I saw both movies back in the 60's. I was not impressed with GB&U back then. I was mesmerized by OUATITW. I watched both movies recently and I felt GB&U was so contrived and ridiculous, where as OUATITW has held up quite well and stands the test of time. Even Clint Eastwood said GB&U was "bloated".
The scenery in GB&U and the sets however were fantastic.
While I do love me some OUATITW I still think TGTB&TU is far superior. It's just more epic.
shareI'm with you. I think OUATITW is the best Western of all-time.
The themes are more important. The characters are more interesting (Tuco was excellent, though). The twist is genius. I'm talking about Harmonica's anecdote from his past. Stuff that send chills down your spine.
And the score!... Morricone outdid himself. It's probably the best, the more poignant movie score in the history of cinema.
And how about Henry Fonda's Frank? Just watching him stand and stare toward the camera and spit some tobacco is riveting.
shareTrue facts.
sharenot even close. Good/Bad/Ugly is far better. who wants to see so many face closeups of sweaty guys?
shareAs a younger man I preferred gb&u.. now I think outtitw is a superior movie.
I feel like overall OUATITW is a better film in all ways but the entire graveyard scene till the end of the film in GB&U is easily one of the best scenes in movie history.
shareI haven't seen OUATITW but For a Few Dollars More is easily better than TGBU.
shareThat's one thing I don't get, why For a Few Dollars More is so revered. Both that movie and A Fistful of Dollars quite more primitive than tGtB&tU, which seems far more perfected in both story and cinematography.
I guess For a Few Dollars More is more of a true western, while tGtB&tU is is an epic Odyssey and a war movie, quite different from the previous films - in many ways it has more in common with Apocalypse Now.
TGBU isn't a bad film but in comparison For a Few Dollars More feels less contrived and better cast. Lee Van Cleef has an insanely better role and El Indio is a better villain. The story of Douglas Mortimer is morally justified and something most people can respect. For me it's just a better vibe all around. The partnership is built on something a bit more noble. And even Manco is a bit more likable than Blondie, as a person.
And nothing's wrong with epic but sometimes it seems that TGBU is trying to put 10 pounds of story into a 5 pound bag to the point that it sometimes seems disjointed and rushed. The simplicity of For a Few Dollars More gives it some breathing room that makes the pacing work better. Maybe if they would have taken a bit more time or trimmed the story in TGBU it would have worked better. A good background story on Angel Eyes wouldn't have hurt either. He's just a devil who popped up one night.
TGBU could have been Apocalypse Now but feels more like Apocalypse Now Redux.
For A Few Dollars More is darker in content. I think that's why I like it best overall. There's a real revenge motive to the film. Yeah, Manco is just trying to make money, as usual, but Col. Mortimer's motivations give the bounty hunters a real moral purpose, and Indio is a real menacing and evil villain for the viewer to hate.
TGTBTU has likeable characteristics to all 3 leads, so it makes it more of an adventure movie, kind of like an Indiana Jones film searching for buried treasure. It's an awesome film watching experience, but drama is always king, so it loses to FAFDM for that reason.
I'm going to say that "GBU" has some dark and strong content, pertaining mostly to the travesty and brutality that is war. There is a lot of tragic and horrifying backdrop and forefront going on here: devasted armies shoot prisoners and dragging misery in their wake; the prison camp sequence; the drunken captain, psychologically destroyed by the vicious cycle of battle over the bridge. Angel Eyes flourishes in this environment, but Blondie finishes by becoming humanized by witnessing and communicating with the horror before him.
Tuco is much less affected, but he is indicative of another thread of darkness running through this movie: the perceived necessity of turning to crime and inhumanity because of how the world is, even without the war. Remember his scene with his brother, where he reminds Pablo that, where they came from, there were two ways out of poverty: the church or crime, and that Tuco chose the harder way. Remember that Pablo doesn't deny it, and that, when Tuco is gone and cannot hear him, Pablo asks for forgiveness.
No, i would say GBU has darkness aplenty in it. Its presentation is different than in A few Dollars More. I wouldn't say that one is inferior or superior to the other, and the same with Once Upon A Time. I appreciate all of them, findit hard to choose which is "better", and like them all on their own merits.
Very well put and accepted.
shareWasn't the first film in the trilogy the most popular in the 60's? I think it was the most iconic, Eastwood's character seemed more defined in his uniqueness in that one, later films gave him more nuances and that reduced its essence of being a mysterious man. The simplicity is very powerful, in music score, storytelling, tight editing and pacing, and especially the length of the film.
share