and technician connected to the film. It is like listening to someone read IMDB. He also makes mistakes about the music (he should have consulted my GBU piece beforehand, as Sir Christopher did )There is a deleted scene included that I have never scene which is very cool!I am looking forward to watching this in Italian, something I have never done before!Bruce Marshall
The US version is now definitive! Great picture, correct sound mix, no cuts!!!!!!Bruce Marshall
to all the 4k HD Blu Ray TrueHD 3D VR headset fanboys.......Would rather listen to Rubber Soul on vinyl or on a MP3 player?....My point being... is you can only brush up a classic so much before it starts losing some of its character
So, the US version has different colors from the longer cut?
This film is magnificent in any of the available versions.Future generations will recognize this as the classic we all know it to be.I am not going to waste any more of my time obsessing over trivial technical details.I am going to watch and enjoy. I suggest you all do the same you sons of a thousand whores
In a paragraph, what's the problem with the U.S. version?Bruce