The Sergio Leone Anthology

No other filmmaker made such luxurious use of space and time as Sergio Leone (1929-1989), a man whose name is forever linked to the “spaghetti western” genre. The Sergio Leone Anthology includes double-disc editions of four of the seven films Leone officially directed. The first three, A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965), and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), became collectively known as "The Man with No Name" trilogy, even though the stoic, self-serving anti-hero lead character (played by Clint Eastwood) actually went by various names in the films (“Joe,” “Monco," “Blondie"). The fourth entry, Duck, You Sucker (1971)—making its DVD debut with 20 additional minutes—is Leone's most political film, set during the Mexican Revolution, and featuring Rod Steiger as a Mexican bandit and James Coburn as an Irish explosives expert. All four films are backed by memorable Ennio Morricone music scores (running the gamut from dramatic guitar twangs to chanting choruses). The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, presented with 18 minutes of extended footage, is identical to the 2004 release (VL Online-7/04), with DVD extras such as audio commentary by Time film critic Richard Schickel, the documentaries “Leone's West” and “The Leone Style,” a tribute to Morricone, and deleted scenes. The other three films all feature audio commentaries by Leone scholar Sir Christopher Frayling, as well as a fistful of bonus featurettes (including interviews with Eastwood), and the set contains a booklet with an essay by Roger Ebert. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (J.M. Anderson)