Sergio Leone
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- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsRory CalhounLea MassariGeorges MarchalWhile holidaying in Rhodes, an Athenian war hero becomes involved in two plots to overthrow the tyrannical king: one from Rhodian patriots, and the other from sinister Phoenician agents.It lasted and lasted and it seemed it would never end. Now it's past midnight and I have no nerves to stay up till morning writing about Leone's directorial debut. He was second unit director for "Ben-Hur" and I suppose it gave him the idea to make pale copy of Hollywood's historical spectacles. It isn't catastrophe, it's watchable, and for hard core fans of historical spectacles it might be even enjoyable, but objectively, this is pretty pathetic movie.
5/10
"Well, at least Leone got better.
Sergeant_Tibbs25
September 2013
Technically master director Sergio Leone's debut, The Colossus of Rhodes wasn't his first foray into swords-and-sandals epics. He was famously the second unit director for Ben-Hur and had to take over the reigns himself for The Last Days of Pompeii. Although he's known now for his Westerns, he certainly had a little niche going at the start. Unfortunately, there's fundamental flaws with that niche and it just doesn't hold up to today. Bland characters, bland story. It takes itself too seriously and ends up overly camp. It wants to have a camaraderie about war but it comes off awkward and childish ending with meaningless conflict and catastrophe. It's an interesting film and relatively watchable but it's terribly dated. While it has the pace of his subsequent films, it has none of the grit or tension. The most disappointing aspect is that the photography is incredibly flat. While the frames take a massive expanse for a debut, there's no depth and the sets are just obvious. Well, at least he got better."
"Joey, do you like Gladiator movies?
dglink12
July 2007
In "Airplane," when Captain Oveur asks young Joey, "Do you like gladiator movies?" he is slyly and salaciously referring to films like "The Colossus of Rhodes." While technically not a gladiator movie, Sergio Leone's directorial debut is rife with scantily clad men whose rippling muscles and impeccable abs are fully exposed while they wrestle with each other or undergo whippings, torture, and bondage. The national pastime of Rhodes must have been doing crunches and lifting weights, because even the mature men have flat tight stomachs and bulging biceps. Meanwhile, the women, while lovely of face, remain chastely clothed and relegated to the sidelines. The homo-erotic visuals of this tale of ancient Rhodes call into question the film's intended audience. Were there enough closeted gays in the early 1960's to make a success of mediocre movies such as this?
Despite some good action sequences that hint at Leone's directorial talents, the film's dialog is stilted, the special effects dated, and the performances generally wooden. In desperate need of judicious editing, the film drags on far too long, and the plot sags in the middle. American actor, Rory Calhoun, a fading western hero who was obviously hired only for his name, wanders through the proceedings like a stranger in a strange land in more ways than one. Portraying the Greek Darios as an American on holiday, Calhoun remains nonplussed in the face of death, torture, and the lures of beautiful women. Decidedly less buff than his Italian counterparts, Calhoun nevertheless overwhelms men whose physical strength obviously exceeds that of his own lean build. Perhaps his attire gave him self-confidence. The stylish mini-togas with colorful scarves thrown over one shoulder and white, laced boots to the mid-calf make Calhoun resemble Captain Marvel more than an ancient warrior.
When viewers tire of Calhoun's costume changes and the sight of bare male flesh, they can amuse themselves watching the actors' mouths move without once matching the words that they supposedly utter. In the scenes between Calhoun and Lea Massari as Diala, there is little doubt that neither performer knows what the other is saying. Calhoun recites his lines in English while Massari recites hers in Italian, which was later ineptly dubbed. However, even Italian sandal epics can be entertaining, and "Colossus" is no exception. If expectations are kept low or the viewer is an undying fan of Rory Calhoun, then "Colossus" provides some camp moments and decent action in addition to its legions of male Italian bodies." - DirectorSergio LeoneStarsClint EastwoodGian Maria VolontèMarianne KochA wandering gunfighter plays two rival families against each other in a town torn apart by greed, pride, and revenge.The man with no name
This is the second film by Sergio Leone, one of the biggest names in the western genre, and the first film of his cult "Dollar Trilogy". It opens with an animated sequence showing contours of riders, followed with melody by legendary Ennio Morricone. The soundtrack for this movie is a masterpiece of film music that engraves itself in your mind forever. It will be outmatched in the last part of the trilogy by a similar melody, which has become one of the most famous movie compositions of all time.
