Film's memorable lines
Many lines from the film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), the last film of Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy, have marked the history of cinema.Spaghetti western context
This spaghetti western, which follows A Fistful of Dollars (1964) and For a Few Dollars More (1965), features three protagonists, Clint Eastwood, who is present in the first two films, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach, the only one to have never previously collaborated with the iconic Italian filmmaker.Eli Wallach's role
At the time, he was much less well known than his co-stars, but his portrayal of Tuco, also known as the outlaw, a humorous and eloquent Mexican bandit, contributed to him stealing the spotlight from his colleagues.Impact of the character
Indeed, his character may be the one most remembered in this Hollywood classic, delivering cult one-liners and unforgettable scenes.Eli Wallach's background
Fascinated by his spontaneity and natural comedic talent, Sergio Leone gave him free rein, a man who had previously given lines to Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift and Clark Gable in The Misfits (1961).Unscripted line
Dressed in a straw hat and leather knee pads, the American actor multiplies brilliant ideas, including the line "When You Have to Shoot, Shoot! Don't Talk!" (original: "Quand on doit tirer, on tire. On ne raconte pas sa vie !") delivered to an old enemy who came to kill him but was outmaneuvered by Tuco, who shoots him while he is taking a bubble bath.Legacy of the line
This line was absolutely not planned in the script but amused the director and the production team so much that it was kept in the final cut. They were right to do so, as it became one of the most famous lines in the history of cinema.
