Sergio Leone’s 1966 western masterpiece, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. To honor the film on its “golden” anniversary, Boston Public Radio hosted a screening of the movie at the historic Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline on Monday. Today, the program director at the Coolidge Mark Anastasio joined Jim and Margery to take calls and to discuss if the film still holds up or if it is an anachronistic, boring, snoozefest?
The consensus from the screening and today’s calls was a resounding yes, the film still does hold up quite well. The three main actors, Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach, are as captivating today as they were 50 years ago. The easy to follow plot, entertaining action and unforgettable score elevate the movie from your run of the mill spaghetti western to the classic it is today. The stand out star of the film truly is the film’s composer Ennio Morricone. Even if you haven’t seen the movie, you are familiar with the score. It has undoubtedly made an indelible mark on pop culture. A fair warning though, if you watch this movie or even listen to this segment, you will have the theme stuck in your head for days.
Listen to our conversation about The Good, the Bad and the Ugly above.
