Monday, January 30, 2006
If You're Gonna Shoot, Shoot! Don't Talk!
Last week I caught the last day of the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum’s Sergio Leone and the West exhibit.
The highlights were the walls and walls of various posters, both of the Leone films and other Westerns, and how the clips that played over and over on a few screens still had the visitors completely mesmerized.
There were also a few listening stations that piped Ennio Morricone’s themes and various cues through headphones, accompanied by loose placards with the titles of the pieces and a few quotes. The following was so remarkable, I went outside to the front desk, grabbed some brochure to write on, came back, whipped out my trusty black Extra Fine Pint Sharpie that travels with me everywhere, and wrote down the following, word for word. It would be far, far better if the reader has seen The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Countless times.
There are some moments in Sergio’s films that have already become historic moments in the story of cinema. In “Ecstasy of Gold” – when Tuco arrives at the cemetery to find the grave where the gold is hidden – those three minutes and twenty seconds are a cinematographic moment of enormous expressivity - but also great editing techniques, great camera moves, and a great way to think out a scene. Also, I must say the music played its part…”
Ennio Morricone
I will not describe the scene, but will mention when I first saw just that. Many years ago, screenwriter Bo Goldman was the speaker of the Film Academy’s annual Marvin Borowsky Lecture on Screenwriting. I do not remember much, alas, but he showed a few clips to highlight what he was talking about. One of the clips was the exact scene that Ennio mentioned above. It was those three minutes and twenty seconds, nothing more, nothing less. Not knowing about the film at all at that point, and watching the clip in its full visual and aural glory on the Academy’s screen was one of my greatest film-watching experiences.
I remember it every time I am able to see the film in a theatre, and was glad to run across Signore Morricone’s quote of his trivial (in jest, of course) contribution the film.
Orignal trailer can be found here (33MB Quicktime file).
The highlights were the walls and walls of various posters, both of the Leone films and other Westerns, and how the clips that played over and over on a few screens still had the visitors completely mesmerized.
There were also a few listening stations that piped Ennio Morricone’s themes and various cues through headphones, accompanied by loose placards with the titles of the pieces and a few quotes. The following was so remarkable, I went outside to the front desk, grabbed some brochure to write on, came back, whipped out my trusty black Extra Fine Pint Sharpie that travels with me everywhere, and wrote down the following, word for word. It would be far, far better if the reader has seen The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Countless times.
There are some moments in Sergio’s films that have already become historic moments in the story of cinema. In “Ecstasy of Gold” – when Tuco arrives at the cemetery to find the grave where the gold is hidden – those three minutes and twenty seconds are a cinematographic moment of enormous expressivity - but also great editing techniques, great camera moves, and a great way to think out a scene. Also, I must say the music played its part…”
Ennio Morricone
I will not describe the scene, but will mention when I first saw just that. Many years ago, screenwriter Bo Goldman was the speaker of the Film Academy’s annual Marvin Borowsky Lecture on Screenwriting. I do not remember much, alas, but he showed a few clips to highlight what he was talking about. One of the clips was the exact scene that Ennio mentioned above. It was those three minutes and twenty seconds, nothing more, nothing less. Not knowing about the film at all at that point, and watching the clip in its full visual and aural glory on the Academy’s screen was one of my greatest film-watching experiences.
I remember it every time I am able to see the film in a theatre, and was glad to run across Signore Morricone’s quote of his trivial (in jest, of course) contribution the film.
Orignal trailer can be found here (33MB Quicktime file).
posted by P, 1/30/2006 01:22:00 AM
1 Comments:
it's our favourite movie...
