Sergio Leone's characterization of The Ugly... has changed the perspective of the word "UGLY".

Cast:
Clint Eastwood (Blondie) as the good
Lee Van Cleef (Angel Eyes) as the bad
Eli Wallach (Tuco) as the ugly
Direction: Sergio Leone
Music: Ennio Morricone


The movie could be classified under the adventure genre where three gunslingers fight among themselves to find a fortune of gold buried in a grave in Sad Hill Cemetery. The film is probably set in the 1860s when the CSA tried to assume de facto control over its claimed territory during the American Civil War.

I wasn't sure if i was going to write about this movie, after almost everything has already been said by hundreds of people before. But then i decided i should go about it after having watched the movie the second time when i understood a lot of nuances in the film (which i certainly didn't upon partial 1st viewing thinking it was a slow, lengthy movie based on unpleasant characters) that commands appreciation.

But then now, a couple of years later, when I watched the movie again.... i was totally taken away by it.... with its great characterization, Tuco's(The Ugly) acting, bgms, direction and picturisation. With a lot of things already known about the movie, I only intend to mention a few things which i had prominently noted upon watching it the second time and how this movie had changed the perception of a single word.

Clint Eastwood being the Good has only one shade to portray and also, so is the case with Lee Van Cleef to portray the Bad guy. But when it comes to the Ugly character, the director has sketched it to perfection with a mixture of shades of both the Good and the Bad. And Wallach as Tuco was no less great in enacting the Ugly part.

Nothing much about Lee Van Cleef and Eastwood in the movie.... Lee Van Cleef's eyes spoke volumes about his bad nature. In his introduction scene where he interrogates a former soldier he doesn't talk much and just his eyes were focused so profoundly to create an impression of terror in the minds of the audience. It is a well know fact that something bad is associated to darkness and shades of black. Now when Angel Eyes (Van Cleef) comes into frame there is no lighting and he comes from darkness carrying a wick lamp that creates a mood for the situation that something bad is about to happen. And the bgm when this happens is neatly incorporated into the film by Morricone; the initial music is low pitched and slowly & gradually it increases in pitch and it so shrill that it is in perfect sync with the situation. Tho perfect combo of the lighting, Angel's eyes, and the music just creates magic. Just note his name too.... Angel Eyes (a perfect contradiction to his nature; he rather has the eyes of a Devil).

Clint Eastwood has a meaty role to play in the movie. In the major part of the movie he maintains his silence and doesn't utter much, except for his crisp one-liners. His style is what has been used to full extent in the movie.... the way he takes his gun, the way he shoots, the way he rotates and puts his gun back into the gun belt are all an eye candy to watch. And the very famous Good Bad Ugly soundtrack has been maximum used with his screen presence.



There probably is no one who is either completely good at all times or completely bad at all times and this is what Sergio Leone is trying to tell his audience through the characterization of the Ugly. The Scene where Tuco meets his brother Rodriguez (shown in the extended version) is beautifully conceptualized by Leone and enacted by Tuco (Wallach), when we get to know that Tuco had to choose a tougher path than that chosen by his brother which had ultimately put Tuco in the current situation that he is in. Acting by Wallach requires no mention as he was simply superb; be it portraying the emotions of anger, joy, pride, dejection or whatever. Among all three he had a tough job to do i.e. to do the emotion switching part so frequently... and he scores a perfect 10/10.

Though initially my perception of the Ugly was to do with how shabby he looked or how gross his actions were in the movie, but it is truly in his characterization where one can perceive the actual meaning of the Ugly. In spite of the many instances which shows the Ugly nature of Tuco, it is this one scene which stands out, where he forcefully gets into the revolver stores to get a revolver, that his Ugly nature has been shaped out beyond imagination. Here after trying out the revolver, he asks "How Much?".... giving an impression that he was good enough to pay for it, but then when he points the gun at the store keeper and again asks "How Much?".... it strikes you that he is so bad enough to loot the poor old guy; What a Fascinating Ugly Character!!! (How Oxymoronic - Fascinating Ugly; and don't fail to notice Tuco's acting here).

The incidents in this movie, or more specifically the Ugly nature of Tuco is so Ugly, that my perception of the word "UGLY" has completely changed and has given a new meaning for the word different from the one given in the English Oxford Dictionary.