Sergio Leone | Ramblings of a cinephile

Tag Archives: Sergio Leone

February 1, 2016 · 2:21 pm

Sound & Motion Pictures: great duel scenes

As my first entry of 2016 in my Sound & Motion Pictures series I decided to revisit great combination of music with duel/fighting scenes. Sometimes it is the music itself that make all the difference and changes a rather normal fight in something more, other times it just underline the tension of the images or the combination of the two is so perfect that you cannot really tell what makes the scene special. Here’s my list of favorites, hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

1) Colonel Mortimer vs. Indio – La Resa Dei Conti, Ennio Morricone (1965)

There are many great duels in Sergio Leone’s oeuvre but this is my all time favorite. The chime is so haunting and from a device of hideous sport becomes a means of retribution. Ennio Morricone strikes again!

2) The Bride vs. O-ren Ishii – Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, Santa Esmeralda (1977)

This is Tarantino’s version of a Leone’s duel with oriental flavour, on the notes of a very up-beat cover of Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood with a flamenco component… just perfect!

3) Neo vs. Morpheus – Leave You Far Behind, Lunatic Calm (1998)

Techno music as soundtrack for a kung fu showdown (even an amicable one) is a radical choice. The Wachowski siblings have changed the way we view things a lot with The Matrix.

4) Sherlock vs. hulking guy – Rocky Road To Dublin, The Dubliners (2006)

Guy Ritchie comes up with a lot of inspired ideas in his movies and this fight is a great example: slow-motion and regular speed to show a bare-knuckle boxing match with an Irish traditional song to keep the blood pumping!

5) Obi Wan & Qui Gon Ginn vs Darth Maul – Duel of the Fates, John Williams (1999)

Although The Phantom Menace is my least favorite movie of the Star Wars saga, this duel is pretty awesome mostly because of Darth Maul, a pretty cool but very underutilised villain. John Williams’s score is effective and stirring.

Sense & Sensibility

Sorry to disappoint if you were thinking about Jane Austen and the film. This is my entry to the Five Sense Blogathon, organized by My Filmviews, Karamel Kinema and MovieInsiders. The idea behind it is quite simple and pretty neat: for each of the five senses (Sight, Sound, Taste, Smell and Touch) you describe the film related association you have with it. This can be a particular movie or even a scene, but also something having to do with the movie going experience. So without further ado, here are my five choices:

Sight One might say that it’s the prominent sense when one experiences a film and since the dawn of motion pictures there’s been countless visually stunning films, but 2001: A Space Odyssey holds a special place. Kubrick’s masterpiece is captivating beyond words.

Sound Western is a classic and beloved genre but Sergio Leone changed the game with A Fistful of Dollars and took it to a very different place. He also changed the sound made by a gun, giving it a unique and unforgettable voice.

Taste There are several films/scenes with or about food that come to mind but Babette’s Feast is the one that takes hold and will not let go. The long and precise preparation of each dish, the dedication of the cook and the actual feast are memorable.

Smell

Considering this particular sense I have a double entry: a good smell and a bad one. The smell of chocolate is powerful and even overwhelming… Have you ever prepared a Sachertorte? If yes, then you can understand. Naturally Chocolat and its several cooking scenes come to mind. On the opposite side of the spectrum but equally overwhelming is the strong odor of an unwashed human body and Lo Chiamavano Trinita’ (They Call Me Trinity) reeks from start to finish.

Touch Well, imagine being blind and touching a sleeping tiger… Thomas Harris had a great idea and Michael Mann translated it to the screen beautifully in Manhunter.