Topics

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Web Site Announcements / Amendment to the Web Board Community Standards: Please Read.

« on: May 01, 2010, 09:13:33 PM »

The moderators would like everyone to be aware that there has been an amendment to The Clint Eastwood Community Standards:

Quarreling and Bullying

Quarreling on the Board will not be tolerated. Regardless of who is to blame, all members involved will be warned and the offending posts removed. If the quarreling continues, all may face suspension of posting privileges or banning from the Board.

Continuous singling out of individuals in an instigative, negative or sarcastic light will be considered bullying. No posts should make a member feel unwelcome or disrespected. Posts that are inoffensive by themselves but form part of a pattern of bullying or intimidation against another member will not be tolerated. Moderators reserve the right to edit or remove any questionable post. Continued violations will result in warnings, suspension of posting privileges, or termination of membership.

Any member who feels bullied or intimidated should not send private messages to the offender but report the offending post(s) as soon as possible to the moderators.

The new amendment can be found in the F.A.Q. Forum under Community Standards just after the Respect Everyone's Opinion clause HERE.

Upon joining the board new members are asked to read the Community Standards and agree to abide by them.  With the new addition we would ask that everyone review the Standards and familiarize themselves with them.

Thank you.

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Web Site Announcements / New Movie Night Discussion

« on: January 22, 2010, 04:52:55 PM »

As you can see we have created a new forum topic here in the organized film discussion area relating directly to the movie chosen for movie night.  Once a movie has been chosen for the upcoming movie night we will go back and unlock the old discussion and move it up here for anyone who might want to add any thoughts or comment on any topics of interest.  If you can’t join us for movie night you can still add to the discussion or comment on any topic you wish.  We thought this would be a good idea for some of our newer members who may not have been around during the old discussions or even some of the old timers who might have something to add as well.

For the next movie night we have asked you to nominated a film that we have already had a previous discussion on.  We did this to at least get this new forum topic up and running.  This is really just a one-time deal.  In the future you can nominate any film you wish to.  If we have a situation where a movie has been chosen with which there is no discussion on we will simply let the current movie night discussion “ride” until we create a new discussion that corresponds with movie night or until the movie chosen is available as a previous discussion.

Please refrain from posting up any new threads in this new forum area.   Once we have a movie chosen for the next movie night we will move the previous discussion up here.

Thanks!

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Current Film Discussion / The Good, the Bad & the Ugly: The Story 5: The Torture Scenes

« on: January 08, 2010, 09:14:15 PM »

There are two prominent scenes in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in which someone is tortured: when Tuco makes Blondie walk for miles through the desert with no shade or water, and the beating of Tuco in the prison camp.

What do you think of the scene in the film where Tuco tortures Blondie as vengeance for Blondie's abandoning him in the desert? Is it realistic enough? Does it go on too long? Does it make you feel differently about Tuco's character?

What is your opinion of the scene in the prison camp where Angel Eyes has Tuco beaten in order to get information on the whereabouts of the gold? Is it realistic enough? Does it go on too long? Does it change how you feel about Tuco and Angel Eyes? What is the function of the music provided by the prisoners' orchestra during the scene? (As an aside, this scene was originally several minutes longer, but the negative was damaged and some of the footage had to be cut before the premiere. The full-length scene, as it appeared in an early print, can be seen on the Special Collector's Edition DVD.)

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Current Film Discussion / The Good, the Bad & the Ugly: The Story 6: The War

« on: January 08, 2010, 09:13:28 PM »

The commanders of the New Mexico Campaign were the Confederate Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley, and the Union Colonel Edward Canby. Sibley, whose mission was to capture Fort Craig, outmaneuvered Canby at the Battle of Valverde in February and drove Canby back to his fort, but failed to force Canby's surrender. Instead, Sibley bypassed the fort, and advanced up along the Rio Grande Valley to seize Santa Fe on March 10 …

In March, Sibley sent a Confederate force of 200 to 300 Texans … on an advance expedition over the Glorieta Pass, a strategic location on the Santa Fe Trail … Control of the pass would allow the Confederates to advance onto the High Plains and to make an assault on Fort Union, the Union stronghold along the invasion route northward over Raton Pass.

—Wikipedia article "Battle of Glorieta Pass"

[Sibley's] campaign is one of the epic failures in the history of human conflict.

—"The Man Who Lost the Civil War," documentary featurette on the Special Collector's Edition DVD

 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is the only one of the three "Dollars" films that has a real historical setting. It takes place during the American Civil War, and several actual historical events and personages are referred to, notably General Sibley (briefly seen in one scene) and Colonel Canby. Through most of the film, the war is a constant presence. We witness the shelling of towns, troop movements by foot, by horseback and by train, the execution of a spy, the appalling conditions of the wounded and of prisoners in a Union prison camp something like the actual Confederate camp Andersonville, and a long, bloody and futile battle for control of a bridge. "Useless, stupid bridge," as the Union captain in charge of his side's forces calls it.

