Unraveling Clint Eastwood's Timeless Western Epic: A Civil War Expert's Ultimate Assessment

Summary

Clint Eastwood's iconic Western, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, receives a brutal rating for its historical accuracy from a civil war expert.

The film creatively deviates from historical facts in order to enhance the drama, aiming not to provide a wholly accurate portrayal of the American Civil War.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly places greater emphasis on entertainment value rather than adhering strictly to historical accuracy, earning it widespread recognition as the epitome of the spaghetti Western genre.

Clint Eastwood's iconic Western film, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, was recently evaluated by a civil war expert who gave it a harsh rating for its historical accuracy. This classic movie, released in 1966 as part of the Dollars Trilogy by Eastwood and director Sergio Leone, follows three gunslingers as they search for hidden Confederate gold during the American Civil War. Although The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is widely recognized as the ultimate spaghetti Western and is credited with propelling Eastwood to fame, its historical accuracy is not held in the same high regard.

In a recent Insider video, civil war expert Garry Adelman critiques The Good, The Bad and The Ugly for its historical accuracy. Adelman expresses immediate concern over the film's use of anachronistic weaponry, such as the Gatling Gun and mortar guns, during the Battle of Glorieta Pass in New Mexico. Furthermore, he discusses the accuracy of certain elements in the bridge demolition scene. In general, Adelman rates the film a 2 out of 10 for historical accuracy. You can read his complete commentary or watch the relevant portion of the video below.

The first striking element is the presence of the Gatling gun, although it was not utilized during the Civil War in 1862 nor in New Mexico where the story is set. The number of Gatling guns used during the Civil War can be counted on two hands, and they were primarily employed at Petersburg and occasionally on Union Naval vessels. The notion of fortified positions in a battle where no one expected it, featuring reinforced walls and mortar guns, seems peculiar. In terms of realism, the scene accurately portrays a significant amount of artillery fire, albeit not the kind one would anticipate. It is highly unlikely that they would have transported cumbersome mortar guns with high arches through the New Mexico desert to reach this location. However, it is plausible that they would commence with artillery fire as they are positioned beyond the effective range of shoulder-carried rifled muskets, which typically spans 250-350 yards. The depiction of both sides charging into each other like a melee, with 800 soldiers on each side at the Battle of Glorietta Pass converging over a 300-yard distance, resembles more of a medieval battlefield rather than the context of the Civil War.

Solid accounts exist detailing how Civil War soldiers would wire bridges, a task primarily undertaken by engineer soldiers who possessed an understanding of explosives and knew precisely where to place them. Their expertise allowed them to utilize minimal amounts of explosives while accomplishing the task at hand. In the movie, these soldiers demonstrate commendable skill in wiring the bridge, strategically focusing on the peers and main supports to ensure the bridge's collapse.

To my knowledge, during the Battle of Glorietta Pass, no soldiers from either side detonated bridges in an attempt to secure victory. Battles frequently revolved around transportation facilities, with control over rivers, roads, and railroads being of utmost importance. Consequently, both armies targeted bridges as natural objectives during the Civil War. In terms of accuracy, this clip would receive a rating of two out of ten. In reality, it is so historically inaccurate that it cannot be attributed to any specific battle in this campaign.

How Historically Accurate Is The Good, the Bad and the Ugly?

Adelman's low rating indicates that The Good, the Bad and the Ugly's depiction of American Civil War battles is not historically accurate. Like many works of fiction, especially Western films, this movie takes creative liberties with history to create a dramatic effect. While the setting of the film is during the Civil War, it is not intended to provide a historically accurate portrayal. Rather, the chaotic backdrop of the time period serves as a setting for the characters' pursuit of the hidden treasure.

As a Sergio Leone film, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is heavily stylized and features the director's trademark use of long shots and close-up cinematography. The costumes and weapons, for example, do not adhere to the time period, but rather reflect the iconic imagery popularized by the spaghetti Western genre. The film prioritizes storytelling and entertainment over historical accuracy, which is why it is widely considered as the ultimate representation of the spaghetti Western genre today.

Source: Insider