As I watch the TCM Clint Eastwood marathon in honor of his 80th today, here are my short takes on the first three films:
A Fistful of Dollars (1964) : First of Eastwood's collaborations with Sergio Leone, the man who made Italian movies fun for everyone. Together they riff on the Robin Hood theme through Eastwood's Man With No Name, who helps Mexican villagers esacpe the clutches of the evil Ramon Rojo (Gian Maria Volonte). Not a scene or shot is wasted in the film's 100 minutes, which likely inspired Eastwood's similarly lean directorial style later on.
For A Few Dollars More (1965) : Crosses of the double and triple variety abound as Leone sets the western/action/buddy movie on its ear. No Name reluctantly joins forces with Col. Douglas Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef) to hunt down El Indio (Volonte). Still an example of lean cinema, even at 132 ninutes.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (1966) : No Name saves, befriends, and tries to outdo the dastardly Tuco (Eli Wallach) against Leone's meticulously-researched and deeply-felt Civil War backdrop. And the Colonel's back in the mix. A true big-canvas classic. If the other two films are filet mignon, then Ugly's a succulent steak!
More to come
MTMG
No comments:
Post a Comment