..Gary
Dretzka
..Noah
Forrest
..Leonard
Klady
..R.J.
Matson
..David
Poland
..Douglas
Pratt
..Ray
Pride
..Michael
Wilmington
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Directed by Sergio Leone
Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and The Ugly fully deserves the restoration it is receiving in the outstanding MGM Home Entertainment Special Edition 2-Disc DVD Collector's Set (1006371, $30). MGM's first DVD release of the film came out in 1998 and like all American versions previous to that, it ran 162 minutes, although, in a supplement, there were a tantalizing 14 minutes of 'deleted' scenes, in Italian. The Special Edition presentation, however, along with having a gloriously improved picture and sound transfer, runs 179 minutes. The version presented is the version Leone originally conceived in 1966 when the film premiered in Italy, before the American distributor forced him to trim it. To be sure, the shorter version plays perfectly well and became the cult phenomenon it is today (even in a world where nobody likes westerns anymore), but it also seemed sloppy, as if the film couldn't afford or bother to connect all the narrative dots. In fact, as the Special Edition reveals, the narrative is elegantly structured, with each step in the story designed to anticipate the next step and draw the viewer through the adventure. How one envies viewers in the future, who will be watching this version the first time they see the film!
Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef star in the story of a search for gold amid the confusion of the American Civil War, with Wallach delivering one of the best and most unheralded comical performances of all time. The added footage is mostly narrative related, explaining how characters got from point A to point B, and what was going on in the backstory that led to the gold being buried in the first place, though there are also evocative shots of the War dead and other memorable touches. To facilitate the restoration, both Eastwood and Wallach dubbed their own dialog, with another actor seamlessly covering Van Cleef's lines. Upon seeing the new version, the older one will forever seem like something broadcast on TV that's been trimmed to fit its timeslot.
The picture is presented in letterboxed format only, with an aspect ratio of about 2.35:1 and an accommodation for enhanced 16:9 playback. The color transfer is outstanding. The older version was workable, but retained somewhat pale colors and bland fleshtones. The new presentation is vivid and spotless, with bright, crisp hues and rich, accurate fleshtones. The sound has been remastered in 5.1-channel Dolby Digital. There is not much more than a slight audio fill and sporadic effects in the rear channels, but the front has a strong dimensionality that makes Ennio Morricone's magnificent musical score particularly thrilling. There is also some good subwoofer activity, but the mix is less impressive when it comes to dialog. Whenever the editing cuts from a character speaking to someone else, and the character continues to talk, his voice is thrown to the side with an artificial shift in tone that is distracting. But that's, like, the only flaw the DVD has, and it's more a problem of taste than a mistake. The film's original Italian track, which has a lovely rhythm in places, is also included, in mono, and there are optional English, French, Spanish, Cantonese and Mandarin subtitles. The DVD's menu design, by the way, is refreshingly simple and direct.
Film critic Richard Schickel supplies a good commentary track, ruminating over the story, talking about the film's creation and the players, and discussing various aspects of Leone's artistry. Despite the lengthy running time, he has plenty of things to say, delving into everything from the history behind Eastwood's cigar in the film to the movie's under-appreciated moral resonance, such as when Wallach goes running past hundreds of graves in the film climax.
The second platter contains two documentaries about the film, running a total of 44 minutes. Schickel repeats some of his major talking points, but the films also feature interviews with Eastwood, Wallach and other Leone collaborators. Wallach explains how the actors would interact when they were speaking different languages in a scene and Eastwood talks about the time an entire bridge got blown up by accident, before any cameras were turned on to capture the moment. There is also an 8-minute segment about Morricone and an excellent 12-minute audio-only essay about the film's score. A nice little 14-minute documentary goes over the Confederate campaigns in the American Southwest, using silent film footage in spots as if it were actual newsreel footage.
A very good 11-minute segment explains how the film was restored and what choices were made in the inclusion of new footage. One sequence that was not included, because of wear to the source material, was a lengthening of the scene in which Van Cleef's character tortures Wallach, but that 7-minute sequence is included as a deleted scene, and it is so good you wonder if they really made the right choice by leaving it out. The other deleted scene deserves to have been left out, but is still fascinating. It is a reconstruction, mostly with still photos and little tiny bits of footage, of a scene where Wallach is looking for Eastwood, including, only in pictures, alas, shots of Eastwood in bed with a señorita. As an addendum, a French trailer that contains many such shots not featured in the American theatrical release is also presented. There is a standard American trailer as well, and a small still frame collection of posters from around the world.
May 17 , 2004
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