Clint Eastwood is a mysterious nameless gunslinger, who comes into a town ruled by two opposed gangs. Using his incredible revolver skill, as well as intelligent intrigues and traps, he makes the gangs kill each other and wipes off the remains himself. Apparently soulless, cruel, and interested only in dollars, he still acts on the side of the good, but his character remains completely covered with the veil of the mystery. Who he is, where he comes from and what are his motives remains unknown.
The film features a mesmerizing camera and directing. Long slow shots shifts with brief flashy action scenes. The story relies more on body language and facial expression than on dialogues, and replicas are short, terse, effective and pervaded by dark humor.
10/10
Interestingly, the movie cost about $ 200,000, which is equivalent to today's million and a half, which is still a pretty small budget for one of the best movies of all time. - DirectorSergio LeoneStarsClint EastwoodLee Van CleefGian Maria VolontèTwo bounty hunters with the same intentions team up to track down a gang of outlaws led by a psychotic Mexican bandit, who is plotting an audacious bank robbery."Thought I was having trouble with my adding. It's all right now."
"Dollars" aka "Man With No Name" trilogy is considered a trilogy because all three movies are written and directed by Sergio Leone, music for all three is written by Ennio Morricone and in all Clint Eastwood is playing leading role. Also, all three are spaghetti westerns with similar theme and atmosphere. However, their stories are not connected and Eastwood plays three different characters.
This time around, Eastwood is a bounty hunter who crosses paths with his match and they together start a hunt for a notorious gang that will bring them a huge reward. The story and characters are more complex than in the first movie and you can see certain progress in many ways, but personally, I find this movie too long and somewhat diluted. The majority consider this movie to be better than "Fistful of Dollars" and I completely understand their point of view and even agree to some extent, but I can not go against my subjective impression. Although I can not point my finger and put forth solid arguments for it, "For a Few Dollars More" has left a bit weaker impression on me. While I rated its predecessor 10 out of ten, here I can not go higher than
8,5/10 - DirectorSergio LeoneStarsClint EastwoodEli WallachLee Van CleefA bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.The Good, the Better and the Best
They say nothing's perfect, there's always room for improvement. I say they never saw "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly". It's pointless for me to write about this movie, because it would be just a listing of every single aspect of it and saying it's perfect. So I'll just mention the most perfect of perfections - the music. It's not just the masterpiece among movie soundtracks, it is a legendary monument of music overall.
10/10 - DirectorSergio LeoneStarsHenry FondaCharles BronsonClaudia CardinaleA mysterious stranger with a harmonica joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad.Who are these people?!
Damn, I don't know where to start. First, there's no Clint Eastwood. Why the hell this movie does not have Clint Eastwood?! There's no John Wayne either. If there is neither Eastwood nor Wayne it is not Western. I mean, who are these people?! Whoever heard of Charles Bronson and Henry Fonda ?! OK, maybe true cinephiles did, but we ordinary mortals did not pay a ticket to watch some unknown faces that only fans of art drama know. Second, the story. The story is so superficial and shallow and linear that it does not hold attention for half an hour, let alone three. And not to speak about racism and sexism. All the main characters are white. Few black people appear here and there as servants and few Indians just briefly pass the screen and that's about all diversity you'll get. And not the single gay man. Leading female character is a prostitute. A prostitute is a woman they pay for sex. And this actress is so nasty that I would not touch her even if she paid me. Claudia Cardinale?! Why didn't he cast Sharon Stone or Charlize Theron to fill theaters properly. Or, even better, Laura Dern, so we can watch this instead of porn. No, he cast some grandma born in '38, my goodness. And this Morricone is all the same. The fourth film in a row he can not think of nothing new, so he steals music from the commercials. And the one with the harmonica that knows only two tones. He could have learned at least one decent song if he wanted to play a musician. I mean, really...
