The Good, The Bad and The UglyDirected by Sergio Leone

Released 15 December 1966

‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’ was marketed as the third and final instalment in the Dollars Trilogy, following ‘A Fistful of Dollars’ (1964) and ‘For a Few Dollars More’ (1965) which follows a subdued, cocksure bounty hunter named Blondie (‘the man with no name’). Although it was met with poor reviews at the time due to the general disapproval of the Spaghetti Western genre, it gained critical acclaim in later year.

“Sergio Leone's 1966 classic is rereleased at its original three-hour length: the grisly-brilliant story of three amoral gunslingers in the parched American west on the trail of hidden Confederate gold. Theoretically, Clint Eastwood's character is the "Good" but he's the worst of them all; Eli Wallach is his duplicitous partner, "the Ugly", and Lee Van Cleef plays part-time mercenary Angel-Eyes, "the Bad". The new length gives a clearer view of the civil war context: a nightmare of panic as the south flees before the Union's advance.” – The Guardian Reviews

Kill Bill: Volume 2

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Released 16 April 2004

The film is the second of two volumes that were released several months apart. It was originally scheduled for a single theatrical release, but was divided into two films with its running time being over four hours. The story follows a character identified as "The Bride", played by Uma Thurman, a former member of an assassination team who seeks revenge on her ex-colleagues who massacred members of her wedding party and tried to kill her.

“Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill, Volume 2" is an exuberant celebration of moviemaking, coasting with heedless joy from one audacious chapter to another, working as irony, working as satire, working as drama, working as pure action. I liked it even more than "Kill Bill, Volume 1" (2003). It's not a sequel but a continuation and completion, filmed at the same time; now that we know the whole story, the first part takes on another dimension. "Vol. 2" stand on its own, although it has deeper resonance if you've seen "Kill Bill," just released on video.” – Roger Ebert Reviews

Intertextuality | Kill Bill: Volume 2 vs. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (+ A Fistful of Dollars)‘Kill Bill: Volume 2’ is a 2004 action/thriller film by Quentin Tarantino. It contains many intertextual references to the spaghetti Westerns ‘A Fistful of Dollars’ and ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’, written and directed by Sergio Leone, through its choice of soundtrack, location, shots and characters. This may be because of director Tarantino’s love for the genre, as stated in a recent interview: "The spaghetti Western is one of the greatest genres in the history of world cinema and definitely in the history of the Italian cinema. The fact is they've never been truly appreciated."The first intertextual reference in ‘Kill Bill’ is the choice of soundtrack. An orchestral piece from ‘A Fistful of Dollars’ is used when the trailer trash brother – Budd – is jeering over the Bride after he has shot her in the chest. It is played at a time when the audience believes that there really is no hope for the protagonist (who in this case is the Bride) and that Budd has won; however, the soaring trumpets suggests otherwise, connoting power and strength, which makes the audience reconsider their views and believe that there may be hope after all. This is similar to the film ‘A Fistful of Dollars’ where the piece is originally used. Blondie (the protagonist) has been in hiding after being horrifically injured by the antagonist Ramón; again, the viewer believes that all hope is lost and he has no chance in defeating the villain. However, the piece is played as Blondie confronts Ramón, so the audience is filled with hope that he will defeat evil in the end. The two scenes are attached below for comparison:The second intertextual reference is to the choice of location. ‘A Fistful of Dollars’ is set in the Mexican border town of San Miguel, while in ‘Kill Bill’ the confrontation between Budd and the Bride takes place in a deserted location near the Mexican border. The ‘Dollars’ trilogy is famously set in the Mexican desert as it gives it a raw, wild atmosphere which matches the violent and gory nature of Spaghetti Western genre; Tarintino may have decided on this location as it mirrors the lawless location and adds more drama and grit to the film. Also, both locations are very isolated; there is no one nearby to help the protagonists or to stop the violence – no law enforcement or police – which means there are no rules or laws to follow, so there is he possibility that anything could occur, building the tension and excitement of the films.

Isolated locations: ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’, ‘Kill Bill’ and ‘Fistful of Dollars’

There are further intertextual references to location when the Bride is buried alive by Budd in a graveyard; this is very similar to the finale of ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’, where a shoot-out between the title characters takes place in an abandoned cemetery. The use of a graveyard connotes death, therefore potentially foreshadowing the fate of the characters, suggesting that someone is going to die at some point in the scene, In ‘Kill Bill: Volume 2’, Budd buries the Bride alive, attempting to send her to an early grave much like at the end of ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’ shoot-out when Angel Eyes is shot into an empty grave by Blondie.

Graveyard Location and Burial: ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’ and ‘Kill Bill: Volume 2’

Intertextuality | Kill Bill: Volume 2 vs. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (+ A Fistful of Dollars)The third intertextual reference is to the choice of shots. In the iconic shoot-out finale of ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’, extreme close ups are used by director Leone to highlight the full range of emotions experienced by each character, from the calm, cool and collected Blondie (the ‘Good’) to the unsure and on-edge of The Rat (the ‘Ugly’). The extreme close ups also build the tension and sense of anticipation for the audience, which is also emphasised by the ever-building soundtrack by Ennio Morricone; this means that they will be more shocked and surprised when the shoot-out begins, making the scene more dynamic and exciting to experience. Close ups are also used by Tarantino in ‘Kill Bill: Volume 2’, especially when the Bride is buried alive by Budd; these shots highlight the limited space of the coffin and the claustrophobia she is experiencing, so the audience feel as though they are in the same situation as the character, therefore feeling more involved in the film. Also, the close ups allow the audience to get a deeper understanding of the Bride’s emotions, so they can therefore relate more to the character.

The fourth and final intertextual reference Tarantino is his choice of characters. He references ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’ by having The Bride mirror Clint Eastwood’s character Blondie as the ‘Good’; these are characters who are fighting for justice against the ‘Bad’ – Bill and Angel Eyes – and the ‘Ugly’. The ‘Ugly’ are portrayed very similarly in the films: for example, both Budd and The Rat are both oafish and repellent, lacking the sophistication seen in the ‘Bad’ characters, which makes them even more unlikeable to the audience. By referencing these character archetypes, Tarintino allows the audience to feel flattered if they recognise intertextual references. By having Uma Thurman’s Bride character have blonde hair, Tarantino references Clint Eastwood’s character of Blondie, emphasising her role as anti-hero, which also challenges gender stereotype; he also references their connection through her wearing cowboy boots, as well as that being a nod to the spaghetti Western genre.

Intertextual character references: the ‘Good’, the ‘Bad’ and the ‘Ugly’

Extreme Close Ups and Close Ups (Blondie and The Bride)