Summary
Directed by Sergio Leone,The Good, the Bad and the Uglyis a quintessential spaghetti Western film. Like other films in the popular genre, the 1966 epic was mostly filmed on location in various European countries. AlthoughThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly’s filming locations aren’t actually in the American West,Leone’s classic captures a striking authenticity. Led byWestern movie star Clint Eastwoodas “the Good,” Lee Van Cleef as “the Bad,” and Eli Wallach as “the Ugly,” the film sees the three titular gunslingers fighting over a buried cache of Confederate gold during the American Civil War.
Billed as the third installment in theDollars Trilogy,the film launched Eastwood’s career to new heights, and garnered a then-impressive $38 million at the worldwide box office. Filled with duels and violent conflicts,The Good, the Bad and the Uglyfeatures Leone’s signature use of long shots and close-ups, all of which helps the accomplished director build the Western’s searing, slow-burn tension. Not only does the film feature many of Leone’s hallmarks, but it’s perhaps the definitive spaghetti Western film. Filled with iconic scenes,The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’s filming locations are equally memorable.
Cabo de Gata, Almería, Andalucía, Spain Serves As The Filming Location
An Italian-led production,The Good, The Bad and The Uglyalso had co-producers in Spain, West Germany, and the United States. By and large, most of the filming for the spaghetti Western took place in Spain. The film’s monastery and long desert walk scenes, for example, were filmed in the same area of the country — Cabo de Gata, Almería in Andalucía. Set in the US,the movie uses Spain’s scenic landscapes to serve as believable stand-ins. Tuco force-marching Blondie across the desert is an incredibly visceral sequence, and the filming location augments that feeling.
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The Western’s Battle At Langstone Bridge Over The Arlanza River Was Also Shot In Spain
While gunfights and duels are a crucial part ofClint Eastwood’s definitive spaghetti Western,The Good, the Bad and the Uglyis also packed with traditional battle sequences. Set during the American Civil War,the film uses the nation-shaping conflict to augment its tense atmosphere and sense of looming menace. In the movie, there’s a famous battle scene between the Confederate and Union armies — the Battle at Langstone Bridge. In reality, the battle scene was shot along a particular stretch of the Arlanzon River in Spain.
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The Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, Níjar, Almería, Spain Hosts The Iconic Moment
Filmed in the Almeria province of Spain, one ofThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly’s most memorable scenes features a town besieged by cannon fire. During the course of the conflict,a bridge connecting the Union and Confederate camps is rigged with explosives and blown up by Blondie and Tuco. In the aftermath of the first take, Leone realized that reshoots were necessary, as three of the production’s cameras were destroyed during the intense sequence. With the desert walk scene also being filmed in Almeria, the province’s many scenic backdrops add a satisfying continuity to the film’s setting.
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Spain’s Mirandilla Valley Serves As The Backdrop For The Classic Spaghetti Western Moment
Perhaps the most well-known scene in the entire film, the cemeteryscene fromThe Good, the Bad and the Uglywas filmed at Sad Hill. The Spanish cemetery, which is tucked away in a small, rock-enclosed valley, is shockingly reminiscent of the landscapes found in the American West. During the sequence, Blondie and Angel Eyes commence a tense showdown while Tuco watches. To transform the location into an authentic setting for the film’s iconic climax,Leone ordered that 10,000 empty graves be built on the land.
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Estación De Calahorra Serves As A Perfect Backdrop For A Tense Moment
At one point during the film, Tuco has a memorable moment involving railroad tracks, a corpse, and a high-speed train. Full of suspense, the railroad sequence was filmed at the Estación de Calahorra in La Calahorra, Guadix — a spot located roughly midway between the well-known Spanish cities of Granada and Seville. With impressive brickwork and a red-tiled roof,the station is a perfect stand-in for the Spanish-inspired architecture of the American Southwest. That said,The Good, the Bad, and the Uglymakes great use of its filming locations — even if they were an ocean away from where the movie is set.
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a Spaghetti Western directed by Sergio Leone, scored by Ennio Morricone, and starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach as three gunslingers who compete for a cache of Confederate gold during the American Civil War. The 1966 film is regarded as one of the greatest Westerns of all time.
