The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: How Lee Van Cleef Cut His Finger

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: How Lee Van Cleef Cut His Finger



Lee Van Cleef, terrible villain in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Although his filmography contains “only” eight feature films (one of which he co-directed), Sergio Leone is considered one of the greatest directors. The author has made cult westerns during his career with the dollar trilogybefore concluding in style with his monument: Once Upon a Time in America (1984). But even before that, it was in 1964 that he proposed For a handful of dollarswhich marks the beginning of the myth Clint Eastwood. It was also from there that the filmmaker began to collaborate with the composer Ennio Morricone.

Lee Van Cleef - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly ©Les Artistes Associated
Lee Van Cleef – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly ©Les Artistes Associated

The following year it was directed by Sergio Leone And for a few dollars more (1965). Eastwood appears in a similar role (same appearance and same character), but this time alongside the actor Lee Van Cleef – who was going through a difficult period at the time. It is thanks to the meeting with the director that the actor will completely relaunch his career. And this is confirmed for the first time with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), in which Sergio Leone offered him the role of the terrible Judgment.

He, but also the “good” Blondin (Clint Eastwood) and the “ugly” Tuco (Eli Wallach) are in the film looking fora chest full of Confederate gold coins. Everyone will do everything to catch it first. But in the midst of the Civil War, their crossing will not be easy.

This detail in the final scene

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly It ends with a memorable sequence. After discovering that the treasure is in a tomb, the trio meets in a cemetery. Tuco is the first to leave. But once he reaches the grave, Blondin forces him to dig, before Sentenza throws a shovel at him. But, unpleasant surprise, the dollars are not there. Only Blondin knows where they are and then offers one last duelEveryone moves away, looks at each other, looks closer and in the end the one who draws the fastest wins!

Besides being a great sequence on all levels, this scene from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly offers a special plan on Lee Van Cleef’s hand. For a few moments we notice it his middle finger is cut off. A detail that Sergio Leone did not want to hide. Because, in fact, the actor had actually had his finger cut off. This is in no way a trick. Furthermore, it is not an injury sustained during filming.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly ©Les Artistes Associated

In truth, Lee Van Cleef ingloriously severed his knuckle. Although rumors suggested that he had done this to himself years ago in a bar fight or car accident, in reality the actor simply injured himself building a house for his daughter. Enough to make Sentence a little less scary. This detail seems to have marked some souls since the Korean film The Good, the Bad and the Mad (2008), which transforms a man into Sergio Leone’s film, “the brute” also has a severed finger.

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Source: Cine Serie

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