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Blu-Ray : Highly Recommended
Ranking:
Sale Price: $129.98 Last Price: $ Buy now! 3rd Party 129.98 In Stock
Release Date: March 3rd, 2020 Movie Release Year: 1971

Sergio Leone Westerns - Five Film Collection

Overview -

Sergio Leone directed seven films in less than twenty-five years - five of them among the best westerns ever made featuring steely-eyed villains, iconic heroes and a host of colorful characters. A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, Once Upon A Time in the West, and Fistful of Dynamite (A.K.A. Duck You Sucker). Each film is epic in its own sense of characters and scale making them cinematic achievements to be devoured. Kino Lorber Studio Classics collects all five films into one neat package in Sergio Leone Westerns. These are amazing films and if you've been waiting for an all in one package collection - it probably won't get much better than this. Highly Recommended. 

FIVE RESTORED SPAGHETTI WESTERNS FROM THE MAN WHO STARTED THE GENRE! This collection includes all five westerns directed by the great Sergio Leone. A Fistful of Dollars (1964) starring Clint Eastwood as ‘The Man with No Name’ with Marianne Koch, Gian Maria Volontè and Mario Brega; For a Few Dollars More (1965) stars Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volontè, Mario Brega and Luigi Pistilli; The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) – Leone’s first masterpiece was the final film in ‘The Man with No Name’ trilogy, starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Eli Wallach, Aldo Giuffrè, Al Mulock, Mario Brega and Luigi Pistilli; Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) is considered by most to be his second masterpiece and at the time, his most ambitious film, stars Charles Bronson, Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards, Jack Elam, Woody Strode, Al Mulock, Gabriele Ferzetti, Keenan Wynn, Frank Wolf and Lionel Stander; A Fistful of Dynamite (1971), the maestro’s final epic western stars Rod Steiger, James Coburn and Romolo Valli. All 5 films in this collection feature classic scores by legendary composer, Ennio Morricone (Navajo Joe, Death Rides a Horse, The Sicilian Clan, The Hateful Eight) and are loaded with special features.

Special Features:
-Three Audio Commentaries by Tim Lucas
-Three Audio Commentaries by Sir Christopher Frayling
-Audio Commentary by Filmmaker Alex Cox
-Audio Commentary with Filmmakers John Carpenter, John Milius, Alex Cox and Bernardo Bertolucci, Film Historians Sir Christopher Frayling and Dr. Sheldon Hall, and Actress Claudia Cardinale
-Documentaries
-Featurettes
-Location Comparisons
-Interviews
-Image Galleries
-Radio Spots
-Alternate Trailers
-Double-Bill Trailers
-Theatrical Trailers

OVERALL:
Highly Recommended
Rating Breakdown
STORY
VIDEO
AUDIO
SPECIAL FEATURES
Tech Specs & Release Details
Technical Specs:
5-Disc Blu-ray
Video Resolution/Codec:
1080p AVC/MPEG-4
Length:
716
Aspect Ratio(s):
2.35:1
Audio Formats:
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
Subtitles/Captions:
English SDH
Special Features:
All previously available bonus features
Release Date:
March 3rd, 2020

Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take

Ranking:

As each of these films is already available on Blu-ray we've done extensive coverage about what we thought of the films, their video transfers, audio mixes, and the assortment of bonus features - if any - available. Kino did not author a new disc for Once Upon A Time in the West, it's the exact same Paramount issued disc from 2011.  

Read our A Fistful of Dollars Review - 4.5/5

Read our For a Few Dollars More Review - 5/5

Read our The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: 50th Anniversary Edition Review - 5/5

Read our Once Upon A Time in the West Review - 5/5

Read our A Fistful of Dynamite Review (A.K.A. Duck You Sucker) 3.5/5

Each of these movies is a classic in its own right and maintains a dedicated legion of fans. Some will swear one film is better than the other, but it's universally agreed upon that they're all impressive pieces of filmmaking. I've always appreciated the fact that Leone's little spark into Spaghetti Westerns began by infamously ripping off Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo. After reaching a settlement, Leone was free to do what will with his Man With No Name in a star-defining role for Clint Eastwood. 

