The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966): trivia & fun facts

Fun facts

• The following scenes were originally deleted by distributors from the British and American theatrical versions of the film but were restored after the release of the 2004 Special Edition DVD.
• In the end, Leone chose Eli Wallach, based on his role in the "Railroads" scene of How the West Was Won (1962).
• In Italy, the film grossed $6.3 million at the time, and was the second-highest-grossing release of the 1966–67 film season.
• After the success of For a Few Dollars More (1965), executives at American distribution company United Artists approached the film's screenwriter, Luciano Vincenzoni, to sign a contract for the rights to the film and the production of its sequel.
• An agreement was struck with United Artists for a million-dollar budget, with the studio advancing $500,000 up front and 50% of the box-office takings outside of Italy.
• For the role of Angel Eyes, Leone originally wanted Enrico Maria Salerno (who had dubbed Eastwood's voice for the Italian versions of the Dollars Trilogy films) or Charles Bronson, but the latter was already committed to playing in The Dirty Dozen (1967).
• Its screenplay was written by Age & Scarpelli, Luciano Vincenzoni, and Leone, based on a story by Vincenzoni and Leone.
• The score was composed by frequent Leone collaborator Ennio Morricone.
• The score's influence extends to contemporary popular music; the opening vocal motif is referenced in the video for the Gorillaz song "Clint Eastwood".
• Building on the growing international popularity of Leone and Eastwood, the film achieved major commercial success, grossing over $38 million worldwide against a production budget of approximately $1.2 million and becoming one of the most financially successful European Westerns of its time.
• Director of photography Tonino Delli Colli was responsible for the film's sweeping Techniscope cinematography, and Ennio Morricone composed the film's score.
• Clint Eastwood as 'Blondie' (the Man with No Name): The Good, a taciturn, confident bounty hunter who, to find buried gold, temporarily teams up with Tuco and Angel Eyes.
• Lee Van Cleef as 'Angel Eyes': The Bad, a ruthless, confident, sadistic mercenary who takes pleasure in killing and always finishes a job for which he is paid, usually tracking and assassination.

Source: Wikipedia

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