We examine the making-of one of the most notorious Westerns ever. – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is often considered the greatest western movie of all time, even though Once Upon a Time in the West has a claim to that title too. Both movies were directed by Sergio Leone who must have enjoyed seeing critics argue about his two films.
Three men in the American Civil War era compete to find Confederate gold that has been hidden at a secret grave in a cemetery, and Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, and Elli Wallach played the three men in the film. Here are several behind-the-scenes movie details you probably didn’t know about.
Why Clint Eastwood Didn’t Want To Do The Movie
By the mid-1960s, Clint Eastwood had already done a number of westerns so he was looking to do something new. When he was asked to appear in The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, he declined. He was disappointed to find out that he’d be sharing the screen with two big actors namely Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef. He also didn’t like the fact that Wallach’s character had been given all the juicier dialogue.
Because he hadn’t yet become a great celebrity in the US, Eastwood had also received lower wage offers. Only in Europe had his prior western films been made available. All of these considerations made him hesitant to accept the part, but the producers admired him and promised him a new Ferrari 275 GTB, a $250,000 salary, and 10% of the revenues. He consented.
Eli Wallach Accepted His Role After Only Watching Two Minutes Of Sergio’s Leone’s Previous Films
Eli Wallach blended humor and deviousness with ease and what resulted was a stellar performance as Tuco Ramirez (The Ugly). Interestingly, he also declined the role initially because he didn’t fancy appearing in a western directed by an Italian (Sergio Leone).
Gian Maria Volontè, an Italian actor, was Leon’s first option, but when Volontè declined, Leon persuaded Wallach, who at the time was well-known for portraying the evil Calvera in another well-liked western. After showing Wallach the first two “Dollars” movies for just two minutes each, Leon asked for the contract.
Director Sergio Leone Didn’t Speak English
Shocked? Don’t be. Sergio Leone is one of Hollywood’s legendary directors but he really didn’t speak English. He could only communicate in Italian and French. This didn’t discourage him from working with American actors since he always had a translator by his side.
Therefore, he never actually had direct conversations with Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef. Eli Wallach, however, spoke French fluently, thus he didn’t require a translator when conversing with Leone. Classic movies are almost often created under the most exceptional conditions.
“When You Have To Shoot, Shoot! Don’t Talk!”
This is one of the most popular quotes from the movie but it wasn’t in the script. Wallach simply came up with it in an instant and the crew started laughing. Director Sergio Leone thus decided to keep it. Interestingly, the best lines sare never in the script. A popular example is Joe Pesci’s “You think I’m funny?” line in Goodfellas.
The robber is cornered while lounging in a bathtub by a man who was hurt by Tuco and was left with one arm. Instead of shooting Tuco right away, he starts bragging about how he’s mastered one-arm shooting. He shoots Tuco first before giving the audience the wise words because he thinks Tuco is defenseless but Tuco has a gun under the water.
The Bridge Explosion Had To Be Filmed Twice
There is a scene where Blondie (Clint Eastwood) and Tuco (Eli Wallach) blow up the bridge leading to the cemetery where the Confederate gold is buried. They do this while the war is going on. Apparently, Spanish soldiers were hired to play the Civil War soldiers.
When the word “Vaya” was pronounced too soon during filming, the bridge was destroyed before the cameramen could react. A set member was meant to blow up the bridge when he heard it. The explosion was therefore refilmed, and the bridge had to be reconstructed.
Eastwood Didn’t Really Like Cigars
Throughout the movie, Blondie (Eastwood) smokes as many cigars as a billionaire on a yacht. You’d think he’d been doing it all his life but he really hated them. Apparently, Sergio Leone was a perfectionist who liked doing very many takes before settling on one so Eastwood had to smoke over and over again. This disgusted him.
Wallach claims that Eastwood once gave Leone an ultimatum. The actor threatened to quit if the cigar shots weren’t captured accurately the first time. Fortunately, no one got into a fight or quit over a few cigars.
The Movie’s Title Was Initially Different
The first title of the film was I due magnifici straccioni (The Two Magnificent Tramps). It was later changed because screenwriter Luciano Vincenzoni thought it wasn’t good enough. He thus came up with Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (The Good, the Ugly, the Bad).
The executives at United Artists had also planned to use River Of Dollars and The Man With No Name as the official titles for the US. That would have been terrible, wouldn’t it? They finally decided to go with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
Wallach Had Near-Death Experiences During Filming
In the scene where Blondie shoots the rope around Tuco’s neck, the horse took off prematurely after getting spooked by the sound of a gunshot. This result in Wallach hanging dangerously on the horse with his hands tied for about a mile.
Additionally, Wallach nearly had his skull severed by the train in the scene where he murders a Union soldier and boards a train to flee. In the cemetery scene, one of the gold sacks was also treated with acid to make it easier to open. Wallach drank from the lemon soda bottle that had been filled with acid without anyone else knowing. Stupid concept! Fortunately, he spit it out and cleansed his mouth quickly to prevent further harm.
The Idea Of The Movie Came Randomly During A Meeting
Leone’s first two films in the “Dollars Trilogy” were hits in Europe but they hadn’t been released in America yet. In an effort to make the movie available in the US, Leone invited United Artists executives to Italy to watch the first two movies and discuss a distribution deal. The meeting went well.
The executives asked Leone what film he had in mind next but he had none. They thus suggested that he do another film to make it a trilogy. And thus the idea of The Good, The Bad & The Ugly. All three movies ended up being released in the US in a single year.
The Actors All Spoke Different Languages
The cast of the movie consisted of actors from different countries. As a result, actors were allowed to perform in their native languages. Eastwood, Wallach and Van Cleef spoke in English. Their conversations were dubbed into Italian for the movie’s Italian release.
The three major actors’ voices were utilized exactly as they were for the American release, while the voices of the supporting cast members who didn’t speak English were dubbed. Fortunately, Eastwood, Wallach, and Cleef covered the most of the conversation, so there weren’t many scenes in the US version that were subtitled.