Leone even bucked his original Fistful producer when making the "sequel" For A Few Dollars More. It took Italian courts to determine (how is beyond all reasonable thought) that Clint Eastwood was playing two distinct characters… that wore the same clothes... bilking Leone's original producer out of profits from the second film. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is really Leone's turning point as a filmmaker no longer confined to tell narrow stories instead opting for lengthy sprawling and enthralling epics. That trend continued with his first American made western Once Upon A Time in the West that made incredible use Monument Valley, Utah and locations in Mexico as a backdrop. 

Once Upon A time in the West

A Fistful of Dynamite is probably Leone's oddest entry. A production nightmare, that Leone had asked a series of directors from Sam Peckinpah to Peter Bogdanovich to his own assistant to direct before he was ultimately forced to step behind the camera himself. Fights with demanding stars and production issues made it his most tumultuous film - but in a tall tale of an Irish IRA explosives expert and a Mexican bandit caught up in the revolution is probably the director's funniest film. It doesn't quite stack against its predecessors, but it's an entertaining jaunt nonetheless.  

Is the Sergio Leone Westerns collection worth it? Yes - but only if you haven't bought any of Kino's previous releases or Paramount's disc of Once Upon A Time in the West. This five-disc set also omits the International Cut disc for The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from Kino's previous release. This may be a dealbreaker for some out there. I don't particularly mind since I'm not a fan of the longer version of the film. The only real loss is all of the excellent new and archival bonus features that were present on that disc. But if bonus features aren't your thing, you're getting the better version of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly with what I'd call the best of the bonus features of that set. 

While it would have been great to get a full 4K UHD Blu-ray set of - at the very least - The Man With No Name trilogy, I've come to understand that it would be a logistical and technical nightmare to pull off with the transfers currently available. In order for that to be done right, it would need to be a square one restoration complete with new color timing for HDR at an incredible expense few niche studios are in the position to afford. As is, the Sergio Leone Westerns collection is a hell of a set bringing together Leone's five amazing contributions in one lean mean package. 

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray

Kino Lorber Studio Classics delivers Sergio Leone Westerns to Blu-ray essentially repacking all of the already available discs into one neat little package. Housed in a five-disc hard plastic case - each disc gets its own tray to occupy with identical cardboard slipcover artwork. Each disc loads to a static image main menu with traditional navigation options.  

Video Review

Ranking:

Audio Review

Ranking:

Read our A Fistful of Dollars Review - 4.5/5

Read our For a Few Dollars More Review - 4.5/5

Read our The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: 50th Anniversary Edition Review - 5/5

Read our Once Upon A Time in the West Review - 4.5/5

Read our A Fistful of Dynamite Review (A.K.A. Duck You Sucker) 3/5

Special Features

Ranking:

Bonus features for the Sergio Leone Westerns collection is pretty damn impressive when you consider just how much material Kino provided for their releases as well as what Paramount delivered for Once Upon A Time in the West. While the collection of bonus features isn't quite complete because as previously mentioned, the International Cut of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly was left out of this set. While that material is pretty good, I'd argue you're getting the better materials on the US Theatrical Cut disc anyway. All in all between these five films you're getting a hell of a lot of bonus material well worth picking through. 

A Fistful of Dollars Bonus Features:

  • Audio Commentary featuring Film Historian Tim Lucas
  • Audio Commentary featuring Film Historian Sir Christopher Frayling 
  • Marianne Koch Interview (HD 32:57)
  • The Christopher Frayling Archives (HD 18:40)
  • A New Kind of Hero (SD 22:53)
  • A Few Weeks In Spain (SD 8:32)
  • Tre Voci: Three Friends Remember Sergio Leone (SD 11:13)
  • Not Ready for Primetime with Monte Hellman (SD 6:18)
  • The Network Prologue with Harry Dean Stanton (SD 7:03)
  • Location Comparisons (SD 5:21)
  • Trailers from Hell with John Badham (HD 3:58)
  • Original Outtakes (HD 2:41)
  • A Fistful of Pictures Gallery (HD 14:51)
  • Promoting A Fistful of Dollars Gallery (HD 15:47)
  • A Fistful of Dollars On The Set Image Gallery (HD 3:56)
  • 10 Radio Spots (6:03)
  • Trailers

