by William Renken

Created on: November 22, 2010

Westerns are an interesting genre of films to look at, considering they float in and out of America's favor every decade or so. But back in the 1950's and 60's, Westerns were the rage of Hollywood. Everyone was making westerns. If an actor needed a big pay day, they would make a western.

In terms of directors, John Ford sits at the throne of the western genre, with Sam Peckinpah and Howard Hawkes close by.

And then there is Sergio Leone... 

Leone, compared to the others mentioned, is a visual artist. Images, rather than dialogue is what drove his films. Considered his masterpiece, "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly" represents Leone at the peak of his directing prowess.

People love to give a summaries, but giving a summary to "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" doesn't give the film justice. Looking at Leone's style is what sets the film apart from so many others.

Take the first 15 minutes of the film. There is literally nothing said by anyone. All we see is a group of men slowly, methodically converge on a building in a series of extreme long shots and then contrasting extreme closeups. Then, gunfire, followed by the entrance (or exit) by Eli Wallach with text that proclaims him to be "The Ugly."

This scene represents in a microcosm how Leone viewed westerns. He would spend more time building up to the gun fights than he would showing the actual gun fight. Which, in essence, is how we, as everyday people, view many of our tasks each day. We spend more time building up the event in our head, and when it comes time for action, it all ends in a snap. (I can't tell you how often I built up in my head asking a girl out on a date, only for it to happen so quick, I didn't have time to process it.)

As the film progresses, Leone showcases an operatic style to the film that is nurtured by Ennio Morricone's musical score.

And then there's the scene where the main characters are caught up in a battle between the North and the South. Leone showcases breathtaking battle scenes of cannon fire and men charging, but it's his haunting look at the effects of war on the youth caught up within it that stay with you.

And the finale, one part chase, one part standoff, provides the fitting closure to the epic, again supported by Morricone's score.

The next time you watch the film, don't focus on the story. The story is great. We all know this. None of the characters are classic archetypes of heroes. (More brown versus black and white heroes.) But it is what Leone does with a camera which truly takes the film to another level. He turned a classic American genre film and made it into an Italian opera with guns and cigars.

Long shots, extreme close ups, sweeping action shots; Leone had an arsenal. In fact, to really appreciate what he did with "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly," watch "Inglourious Basterds" afterward and see how Tarantino homages Leone.

That's the legacy of Sergio Leone.

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