What do you think of the war scenes, and of the Civil War setting in general? Are the scenes realistic? Does Leone "take sides" between the Confederates and the Union? Is he saying something about war in general?

What about the main characters' relation to the war? Why do they seem so indifferent to the cause of either side?

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Current Film Discussion / The Good, the Bad & the Ugly: The Story 7: The Final Shootout

« on: January 08, 2010, 09:11:19 PM »

The final shootout is considered by many to be the quintessential showdown of all cinematic Western history. Why do you think it is held in such high regard? How does it differ from many other classic shootouts in Westerns?

What do you especially like or dislike about the final showdown?

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Current Film Discussion / The Good, the Bad & the Ugly: The Story 8: The Ending

« on: January 08, 2010, 09:10:36 PM »

What is your opinion about the ending of the film? Why do you think Blondie put Tuco in the noose and rode off leaving half the gold? And why does Blondie shoot the rope, releasing Tuco? Would you feel differently about Blondie if he had left Tuco to die?

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Current Film Discussion / The Good, the Bad & the Ugly: The Story 9: Themes

« on: January 08, 2010, 09:10:01 PM »

According to Ira Konigsberg's The Complete Film Dictionary, a theme is "a general subject, topic, message, concept, social attitude, or mood that runs throughout a work of art."
What are the important themes in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly? Discuss how any one is expressed and developed in the movie.

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Current Film Discussion / The Good, the Bad & the Ugly: Style and Technique 1: Leone's Direction

« on: January 08, 2010, 09:09:24 PM »

I began this film just like the two preceding ones, with three characters and a treasure hunt. But what interested me was, on the one hand, the demystification of words, and, on the other, the absurdity of war. What do good, bad and ugly mean? We are all a little good, a little bad, and a little ugly.

—Sergio Leone, quoted in Oreste di Fornari, Sergio Leone (c1997), p. 17.

You call your films "fairy tales for grownups." Can you explain what you mean?

The films are for grownups, but they remain fairy tales and have the impact of fairy tales. For me, cinema is about imagination, and the imagination is best communicated in the form of parables—meaning fairy tales … I think that fairy tales capture the audience's imagination when the setting is realistic rather than fantastical. The fusion of realistic setting and fantasy story can give film a sense of myth, of legend.

—Sergio Leone interview with Christopher Frayling (1982), published in Frayling's Once Upon a Time in Italy (2005), p. 77.

This was the third in the series of films known as the "Dollars" films, or "The Man with No Name" trilogy, directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood.. How does The Good, the Bad and the Ugly compare with A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More?

List the strengths and any weaknesses you see in the direction, including anything you find particularly striking about the film's visual style: camera placement, lighting, point of view, length of shots, etc.

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Current Film Discussion / The Good, the Bad & the Ugly: Style and Technique 2: Morricone's Score

« on: January 08, 2010, 09:08:30 PM »

I think [Leone's Westerns] changed the style, the approach to Westerns. They "operacized" them, if there’s such a word. They made the violence and the shooting aspect a little more larger than life, and they had great music and new types of scores … They were scores that hadn’t been used in other Westerns. They just had a look and a style that was a little different at the time:

—Clint Eastwood, from an interview in Christopher Frayling, Clint Eastwood (1992), p. 61.

This was Ennio Morricone's third time working with Sergio Leone, and many consider it his masterpiece. Why do you think Morricone's main title has become one of the most recognizable pieces of music in film history?

The last two themes of the movie, "The Ecstasy of Gold" and "The Trio," were written by Morricone after reading the script but before the scenes were shot. It is quite the opposite of the norm, since generally the music is scored after principal photography. Here we have Leone shooting the sequences to complement the music, as opposed to the other way around.

Do you think this technique enhances the last scenes of the movie? Why do you think Leone choose to shoot following the score?

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Current Film Discussion / The Good, the Bad & the Ugly: Style and Technique 3: The Cinematography

« on: January 08, 2010, 09:07:01 PM »

"Sergio was a real go-getter, a very meticulous artist who paid attention to everything he did, right down to the smallest details," says Delli Colli. "For the images, he asked for things that were truly effective: full light for long shots because he wanted the details to be visible on screens of all sizes, and close-ups with the individual hairs of the characters' beards visible. It was impossible in Spain — he wanted deep, long shadows, the deepest and longest we could get, and the [sun went] down late. On the set, we prepared in the morning, and then we just died waiting for the right light. I did everything I could to accommodate him within the limits of what was possible. And then there were the details! He wanted to shoot the actors' eyes in every scene. I told him we could shoot 100 meters of eyes — looking here, looking there — and then use them whenever he wanted. But he wasn't having any of that. And that's how it went for the entire shoot. But his three-hour films pass quickly [when you watch them]. A three-hour film made today is a chore to sit through."

