A Fistful of Dollars (1964)

Two families, the Baxters and the Rojos are feuding over land. A lone gunman, amoral some might say, wanders into the town and brings the tension between the two families to an all-out war as he manipulates both sides to his benefit. Sound familiar? Well it should if you’ve seen the 1961 Akira Kurosawa film Yojimbo. A Fistful of Dollars was made only three years after Yojimbo, and the director of A Fistful of Dollars, Sergio Leone, was sued for breach of Kurosawa’s copyright laws—Kurosawa won.

 

A Fistful of Dollars is merely the first installment in the “Dollars Trilogy,” famous for being the epitome of spaghetti westerns. The other two installments are For a Few Dollars More (1965), and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1967). Though the story is basically the same, A Fistful of Dollars has two interesting alterations: the replacement of samurai swords with six-shooters and repeating rifles, and the replacement of Toshiro Mifune with Clint Eastwood. Overall, though it is admittedly not equal to its predecessor Yojimbo, A Fistful of Dollars is a worthy remake…an adversary perhaps. The film was again remade as Last Man Standing (1996), with Bruce Willis, which claimed direct ancestry to the Kurosawa film…but it seems to be even more a far cry from it both in quality and technology, and is this time set in a Prohibition setting.

 

A letterboxed, re-mastered copy is advised when you see this film. Turner Classic Movies sometimes tends to show the film, basically unedited, if not completely, and in that format.

Related Links:

• A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
• A Fistful of Dollars unofficial site
• A Fistful of Dollars and For A Few Dollars More
• Spaghetti Westerns Images
• A Fistful Of Dollars Movie/Soundtrack  
• Clint Eastwood Westerns
• Spaghetti Westerns in America  
• Spaghetti Westerns  
• Western Web Links
• Westerns.com

 

Trivia about A Fistful of Dollars:

 

• The film was originally titled “The Magnificent Stranger.”
• It is a remake of Kurosawa's samurai film Yojimbo, one of Clint's favorite films. Kurosawa's Seven Samurai had already been remade as The Magnificent Seven. A Fistful of Dollars's U.S. release was delayed by Kurosawa suing Leone for breach of copyright. Kurosawa won.
• To make the film more attractive to its European audience it was billed as an American western, with the Italians using American names: Sergio Leone became Bob Robertson, Ennio Morricone was Dan Savio, and Gian Maria Volonte was John Wels.
• Leone originally approached Charles Bronson and James Coburn for the part of the stranger.
• The film cost $200,000, of which Clint received $15,000.
• The film was shot with actors speaking lines their own language, and was dubbed afterwards. Clint was the only person on set who could speak English.
• Clint's characteristic squint was helped by a combination of fierce sun and intense arc lamps. The cheap cigarillos, which he hated, added to his expression of distaste.
• This was the first film for which Ennio Morricone provided the score.
• The poncho Clint wears went through all three Dollars movies without replacement or cleaning.
• Clint Eastwood's role was first offered to Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson.

 

Quotes from A Fistful of Dollars:

 

The Man With No Name: Crazy bellringer was right, there's money to be made in a place like this.

 

The Man With No Name: Get three coffins ready.

 

[Having said “get three coffins ready” earlier.]

The Man With No Name: My mistake. Four coffins...

 

The Man With No Name: I don't think it's nice, you laughin'. You see, my mule don't like people laughing. He gets the crazy idea you're laughin' at him. Now if you apologize, like I know you're going to, I might convince him that you really didn't mean it.

 

 

Cast overview, first billed only:

Clint Eastwood ....  The Man With No Name 

Marianne Koch ....  Marisol  

Gian Maria Volonté ....  Ramón Rojo 

Wolfgang Lukschy ....  John Baxter 

Sieghardt Rupp ....  Esteban Rojo 

Joseph Egger ....  Piripero 

Antonio Prieto  ....  Benito Rojo 

José Calvo  ....  Silvanito 

Margarita Lozano ....  Consuelo Baxter 

Daniel Martín ....  Julián  

Benito Stefanelli ....  Rubio  

Carla Calò ....  Antonia Baxter 

Bruno Carotenuto ....  Antonio Baxter 

Aldo Sambrell  

Mario Brega  ....  Chico