I'm sorry. I read bullshit reviews every day for years and I just had to try. I saw "Dollar Trilogy" several times and I was sure it is a peak of the genre. And until now, when I'm almost forty, I didn't realize I haven't seen "Once Upon a Time in the West". This movie could be added as the fourth part of the "trilogy". Instead of Eastwood, Wallach and Van Cleef here we have Fonda, Robards and Bronson, but although I personally prefer the first three, I must admit that these are no worse. Leone and Morricone managed to maintain the standard that they set up by the "trilogy", and the story, although significantly different than in a trilogy, is no less complex and brutal. For my taste, three hours is a bit too much, but the film is not boring for a moment, and Claudia Cardinale I could easily watch for six hours. However, I have to distance it from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" at least a bit, so I rate it
9,5/10 - DirectorSergio LeoneStarsRod SteigerJames CoburnRomolo ValliA low-life bandit and an I.R.A. explosives expert rebel against the government and become heroes of the Mexican Revolution.You're a grand hero of the revolution now
"I know what I am talking about when I am talking about revolutions. The people who read the books go to the people who can't read the books, the poor people, and say, 'We have to have a change.' So, the poor people make the change. And then, the people who read the books, they all sit around the big polished tables, and they talk and talk and talk and eat and eat and eat. But what has happened to the poor people? They are dead! That's your revolution! So, please, don't tell me about revolutions. And what happens afterwards? The same fucking thing starts all over again!"
From the very beginning, the film will shamelessly attract your attention. It is opened by the close-up of the urine stream, drowning insects on the tree. Close-up shots on details, especially the face and eyes, are a kind of trademark of Sergio Leone, and he uses them skillfully and frequently to show the atmosphere and more accurately depict the psychological state of his characters. For the fifth consecutive time, music was entrusted to the legendary Ennio Morricone, but it is so different from the music in the previous films that by style I would never have thought that Morricone was in question. Moreover, it did not fit in with the movie, and it irritated me so much that I was tempted to watch the film without sound.
This time, instead of a gunslinger, the main character is an explosive specialist, an Irish revolutionary who is forced to leave his homeland, and goes to join the revolutionaries in Mexico. Along the way, he meets Mexican bandit and tricks him into joining him and helping the cause. Although it definitely is Western, this film greatly differs from the classic representatives of the genre, because it is also socially and politically colored war drama, as well as a psychological study of morality, family, friendship and searching for oneself. The presence of humor somewhat dilutes the rather heavy atmosphere of the film and makes it, in my opinion, much more relaxed than this story deserves, but also significantly more fun.
The biggest drawbacks of this film are John's flashbacks, which, although they support the characterization of his character, completely derail the movie from its path, and the last one, in my opinion, is unnecessarily disgusting and more appropriate to some pathetic romantic drama than the war western, as well as totally inappropriate music, which may not be bad in itself, but it does not fit in this movie. If not for flashbacks and music, this movie would stand shoulder to shoulder with other Leone's masterpieces, but these two flaws totally ruined the overall impression.
7,5/10 - DirectorSergio LeoneStarsRobert De NiroJames WoodsElizabeth McGovernA former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan 35 years later, where he must once again confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
[Extended – Directors Cut]
"The pleasure is all mine"
This was originally conceived as a six-hour long movie in two parts, but the producers forced Leone to reduce its length. There are several versions of this film and it is interesting that the same critic who declared two and a half hours long version as the worst film of the year, a few years later declared the version of three hours and forty-nine minutes as the best movie of the '80s. No one saw the original version of six hours, and at nine o'clock last evening I finally sat to watch the director's cut of little over four hours. I finished it at five in the morning. I paused it a few times to let the impressions settle, rewound many scenes several times to make sure that I understood them well, or that I did not miss a single detail, or simply because I wanted to see them again. And when the movie was over, I had that feeling that usually occurs after the last episode of your favorite series that you've been following for years.
