The Ugly in The Good and The Bad
If I had gotten the time out of my
stressful exam period to write a post on Father's Day, then you would have
understood the importance of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly for me.
Nonetheless…
The western classic is held in high regard
by me and my father. While he never truly decided to introduce me to the film
through the TV box or a CD, when I was a child he spoke of it often as a film
that was awesome beyond awesome.
So that was my first sort of taste of the
Western genre, one if you remember has a damn great influence on me.
When my dad spoke of the film, he spoke
mostly of the gun fighting, cowboys (thing I would mimic) and the mystic
greatness that is Clint freaking Eastwood.
So when I watched the film years later, I
definitely watched it for the gun fights, the cowboys or outlaws and Wild West
god Clint Eastwood. Yet nothing grabbed me like that creepy, disgusting, evil
prick known as Tuco AKA Eli Wallach.
Tuco; Ugliness Personified
It was a mesmerizing performance, a turn
that embodied the vile and as suited ugliness of the outlaw's of the Wild West.
It was funny, scary and dramatic everything you need in such a genre. Wallach's
turn is beyond anything else and it's a testament to the fact that for me as a
legendary actor he's known for this film and one more.
Eli Wallach forms the basis for some of the
most sneakiest and slimiest villains that I write in my comics, mostly for
those in my own Wild West comic; The Outlaw.
The other role would come a few months just
after that. The original spark for me to watch Westerns was The Good, The Bad
and The Ugly and from there I saw a cavalcade or cavalry of films in the genre.
One such as mentioned above was another Eli
Wallach film.
The Magnificent Seven
Now keep in mind. Like any good Bollywood
watching Indian, I had already been struck by the power of instant classic
Sholay which was an 'unofficial' (to put it nicely, since we can't insult
Sholay) remake of the Magnificent Seven (itself a remake of Akira Kurosowa's
masterpiece Seven Samurai). So I was already a fan of the delectable Gabbar
Singh, the villain of the piece and the most iconic villain in Hindi Cinema.
Even then the greatness of Wallach is
unmatched.
Do I like Amjad Khan's Gabbar more?
Yes.
Do I like Sholay more than The Magnificent
Seven?
Most Definitely.
Yet Wallach holds strong. He is a devil in
disguise and an entertaining spectacle to watch.
Once again I'll say this, I'm not ashamed
to admit that these are the only two films I've seen Wallach in or I can
remember him for. It's a testament to the fact that he is such an iconic actor
(for me) on the basis of just these two films. It speaks volumes how
magnificent and good (sorry The Ugly) he must be as an actor.
The Net tells me that he was also part of Godfather III and Mr Freeze in the 60's Batman show, well what do you know!
Today I wait for the results of an exam
that could begin a new chapter in my life. Today the world lost Eli Wallach.
I'm stressed and shit scared but above all
else I'm depressed. We lost the talents of Eli Wallach, we lost our Ugly.
Rest In Peace
Eli Wallach
And
Thank You for your Magnificent work…The
Ugly