For a Few Dollars More Bonus Features:

  • Audio Commentary featuring Film Historian Tim Lucas
  • Audio Commentary featuring Film Historian Sir Christopher Frayling
  • On Location In Almeria and Granada (HD 14:01) hosted by Filmmaker Alex Cox 
  • The Christopher Frayling Archives (HD 19:03)
  • A New Standard: Frayling on For a Few Dollars More (HD 20:15)
  • Back For More: Clint Eastwood Remembers For a Few Dollars More (HD 7:09)
  • Tre Voci: For a Few Dollars More (HD 11:06)
  • The Original American Release Version (SD 5:19)
  • Location Comparisons (SD 12:17)
  • Restoration Italian Style - 2004 (SD 4:55)
  • Trailers From Hell with Ernest Dickerson (HD 2:52)
  • Posters & Lobby Cards (HD18:35)
  • On the Set (HD 6:39)
  • Color Stills (HD 6:02)
  • For A Few Pictures More (HD 7:35)
  • 12 Radio Spots (7:35)
  • Trailers

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Theatrical Cut Only Bonus Features:

  • Audio Commentary 
  • Trailers from Hell 
  • Deleted Scene (New in HD 1:03) 
  • Deleted Scene (New in HD 1:03) 
  • Alternate Scene (HD 0:52)  
  • The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly On Set (HD 8:12) 
  • Promoting The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (HD 9:05) 
  • Theatrical Trailers 

Once Upon A Time in the West

Once Upon A Time in the West Bonus Features:

  • Audio Commentary 
  • An Opera of Violence (SD, 29min)
  • The Wages of Sin (SD, 20 min) 
  • Something to Do with Death (SD, 18 min) 
  • Railroad: Revolutionising the West (SD, 6 min) 
  • Locations Then & Now (SD, 4 min)
  • Production Gallery (SD, 5 min) 
  • Trailer

A Fistful of Dynamite Bonus Features:

  • Audio Commentary featuring Filmmaker Alex Cox 
  • Audio Commentary featuring Film Historian Sir Christopher Frayling 
  • Featurette: The Myth of the Revolution (HD 22:10) 
  • Featurette: Sergio Donati Remembers (HD 7:20) 
  • Featurette: Once Upon a Time in  Italy (The Autry Exhibition) (HD 6:01) 
  • Featurette: Restoration Italian Style (HD 6:07) 
  • Featurette: Sorting out the Versions (HD 11:36) 
  • Featurette: Location Comparisons (HD 9:31) 
  • “Trailers from Hell” with Brian Trenchard-Smith (HD 4:46) 
  • Animated B&W Image Gallery (HD 2:47) 
  • Animated Color Image Gallery (HD 2:39) 
  • 6 Radio Spots (4:03)
  • Trailers

Final Thoughts

The Sergio Leone Westerns collection from Kino Lorber Studio Classics represents one of the best cinematic storytellers' finest efforts. Leone defined Spaghetti Westerns setting the bar so high that few other filmmakers of his era could match his talent. In the process of crafting five incredible movies, he launched the careers of numerous talented actors and actresses while crafting intricate character pieces with wild witty stories to inhabit. Many people have their favorites in this collection and it's wonderful to have each film finally together in one neat little package. 

Each film within the Sergio Leone Westerns Collection has already been released by Kino or Paramount - so nothing new has been added here. The one outstanding difference between what's already available and this set is this set does not include the International Cut of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly and thus that collection of bonus features. I wouldn't call this a deal-breaker as in my opinion the US Theatrical Cut is the superior version. With that caveat in mind, this is still an outstanding collection of films modestly priced offering great A/V presentations of each film with a substantial bonus feature package to match! If you already own these releases, you're all set. If you haven't sprung for them yet - now's the perfect opportunity to get all in one shot. Highly Recommended.