10 Epic Moments In Sergio Leone Films
3. Ecstasy Of Gold - The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
Ecstasy of Gold is the most epic piece of music ever composed by Ennio Morricone. For three minutes and twenty seconds, the composition provides an extremely powerful and captivating experience. In The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Ecstasy of Gold is used for in a fairly simplistic sequence of the film, with Tuco desperately searching for the hidden gold that is buried at the grave of "Arch Stanton".
In any other film, Tuco's search for the gold would likely be a quick transition to the cemetery, with no interest being given to the actual lead up to the grave's discovery. However, seeing an opportunity to utilize the talents of Morricone and the impressive cemetery set that had been constructed in the Spanish countryside, Leone ended up producing one of the most epic scenes of his entire filmography.
The Ecstasy of Gold sequence remains one of most beloved scenes in film history. In 2017, filmmaker Guillermo de Oliveira released the documentary "Sad Hill Unearthed", which chronicled a restoration campaign to recreate the iconic cemetery on the site of the filming location.
49 years after the film had been released, the rebuilding project was completed and Sad Hill cemetery is now a popular tourism destination in the Spanish province of Burgos.