The film is based on the semi-autobiographical novel "The Hoods" by Harry Grey, a former gangster, and it describes the path of a group of Jewish mobsters, since childhood in the streets of New York in the early twenties, through the rise in Prohibition, to the epilogue in the late sixties. The camera and directing are, expectedly, fantastic, and many of the scenes and details in the film are Leone's homage to gangster films from the first half of the twentieth century, but the story itself was nothing special to me. All the time while watching, I thought I'd rate it a seven or eight. But now, when it's over, I miss it. The film has a moderate pace, and the events are carefully weighed that at no time do they look movie-like, so that the story is very realistic and life-like. And the characters ... The characters are so well written and played that they feel real, and you will experience them as people you know and as if you are at every moment with them, somewhere just outside the reach of the camera. This is not surprising when you take into account that almost all the major roles are entrusted to Oscar-winning actors or those who have at least been nominated for this award.
Two leading roles are played by Robert De Niro, who has two Oscars behind him, five nominations and over a hundred roles, and James Woods, with two nominations and over one hundred forty roles. There are also Elizabeth McGovern and Tuesday Weld, with one nomination each, Burt Young with one nomination and over one hundred sixty roles, Oscar-winning legend Joe Pesci, a man born to play villain William Forsythe with over one hundred forty roles, Mario Brega who played in all Leone's films, and many other famous faces.
Leone's swan song is at the same time the first feature film of Jennifer Connelly, which was a stepping stone for the successful career of this Oscar-winning actress. Apart from acting skill, Jennifer is, especially to the male part of the audience, also known by the sexy body that she does not hesitate to show on the big screen. At the audition for the role of Deborah, Jennifer was less than twelve years old, and when the film was released in theaters she was fourteen. Although the credits state the name of the double who replaces Jennifer in the nude scene, some sources say that the scene was filmed with minor Jennifer, and that the name of the double is a scam to avoid legal consequences. It's a scene where Deborah gets undressed after exercising ballet (the ballet scene is inspired by Edgar Degas's paintings) and in which we see her only from behind, so I cannot say anything with certainty, but it didn't seem like a double to me.
And of course, we must not forget the greatest surprise this movie brings - the music was done by, you won't believe this, Ennio Morricone.
10/10 - DirectorGyörgy PálfiStarsIsabelle AdjaniAnouk AiméeWoody AllenA simple yet timeless love story between a man and a woman, told using scenes edited together from hundreds of other films."Umro je drug Tito"
One of the most original films I've ever seen is composed entirely of scenes stolen from other films. Hungarian director György Pálfi has made a universal romantic drama, skillfully and humorously combining clips from several hundred films, so black and white and color scenes, different genres and shooting techniques, actors, locations and epochs, rapidly alternate before our eyes, all followed by nicely blended music, also borrowed from other films and series. Clips were reportedly downloaded from torrent sites and, in order to avoid copyright lawsuits, the film was published as educational material by the Hungarian University of Film and Theater. It may seem confusing and even unwatchable at first, but do not let it deter you, because you will get used to it very quickly and after a few minutes you will no longer need extra concentration. The idea is ingenious, a realization hypnotizing, and I am afraid to even speculate how extensive his knowledge of world cinema is, as well as how much time and patience it took to assemble and edit this madness. Even if we disregard all the other qualities, the effort itself deserves a maximum rating. Bravo!
10/10 - DirectorEdgar WrightStarsGraham LowMartin CurtisOli van der VijverA comic western about a cowboy who seeks a wanted and evil man who caused for the death of his beloved horse Easy."The greatest western ever made...in Somerset"
Edgar Wright's official directorial debut, because for some mysterious reason his high school "Dead Right" doesn't count, is a parody of the spaghetti westerns, with an obvious emphasis on Leone, Eastwood, and even Morricone's music. The film is low(no)budget and the actors are amateur kids, as is the author himself, but you can already see all the elements that characterize his future masterpieces. From his trademark parody stories, through completely wacky characters and silly dialogues, to specific directing and editing, and refined sense of rhythm and detail. The humor is very reminiscent of Monty Python and, although it has some good and original jokes, it is mostly worn out and forced, but when you take into account the age, (in)experience and budget of the author, this film is astonishingly good.
7/10