Welcome to theBad.net Lee Van Cleef Blog! Here you will find information, photos, videos, and some of my opinions of the badman himself.

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Saturday, November 24, 2018

Saturday, November 17, 2018

Location: Tabernas - El Condor Fortress - Courtyard


Part 2 of 4

Following up on the report on the El Condor exteriors, now we move inside the former walls and into the courtyard.  Here we find things in a little better shape.  Two main buildings remain (as seen above).  There are also some traces of the upper wall that meet the last tower.



Chavez's Quarters from El Condor


El Condor carnage - 1969 vs 2018


"Let's just draw!"



Below are the photos of how the location looks today (2015 and 2018).  Click to enlarge.










Panoramic shots.  Click to enlarge.





A few shots from other films-

 A Reason to Live, A Reason to Die (1972)


 A Man Called Noon (1973)


March or Die (1977)



Finally, sunset on the last standing tower of El Condor from 2015... now gone in 2018...




Saturday, November 10, 2018

Saturday, November 3, 2018

Location: Tabernas - El Condor Fortress - Exterior



Part 1 of 4

The fortress of El Condor, was the central set piece for the film of the same name.  Designed by Julio Molina de Juanes and built in 1969, this set outlasted the production of the film and was used heavily throughout the 1970's, and sporadically thereafter, as the set deteriorated over time.  Most of El Condor is gone now, but there is much left that is recognizable from the film.

I visited this location in 2015 and 2018, and the photos showcased are over both trips.

Located very close to the Sweetwater ranch from Once Upon a Time in the West, the fortress took up a large amount of space in the desert.  Despite the appearance of stone, the set itself was made primarily of wood, bamboo, and plaster.  Nearly all of the outer walls are now gone, leaving only a few internal structures intact.


Wide shot of the fallen walls (click to enlarge)


comparison of changes to the terrain


LVC even returned to this location 4 years later for The Stranger & The Gunfighter as seen in the comparison photo below-



Some shots of how it appeared in El Condor-






Below is a gallery of the perimeter of what was once the walls of El Condor as it appears today-








Finally some shots of the exterior from other films-

 A Reason to Live, A Reason to Die (1972)

 A Man Called Noon (1973)

Conan The Barbarian (1981)

2018


Additional reporting will include; the courtyard, interiors, and finale sequence from El Condor.