Film Analysis: Sergio Leone

With the film section derived from a time period between the 1940 and 1970 the choices were plentiful from action films to science fiction and even dramas, but for me the selection of a Spaghetti Western was quite obvious for me. A fan of Spaghetti Westerns and Westerns starring Clint Eastwood I choose The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly because it was the last of the Dollars film trilogy. Films like Joe Kidd, Hang Em High, A Fist Full of Dollars, and For A few More Dollars I would watch as a child with my dad and after reading the information from this week’s resources, the final film in the Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy was an easy choice for me.

When viewing this film, there were a few things I noticed immediately about Sergio Leone’s techniques

This again is scene many times as our character’s journey through the Southwest in hope of finding the 200,000 dollars in gold. Furthermore, we witness this again when Tuco bolts through the cemetery in hope of finding the gold all for himself. The last time we see the longshot is Blondie’s exit after he saves Tuco and rides off with his share of the gold. This technique was extremely effective in showing the character’s entrance and exit of a scene. Additionally, there is the close-up shot. This shot allows for better emphasis to be placed on the emotion. tone, and mood of a specific scene. In Angel Eyes first scene he sits down with the man he is paid to acquire information from and tells him what he is after. This scene becomes an incredibly intense scene before Angel Eyes shots the man. The focus of these close-up shots in this film are the eyes, some say the eyes say everything and in this film, they almost narrate the story. This is much more emotion and feelings in Leone’s close-up shots in comparison to a standard full room shot or maybe an over the back shot. There is also the final standoff between Blondie, Tuco, and Angel Eyes

Throughout the film Leone use the music to assist in the emotion, tone, and mood of the scenes. In the scene where Tuco runs through the graveyard the music giver an audible display of Tuco’s jubilance as he believes he is going to have the gold all to himself. There are other scenes more specifically the gun fights were the music amplifies the intensity of the situations and makes them almost unwatchable from the suspense. This was never more apparent than the finally standoff between Tuco, Blondie, and Angel Eyes. The music is woven throughout the film and complements the story like bullets to guns. Additionally, there are techniques like the animation in the opening credits which seems unique for its time. There also still images of the characters in the opening credits that show the characters that are to come. Furthermore, Leone has a technique which displays Blondies firing accuracy has he is able to shoot Angel Eyes into a grave followed by his pistol and hat. Lastly, amongst the many unique techniques that Sergio Leone uses are the constant use of the “there are two kinds of people” analogy used multiple times in the film in conversations between Blondie and