The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Mexican standoff analysis)

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly', directed by Sergio Leone in 1966, is arguable the most prestigious Western ever directed. The film is categorised in a sub-genre of Westerns called 'spaghetti Western', being directed by an Italian directed in the late 60's. Although this is not a crime-thriller, I feel that aspects of this genre, particularly this film, can be very influential in my making of this short film. I have not yet planned how to construct my films ending, however I feel that with the influence of Sergio Leone's Mexican standoff direction, I will be able to build suspense through music and camera work despite lacking dialogue. I believe this is necessary as an overuse of dialogue can be deemed as uncreative and boring for the audience- aesthetics are far more appealing.

Before starting this analysis, I have already considered the fact that my short film will only last 5 minutes, and it is unlikely that I will be able to build up a similar level of suspense within a segment of that time.

The idea of using conventions from Spaghetti Westerns arose to me after viewing 'Reservoir Dogs' in which Tarantino includes a torture scene contrasted with happy music; similar to one in 'the Good, the Bad and the Ugly'.

(The actual standoff begins at around 2.40)

This scene is constructed using multiple conventions in order to build suspense- most Western-defining conventions were first used within this film amongst other by Sergio Leone. The use of extreme long-shots cutting to closer shots such as medium-shots and extreme-close-ups lead to a far more intense tone. This is partly due to the images of guns and shifting eyes featured in the close-ups used towards the end, but also due to the shots beginning to change faster as the suspense grows, building pace. The finale of the standoff cuts to an extreme long-shot that is inclusive to all characters, clarifying the conclusion, as well as expressing a tone of relief.

Accompanied by a score from Ennio Morricone, transitions and builds and declines in tension are perfectly cued through multiple instruments. Classical music in reflects the epic scale of the event. However, other works by Morricone, such as 'The Man with a Harmonica', have used instruments such as electric guitars and harmonicas. I therefore feel I can use almost any genre of music with a scene like this, so long as it is exclusive of vocals, and builds to a crescendo.

The scene takes place in a large open area with not much detail in the surroundings, other than gravestones. This lack of detail allows for the viewer to focus heavily on the only thing in frame- the characters. Therefore immersion is maintained throughout the standoff. Although it unlikely I will be able to film my final scene in an open area like this, I believe I could somewhat replicate the tension and immersion built through various other conventions.

The final aspect of this film I would like to talk about is costume design amongst other character aesthetics. Blondie wears a draped cardigan featuring colours of gold and brown- reflecting his good morals. Tuco is dressed in scruffy clothing with a mix of colours from red to brown- he has bad interns and is not as 'sharp' as the other two characters. His scruffiness also reflects that of a greedy scavenger, who wants all the treasures to himself. Angel-eyes is dressed in all black- he is clearly the bad with immoral intentions. Furthering this, both Blondie and Angel-eyes are wearing hats accompanied with other smart clothing which reflects their purity of good/bad, and sharpness. Tuco is excluded from this as he is just a middle-man, not a serious contender like them, this is reflected by the plot of the film. I believe I can possibly recreate similar costumes to play homage to these characters, but with a far more modern and simplistic take.

Ideally I would like to feature a standoff-like scene within the last minute of my five minute-short; the first four minutes building up to this point.