—Interview with Tonino Delli Colli, in American Cinematographer, March 2005

What is your opinion of Tonino Delli Colli's cinematography for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly? Describe some of the memorable shots in the film that you enjoy. Are there any that you don't like?

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Off-Topic Discussion / Blondie/Angel Eyes/Tuco in Once Upon A Time In The West

« on: January 06, 2010, 09:02:00 PM »

Opening Sequence

A creative little snippet I stubbled across on YouTube.

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Current Film Discussion / New Organized Discussions

« on: December 04, 2009, 09:39:54 PM »

The Moderators have been discussing opening up old film discussions to let new members give their take on some of the old threads, and to let anyone else weigh in with any new thoughts.  The goal would ultimately be to have every Eastwood movie have its own “discussion” and keep them fresh and alternating, but still keep the old ones there for reference as we have until now.   

We also have concluded that we would let any interested volunteers who may want to help out in creating the new discussions have a crack at tackling a few threads of their own.  If the new discussion is of a movie you’re a big fan of, you may want to be involved in participating in the creation of the new discussion.  If no one is interested, no big deal, the Moderators can still handle it.  We just thought it would be nice for anyone who would like to be involved to have a chance to do so.  You can refer back to some of the previous film discussion threads to get the gist of how we formulate the question threads.

Another thought was to have the film discussions, if possible, correspond with Movie Nights.  This might spark some interest in the old discussions and possibly lure people who are “lurkers” on Movie Nights into jumping in and participating.         

So our idea is, once the movie for Movie Night is chosen, if there is an old “previous film discussion” for it, we would unlock it and move it up to the “current film discussion” and let it ride for a month or so. If the Movie Night movie is one we haven’t yet had a discussion for, we would make an effort to set one up in time for the Movie Night, though that might not always be possible.

We’ve decided that our next movie discussion will be The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.  It would be nice to have this up and running before the actual Movie Night (now planned for early January), so if there is anyone interested in taking on a thread or two, please let any of the Moderators know.

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Collectors' Corner / Hang 'Em High DVD

« on: October 04, 2009, 08:13:12 PM »

Going through my collection the other day I noticed I have an extra, still in the wrapper, Hang 'Em High DVD.  I have no idea why I have two copies but if there is any Eastwood fan out there that dosen't have one I would be more than happy to let it go for a buck or two plus shipping...

If anyone is interested just let me know....

-Damb

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Clint Eastwood Westerns / Ukulele Rendition of GBU Morricone style :)

« on: September 30, 2009, 04:18:42 PM »

Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

Very nice!

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General Discussion / MOVED: What would Harry say...

« on: September 11, 2009, 09:26:58 AM »

This topic has been moved to The Dirty Harry Films .

http://www.clinteastwood.org/forums/index.php?topic=8025.0

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Collectors' Corner / Josey's Walker

« on: August 16, 2009, 06:46:35 PM »

They just had this up for auction on Aug. 1st.



One of the Colt Walker pistols famously used by Clint Eastwood in the 1976 classic western The Outlaw Josey Wales is among a staggering 1,000 original movie props being put up for auction on the Internet.

What do you make of that paloka?

Josey Wales Pistol

No way to tell what the results were?

If it was true, which I doubt, I wouldn't have minded putting in a bid myself!  

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The Dirty Harry Films / MOVED: Who is that female opera singer on the Good/Bad soundtrack?

« on: January 27, 2008, 08:12:48 AM »

This topic has been moved to Questions & Answers .

http://www.clinteastwood.org/forums/index.php?topic=7113.0

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Movie Night / Nominations for July's Movie Night...

« on: June 21, 2007, 07:44:43 PM »

Let's open up nominations for the next movie night....

I would kind of like to stick with one more western myself....

I game for anything but The Good the Bad and the Ugly sounds pretty good to me so that's my nomination.  Anyone one else have any ideas?

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Previous Film Discussions / PALE RIDER: The Story 4: The Final Shootout

« on: April 03, 2007, 10:49:04 PM »

Many consider the final shootout in Pale Rider one of the more highly stylized, and stylish, showdowns in the library of Eastwood westerns. Do you feel that there was a good building of tension and that the finale wrapped things up neatly? What do you like or dislike about the final shootout?

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Previous Film Discussions / PALE RIDER: The Story 5: Themes

« on: April 03, 2007, 10:47:51 PM »

According to Ira Konigsberg's The Complete Film Dictionary, a theme is "a general subject, topic, message, concept, social attitude, or mood that runs throughout a work of art."

What are the important themes in Pale Rider? Discuss how any one is expressed and developed in the movie.