Although director Sergio Leone’s The Good, The Bad And The Ugly might be the best Western of all time, the Clint Eastwood vehicle does include some surprisingly questionable dubbing. The Good, The Bad And The Ugly is not only Clint Eastwood’s best Western, but arguably the best Western movie ever made. The final film in Sergio Leone’s loosely connected Dollars trilogy, The Good, The Bad And The Ugly is a thrilling, clever, funny, brutal, and tense chase story that follows the three titular miscreants on a duplicitous treasure hunt during the American Civil War.
While The Good, The Bad And The Ugly is part of a trilogy, the movie functions perfectly as a standalone story. There is intrigue, double-crossing, some moments of unexpected poignancy, and some truly nasty shocks amid the fast-paced shootouts and hilarious character comedy. However, The Good, The Bad And The Ugly isn’t entirely perfect. Leone’s movie might feature some stunning vistas and perfectly composed shots, but these come at a cost. The Good, The Bad And The Ugly wasn’t filmed with sound, meaning the movie’s dialogue is sometimes notably out of sync with the actor’s movements.
Yes, The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Is Dubbed
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Was Filmed Without Sound And Dubbed
As surprising as it may seem, The Good, The Bad And The Ugly is entirely dubbed. Since the European supporting actors didn’t necessarily speak English, the entire cast performed their lines in their native languages and their voices were dubbed in later. In the movie’s Italian release, the supporting stars kept their lines but stars who spoke English, like Clint Eastwood, were dubbed over by Italian actors. Conversely, the English-language dub kept the English-language performances by actors like Eastwood, Eli Wallach, and Lee Van Clef, but dubbed over all the Spanish and Italian supporting actors.
As bizarrely convoluted as this may sound, the system made a lot of sense. Leone’s movie famously utilizes a lot of long shots, which means recording dialogue on location would have been almost impossible. Leone also often shouted direction during takes, as it was standard practice for Italian movies to be dubbed during this era. Many of Clint Eastwood’s Western movies were dubbed thanks to this approach, with directors like Leone prioritizing impressive, striking visuals over worrying about vocal synchronization. As a result, a few of The Good, The Bad And The Ugly’s scenes feature poorly disguised dubbing.
Dubbing Was Standard Practice For Westerns In The 1960s
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly’s Dialogue Was Added In Post-Production
Since The Good, The Bad And The Ugly is so celebrated, the movie remains massively popular. As such, The Good, The Bad And The Ugly’s dubbing can look a little funny to contemporary audiences, but it is worth watching a few more Westerns from the same era to get a feel for the practices of the time. Most Westerns made in the ‘60s were dubbed as this allowed directors to pull off noisy stunts, fire blanks, and include ambitious shots without worrying about ruining the take’s sound recording. Dubbing was easier than recording sound onset and remained the norm for years.
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly ’s initial reception was far from universally positive.
As such, it would be unusual for critics to single out an individual movie for using this technique. That said, Sergio Leone’s movies still certainly had many detractors. Upon their original release, the movies in his Dollars trilogy were met with mixed reviews, as the “Spaghetti Western” sub-genre was viewed as low art by many critics. Even among these reviewers, pointing out the spotty dubbing would have been seen as low-hanging fruit given how common the practice was in the industry at the time. That said, The Good, The Bad And The Ugly’s initial reception was far from universally positive.
Why The Good, The Bad And The Ugly’s Dub Is So Controversial
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Has Various Different Dubs
Part of what makes the dubbing of Leone’s masterpiece so contentious is the fact that there are at least three different dubs for The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. The English dub replaces the Spanish and Italian supporting actors, while the Italian dub replaces the English-speaking cast, so neither can be called the definitive director’s cut. Meanwhile, The Good, The Bad And The Ugly’s 2002 restoration saw Eastwood and Wallach re-record their lines, but Angel Eyes was replaced by voice actor Simon Prescott in this dub due to Van Cleef’s death in 1989.