by Vincent Traina

Created on: February 18, 2007   Last Updated: November 30, 2007

Before he gave us "C'era Una Volta Nel West" ("Once Upon A Time in the West"), he made the world of cinema tremble with his archetypical "Il Brutto, Il Buono, Il Cattivo." Known to us as "The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly," the film Quentin Tarantino described as "the best directed movie of all time" is the last part in what is now known as the "Dollars Trilogy."

The 1966 classic presented us with three resourceful opportunists, each with their own unique personality and temperament, seeking the only thing that matters in any Western, the gold. They are the 'Good,' 'Bad,' and 'Ugly' of the title, although you can hardly tell them apart in the movie because they all act in their own interest. Clint Eastwood, whose character was never actually given a name in the Dollars trilogy, captures a wanted man named Tuco early on in the story. Instead of letting the authorities hang him, "the man with no name" shoots the rope off his neck to allow the condemned prisoner to escape and his ransom increase. Nicknamed "Blondie" by Tuco, Clint soon betrays him and abandons him in the desert with his hands tied. Through sheer will, Tuco survives and immediately hatches a scheme to exact his revenge. This time, it's Eastwood's turn to march through a "hundred miles of beautiful sunbaked sand." Heartless acts such as these recur throughout the movie, which is set in the middle of the American Civil War during the campaign in New Mexico.

Besides being exceptional for their brilliant cinematography, extreme close-ups, and wide camera angles, Leone's masterpieces have become recognized for their abundant symbolism. One example in particular is the imagery which came in the form of flies, specking and checking for maggots on the sweaty pores of the soldiers and cowboys underneath the oppressively hot desert sun. Leone's flies represented mortality, tugging at our sleeves, murmuring in our ears, never giving us a moment's rest. Life is fundamentally short, unforgiving, and unpredictable. This visual message was complimented by the arousing music of Ennio Morricone, with an intimidating wail of "ah-ah-ah-ah-ahWAH-WAH-WAH" residing in our ears.

Leone, nicknamed "Yosemite Sam" by Eastwood for his short temper, hammered home the point that motives, money, and morality may seem to matter, but sooner or later, and usually sooner, mortality is ales. Moral ambiguity was preferred by Sergio as a way to poke fun at the traditional Hollywood "villain" and "hero" caricatures. He gave us a picture of a world in which there are no excuses, just actions and consequences. His contempt for the one-dimensional theme of "good guys versus bad guys" set a new precedent in screenplay. Leone's world belonged to the victors, with an emphasis on might making right. Some contemporary films with comparable leitmotifs include "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "Gangs of New York," "Fight Club," "The Count of Monte Cristo," and "Braveheart."

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