The Good, the Bad & the Ugly: The Story 9: Themes

[D'Ambrosia]

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.

[The Schofield Kid]

I'm never any good with these types of questions in these discussions but I'll give it go this time, so if all this sounds like complete gibberish I apoligize.

I think the biggest theme in this film is GREED, and what it does to people to get what they want. What was that expression? "Greed Is Good", definetly not in this film. Bad and Ugly for mine. Even the so called "The Good" character of the story is quite sadistic at times with the way he treats Tuco, but it all comes down to what Blondie wants in the end, the gold!

[Doug]

Well, anyone who thinks this film is all style over substance is an id- id-  Well, you get my point.

In the broadest sense it's about all that's good, bad and ugly with the world.  Good: friendship, family.  Bad: war, killing.  Ugly: greed, corruption, betrayal.

[Matt]

Well, anyone who thinks this film is all style over substance is an id- id-  Well, you get my point.

In the broadest sense it's about all that's good, bad and ugly with the world.  Good: friendship, family.  Bad: war, killing.  Ugly: greed, corruption, betrayal.

Ooooh! Doug, that was brilliant. I never thought of it that way.

I was thinking of several of these themes when opening the thread, but the way you categorized them with the title -