The Good, the Bad and the Ugly | |
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US theatrical release poster by Fred Otnes
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Directed by | Sergio Leone |
Produced by | Alberto Grimaldi |
Screenplay by |
Age & Scarpelli Luciano Vincenzoni Sergio Leone Uncredited: Sergio Donati English Version: Mickey Knox |
Story by | Luciano Vincenzoni Sergio Leone |
Starring |
Clint Eastwood Lee Van Cleef Eli Wallach |
Music by | Ennio Morricone |
Cinematography | Tonino Delli Colli |
Edited by | Eugenio Alabiso Nino Baragli |
Production
company |
Produzioni Europee Associati (PEA)
Arturo González Producciones Cinematográficas Constantin Film United Artists |
Distributed by | PEA (Italy) United Artists (US & UK) |
Release date
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Running time
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177 minutes |
Country | Italy West Germany Spain United States |
Language | Italian English |
Budget | $1.2 million |
Box office | $25.1 million |
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Italian: Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo, lit. "The good, the ugly, the bad") is a 1966 epic Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach in their respective title roles. Its screenplay was written by Age & Scarpelli, Luciano Vincenzoni and Leone (with additional screenplay material and dialogue provided by an uncredited Sergio Donati), based on a story by Vincenzoni and Leone. Director of photography Tonino Delli Colli was responsible for the film's sweeping widescreen cinematography, and Ennio Morricone composed the film's score including its main theme. It was an international co-production between Italy, Spain, West Germany and the United States.
The film is known for Leone's use of long shots and close-up cinematography, as well as his distinctive use of violence, tension, and stylistic gunfights. The plot revolves around three gunslingers competing to find fortune in a buried cache of Confederate gold amid the violent chaos of the American Civil War (specifically the New Mexico Campaign in 1862), while participating in many battles and duels along the way. The film was the third collaboration between Leone and Clint Eastwood, and the second with Lee Van Cleef.