The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly-
(Extended Version Collector's Set)
(MGM Region 1 DVD)
(1967)
review by Head Cheeze

Big McLargehuge offered his take on the Extended Edition of Sergio Leone's classic The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, in which he expressed a fondness for the original U.S. theatrical cut of the film. Big felt that the added scenes bogged the film down somewhat, and preferred the comparitvely streamlined version we've all grown up on. While I can see his points, I don't necessarily agree with them, as this Extended Edition cut, lovingly remastered by MGM, is the film Sergio Leone intended for us to see. This is the closest the studio could come to his original Italian edit, and the "lost" footage has been restored in a way that makes it seem it was never lost in the first place.

Blondie (Eastwood) and Tuco (Wallach) have a neat scam running in which the pair use Tuco's "Most Wanted" status as a way to earn quick money. Traveling from town to town, Blondie brings Tuco in to the local authorities, claims the bounty, and then leaves Tuco to be executed. However, just as Tuco is about to be hung, Blondie waits in the distance, shoots the rope around his partner's neck, and the two escape to another town as Tuco's bounty rises. While the scam has, thus far, run smoothly, Tuco feels he is worth more than 50% of the take seeing as how it's his neck resting in the noose, and Blondie decides it's time to end their partnership by abandoning Tuco in the desert. Tuco manages to make his way back to town, however, and seeks out Blondie for revenge. When he finds him, Tuco brings him out into the same desert, depriving him of water, and essentially attempting to fry him alive. However, when the two stumble upon a dying soldier who gives Blondie the directions to a fortune in gold, Tuco is forced to keep him alive if he hopes to find the treasure. Meanwhile, Angel Eyes (Van Cleef), a notorious bounty hunter, is also on the hunt for the gold, and has left a trail of dead in his wake. This leads up to uneasy alliances between the three men, and an explosive final showdown between the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

I can't express how much I love this film. It's been a favourite since childhood, and I never grow tired of it. I've worn out VHS copies of this movie, and even had to replace the first DVD release of this film on more than one occasion. There is no other film, save for, perhaps, Steven Spielberg's Jaws, that I've seen as many times, and with every viewing I develop a deeper respect for Leone's work. With that in mind, it's should come as no surprise that I was excited to see this extended edition. I've read about the longer Italian cut of the film for years, but never thought I'd get the chance to actually see it, and when it was announced that the restoration was under way last year, I was thrilled. Sadly, there wasn't a single theater within 50 miles of me showing the film during it's theatrical run, and I wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of watching it on commercial television (it had a brief run on the AMC network), so when this DVD set from MGM arrived, I tore off the shrinkwrap, tossed both discs in my player, and settled in for a long afternoon of Leone bliss.

In my opinion, this extended cut is fantastic. The reinstated footage adds character depth and clarity, as well as the opportunity to see what it's creator originally intended. The entire film has been remastered, both visually and audibly, with new sound effects added, voice overs by both Wallach and Eastwood (in the scenes taken from the Italian version, which were never dubbed in English), and a video transfer that is simply gorgeous. The film has never looked and sounded so good.

The 2-Disc set (presented in a smart looking embossed box, with mini-lobby cards/posters and a booklet) features Commentary by film historian Richard Schickel, the "Leone's West" making-of documentary, "The Leone Style" documentary, "The Man Who Lost the Civil War" documentary, "Reconstructing The Good, the Bad & the Ugly": documentary on the audio rerecording, "Il Maestro: Ennio Morricone and The Good, the Bad & the Ugly": featurette on the composer, as well as more deleted scenes, trailers, and more. It's a set bursting with quality extras and is, for the forseeable future, the definitive version of this classic film.

Highest possible recommendation!!