|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Sergio Leone Anthology
|
|
|
|
Official Synopsis:
The Sergio Leone "spaghetti westerns" did not simply add a new chapter to the genre... they reinvented it. From his shockingly violent and stylized breakthough, A Fistful Of Dollars, to the film Quentin Tarantino calls "the best directed movie of all time," The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. Leone's vision did for westerns what talkies did for all movies back in the 1920s: it elevated them to an entirely new art form. Fully restored, presented with their best-ever audio, and including audio commentaries, featurettes and more, these films are much more than just the definitive Leone collection... they are the most ambitious and influential westerns ever made.
A Fistful Of Dollars: Collector's Edition -
Clint Eastwood's legendary "Man With No Name" makes his powerful debut in this thrilling, action-packed classic in which he manipulates two rival bands of smugglers and sets in motion a plan to destroy both in a series of brilliantly orchestrated set-ups, showdowns and deadly confrontations.
For A Few Dollars More: Collector's Edition -
Oscar winner Clint Eastwood continues his trademark role in this second installment of the trilogy, this time squaring off with Indio, the territory's most treacherous bandit. But his ruthless rival, Colonel Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef, High Noon), is determined to bring Indio in first... dead or alive!
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly: Collector's Edition -
The invincible "Man With No Name" (Eastwood) aligns himself with two gunslingers (Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach) to pursue a fortune in stolen gold. But teamwork doesn't come naturally to such strong-willed outlaws, and they soon discover that their greatest challenge may be to stay focused - and stay alive - in a country ravaged by war.
Duck, You Sucker (A Fistful Of Dynamite) -
Oscar winner Rod Steiger and western veteran James Coburn team up for this riveting actioner as a salt-of-the-earth peasant and an Irish revolutionary who stage a daring break-in to liberate political prisoners, battle a well-equipped militia, and risk their lives on a train filled with explosives!
Our Take:
Sergio Leone is definitely one of the more influential directors in the history of cinema, and not just the western genre, in large part due to the violence of his films. I would consider Leone one of the first filmmakers to employ what I call “artful violence.” This is the same stylized violence seen in the films of Robert Rodriguez, Martin Scorsese, and Quentin Tarantino. But, I do feel the official synopsis exaggerates Leone’s importance with regard to the western genre; the man who revolutionized the genre is and always will be John Ford, a director who is clearly a large influence on Leone as well as another oft-admired director, Akira Kurosawa. In fact, the first of Leone’s great spaghetti westerns included in this set, A Fistful of Dollars, is actually a remake of Kurosawa’s Yojimbo. Regardless, Sergio Leone deserves the majority of praise heaped upon him for his influential work in the Western genre.
I think I can forgo the obligatory praise of Leone’s “Dollar Trilogy” or “Man with No Name Trilogy,” as anyone remotely interested enough in this set to read the review already knows what amazing films they are and how they shot Clint Eastwood to stardom. To me, the most important film in this set is Duck, You Sucker (A Fistful of Dynamite) because this amazing set marks the first time that the film is available on DVD at all, not to mention at its intended run time, not the shortened two-hour version some may be familiar with. Don’t be fooled by the re-titling (A Fistful of Dynamite) that was done purely to capitalize on the success of Leone’s Dollar Trilogy; the film’s story has no connection at all to the other three movies in this set. Duck, You Sucker is, however, the second-best film in the set, placing behind The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. In this film, we once again are treated to an exceptional Ennio Morricone score, which is just whimsical enough without taking away any dramatic effect. We also get a lot more action than in the other films (hello, dynamite!), but also a lot more message. At no point during this explosive-laden film does Leone digress into Michael Bay-style brainless booms. The direction is superb throughout, as is the acting by lead actors Rod Steiger and James Coburn. Duck, You Sucker is a perfect amalgamation of action, western, and art that has easily made it one of my favorite Westerns.
The Sergio Leone Anthology is absolutely loaded with extra features; each film in the set is given the 2-Disc treatment, which means you get four discs of just special features. All of the features are as follows:
A Fistful Of Dollars: Collector's Edition -
* Feature Commentary By Noted Film Historian Sir Christopher Frayling.
* A New Kind Of Hero Featurette.
* A Few Weeks In Spain - Clint Eastwood On The Experience Of Making The Film.
* Tre Voci - Three Friends Remember Sergio Leone.
* Not Ready For Primetime - Renowned Filmmaker Monte Hellman Discusses The Television Broadcast of A Fistful Of Dollars.
* The Network Prologue - With Harry Dean Stanton.
* Location Comparisons Then To Now - Film Clips With Current Footage Of The Locations Used.
* 10 Radio Spots.
* Double-Bill Trailer.
For A Few Dollars More: Collector's Edition -
* Commentary by Noted Film Historian Sir Christopher Frayling.
* A New Standard: Sir Christopher Frayling On For A Few Dollars More.
* Back For More: Clint Eastwood Remembers For A Few Dollars More.
* Tre Voci: Three Friends Remember Sergio Leone.
* For A Few Dollars More: The Original American Release Version Comparison Featurette.
* Location Comparisons Then To Now: Film Clips Intercut With Current Footage Of The Locations Used.
* 12 Radio Spots.
* Original Theatrical Trailer.
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly -
* Audio Commentary by Film Historian Richard Schickel.
* Deleted Scenes.
* Leone's West Making-Of Documentary.
* The Leone Style Documentary on Sergio Leone.
* The Man Who Lost The Civil War Civil War Documentary.
* Reconstructing The Good, The Bad And The Ugly: Featurette On Composer Ennio Morricone.
* Poster Gallery.
* Original Theatrical Trailer.
Duck, You Sucker -
* Audio Commentary by Noted Film Historian Sir Christopher Frayling.
* Sergio Donate Remembers Duck, You Sucker Featurette.
* The Myth Of Revolution: Sir Christopher Frayling Discusses Leone's Political Leanings, His Method And His Style.
* Once Upon A Time In Italy (AKA: The Autry Exhibition): A Behind-The-Scenes Look At Putting Together An Exhibit On Leone.
* Sorting Out The Versions Featurette.
* Restoration Italian Style: John Kirk Discusses Restoring The Original Italian Version For The First DVD Release.
* Location Comparisons Then To Now: Film Clips Intercut with Current Footage Of The Locations Used.
* 6 Radio Spots.
* Original Theatrical Trailer.
The Sergio Leone Anthology is definitely a must-have set for any serious film fan, even if you have the single-disc releases of the “Dollar Trilogy” films sitting on your shelf like I do. MGM has really hit the bull’s-eye with this set; it has not only brought a genre classic to DVD for the first time via an excellently restored print, but also meets my standards for what makes an excellent director-themed box set: lush restorations and an abundance of features that provide insight into the director as well as the films.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Overall Picture:
Movies (average): A+
DVD: A+
- Matthew Orlando
Staff Writer
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
