Which "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" should I buy?

The title is fairly self-explanatory: I want to buy The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly on DVD, and am not sure which edition I ought to go with. It looks like there may be two, but they look quite similar, and might be one and the same.

The first is referred to as a "2-Disc Collector's Edition." It costs $23.99 and looks pretty stocked.

The other is referred to as an "Extended Cut (Two-Disc Collector's Edition" and appears to have some extra artwork included. It also has an added 19 minutes of added footage that were missing from American prints, and Eli Wallach and Clint Eastwood even came back to do the dubbing!

Now, obviously the second choice sounds much better. Originally, it could be had for a few dollars more (hehe) than the first, but it appears Amazon no longer has it in stock. As a result, the Extended Cut is for sale by individual users. Obviously I prefer buying from Amazon, but I've purchased a few things from individuals through Amazon, and it's worked fine.

Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone owned either of these editions, or had any strong feelings one way or the other. I'm probably going to buy the Extended Cut, but seeing as how it seems both cheaper and more fully-featured, I want to make sure there isn't a catch I'm not noticing.

Content-wise, these are exactly the same discs. The box just has a couple little physical extras the other doesn't (like mini-DVD-sized posters). Otherwise they are the exact same two discs. The box with the lil' posters came out a few years ago, the other just this summer as part of the set that had all three of the Eastwood/Leone flicks as S.E.s (previously Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More were not available as special editions). So GB&U was slightly repackaged to go with the other two, but the discs themselves are exactly the same.

I'm sure of this because I had the first GB&U box, then sold it after I bought the four-movie set (that also includes Duck, You Sucker!).


So...there.

__________________
"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

Gracias, Holden. I fell in love with The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly almost instantly, and can't wait to get my own copy.

If I can belabor the point a little: you're certain the first I listed has the additional 19 minutes of footage? It seems like quite an addition for a film of this age, yet I couldn't find any mention of it on the Amazon page. Of course, they could have just done a horrendous job of explaining the disc's contents, but I feel compelled to ask.

Sadly, I saw a "Man With No Name" trilogy boxset at Target that was going for $20. $20! The individual disc casings inside were of the uber-thin variety, though, so I'm guessing they're all bare bones.

Yes, both of those versions have that footage. The initial DVD of GB&U (a third version you haven't mentioned) has those scenes as extras, but they aren't dubbed by Eastwood & Wallach (it has the Italian dubs) and they aren't integrated into the movie. But both movie versions of the second two GB&U releases are the same.

And yes, that other "Man with No Name" trilogy boxed set has the oldest version of GB&U I just described, plus the old editions of the first two films...which is why it's so dirt cheap now.

Ah, very cool. Thanks for that. Seriously confusing terminology with all this "Extended Cut" stuff. Also, the middle image in your last post looks a little different than the Target box set did in person (I just happened to notice it the last time I was there). I don't know if there's yet another version floating around, or what...

Anyway, I'll probably be stopping short of the Leone Anthology (my love of the two "Dollars" movies isn't quite as frantic), but I'm going to order The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly right now. Thanks again.

Well, I went ahead and bought a copy from an individual seller on Amazon. Got the disc quickly, opened it excitedly and found not only none of the bonus materials (the booklet and international posters), but no discs!

I left the obligatory angry feedback and contacted the seller, who asked me to ship it back. Most of these guys buy in bulk and resell, and presumably never check it. Very odd, since the thing was shrink-wrapped and everything.

Anyway, I returned it and asked for a refund rather than a replacement, because I knew I'd get a replacement quicker by placing a new order with a different individual. I ordered the new disc and this morning, less than 48 hours later, I received it. If anyone else out there is wary about buying from individual sellers on Amazon, don't be; if they've got good feedback, there's a reason for it. Most of these guys ship items extremely fast, and usually for no more than $5 on items like this.

It's a little hard to open (I might have to fasten a ribbon inside), but it's lovely. The artwork is all there, and is a nice little add-on. I haven't popped it in yet, but hope to sometime in the next few days. I've seen it a couple times already, and after this I think I'll have a hard time keeping it out of my favorites list.

Thanks again for the tips, Holds.