Tabernas Desert in the context of "Province of Almería"

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Italian: Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo, lit. 'The good, the ugly, the bad') is a 1966 Italian epic spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood as "the Good", Lee Van Cleef as "the Bad", and Eli Wallach as "the Ugly". Its screenplay was written by Age & Scarpelli, Luciano Vincenzoni, and Leone (with additional screenplay material and dialogue provided by an uncredited Sergio Donati), based on a story by Vincenzoni and Leone. Director of photography Tonino Delli Colli was responsible for the film's sweeping widescreen cinematography, and Ennio Morricone composed the film's score. It was an Italian-led production with co-producers in Spain, West Germany, and the United States. Most of the filming took place in Spain, notably, though not exclusively, in the Tabernas Desert in Almería; in the Arlanza River valley near Hortigüela; and at the purpose-built Sad Hill Cemetery near Santo Domingo de Silos.

The film is known for Leone's use of long shots and close-up cinematography, as well as his distinctive use of violence, tension, and highly stylised gunfights. The plot revolves around three gunslingers competing to find a fortune in a buried cache of Confederate gold amid the violent chaos of the American Civil War (specifically the Battle of Glorieta Pass of the New Mexico campaign in 1862) while participating in many battles, confrontations, and duels along the way. The film was the third collaboration between Leone and Eastwood, and the second of those with Van Cleef.

The Andarax (Spanish: río Andarax)—also, in its lower reaches, Almería River or River Almería (Spanish: río Almería)—is a river in the province of Almería, Andalusia, Spain. It arises in the easternmost part of the Sierra Nevada. Its entire course is within the province of Almería. It flows through the Valley of Andarax south of the Sierra Nevada, running eastwards, and joins the River Nacimiento at the village of Terque.

It then turns southwards and passes through the Tabernas Desert, where it receives the intermittent waters of the Rambla de Tabernas, its last significant tributary. It passes through the municipalities of Rioja, Pechina, Viator, and Benahadux, where it waters many citrus orchards. Finally, it reaches the sea on the outskirts of the city of Almería, forming a wide delta.