Movies
Not once, not twice: the bridge in ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ had to be built three times at Sergio Leone’s request
The bridge explosion scene in ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ gave Sergio Leone a lot of headaches: the first two shots were not good, which forced him to build the bridge three times.
‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (1966) is a legendary Western directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood. It left us with many memorable scenes. Apart from the thrilling final duel between Rubio, Tuco, and Sentencia, one of the most memorable sequences was the Battle of Langstone Bridge. Filmed in Spain, the battle culminated in a spectacular explosion. However, capturing the explosion on camera was neither easy nor cheap. The bridge had to be rebuilt three times due to serious problems during the first two attempts to film the explosion.
The “cursed scene” in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: They had to rebuild the bridge three times
Not only is the bridge scene one of the most spectacular in the film, it is also one of the most symbolic. Set during the Civil War, Tuco and Blondie find themselves caught between two opposing forces: Confederate troops and Union forces are fighting fiercely for control of the long wooden Langstone Bridge, which connects the two banks of a river. To continue on their way to the buried treasure, they decide to blow up the bridge, thus eliminating the reason for the feud and causing the military on both sides to disperse. This tense and meaningful sequence culminates in a climactic explosion that serves as a turning point in the story and in the characters’ relationship.
However, shooting this sequence was no easy task. Sergio Leone wanted a spectacular explosion that would do justice to the visual climax he had in mind. To achieve this, the Spanish army helped build a 100-meter-long wooden bridge over the Arlanza River in the middle of the province of Burgos. The army also provided more than 2,000 extras to simulate the confrontation between the Union and Confederate armies. Unfortunately, the first attempt at blowing up the bridge was unsuccessful; the explosion was not impressive enough for the director, who ordered the bridge to be rebuilt from scratch.
The second attempt was even more disastrous. Leone had entrusted a Spanish army officer with the task of signaling the detonation of the more than 400 kilos of TNT arranged under the structure. However, when the officer repeated the order aloud to ensure that the technicians understood, they mistakenly believed that he was serious and set off the explosives before the cameras were recording. The explosion destroyed the bridge and a nearby Land Rover in the process. Leone flew into a rage and threatened to fire the entire team. However, he finally calmed down when the officer promised that the army would rebuild the bridge for free in a single week — a record time.
As the saying goes, the third time was the charm. The third time the bridge was built, the scene was captured properly, and this third blast made it into the final cut of the film. Despite the setbacks, Leone was able to shoot this sequence as planned and as he had conceived it. Over time, the explosion of the bridge became one of the most memorable scenes in Westerns, not only because of its ambition and visual impact, but also because of the enormous human and logistical effort involved in carrying it out. According to the Castilla y León film tourism route, the bridge is known as “Langstone,” although its name is not mentioned in the film.
Leone’s stubbornness in achieving his vision was born of his perfectionist style, and the end result was well worth it, delivering a powerful message about the futility of war. After the explosion, both armies retreat without hesitation, making it clear that the bridge — a supposed strategic target for which dozens of men had died — was never a crucial objective. Watching the film again, knowing the magnitude of the work behind the scenes, adds a new dimension to one of the most memorable sequences in cinema history.
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