A Fistful of Dollars (1964)

A wandering gunfighter plays two rival families against each other in a town torn apart by greed, pride, and revenge.

Director:

Sergio Leone (as Bob Robertson)

Writers:

Adriano Bolzoni (story) (as A. Bonzzoni), Mark Lowell (dialogue)

Stars:

Clint Eastwood, Gian Maria Volontè, Marianne Koch

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Clint Eastwood	...	Joe
Marianne Koch	...	Marisol
Gian Maria Volontè	...	Ramón Rojo (as John Wells) (as Johnny Wels)
Wolfgang Lukschy	...	John Baxter (as W. Lukschy)
Sieghardt Rupp	...	Esteban Rojo (as S. Rupp)
Joseph Egger	...	Piripero (as Joe Edger)
Antonio Prieto	...	Don Benito Rojo / Don Miguel Rojo
José Calvo	...	Silvanito (as Jose Calvo)
Margarita Lozano	...	Consuelo Baxter (as Margherita Lozano)
Daniel Martín	...	Julián (as Daniel Martin)
Benito Stefanelli	...	Rubio (as Benny Reeves)
Mario Brega	...	Chico (as Richard Stuyvesant)
Bruno Carotenuto	...	Antonio Baxter (as Carol Brown)
Aldo Sambrell	...	Rojo gang member (as Aldo Sambreli)

Storyline

An anonymous, but deadly man rides into a town torn by war between two factions, the Baxters and the Rojo's. Instead of fleeing or dying, as most other would do, the man schemes to play the two sides off each other, getting rich in the bargain.

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Plot Keywords:

yojimbo plot | arizona territory | new mexico territory | sonora mexico | chihuahua mexico | 

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Taglines:

This short cigar belongs to a man with no name. This long gun belongs to a man with no name. This poncho belongs to a man with no name. He's going to trigger a whole new style in adventure.

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Genres:

Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence

Details

Country:

Italy Spain West Germany

Language:

Italian Spanish

Release Date:

18 January 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Fistful of Dollars

Filming Locations:

Aldea del Fresno, Madrid, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$14,500,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jolly Film, Constantin Film, Ocean Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Because this was an Italian/West German/Spanish co-production, there was a significant language barrier on the set. Clint Eastwood communicated with Sergio Leone and the Italian crew mostly through stuntman Benito Stefanelli, who also acted as an unofficial interpreter for the production.

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Goofs

After getting shot in the climax, the position of Ramon's body and his rifle changes between shots.

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Quotes

Joe: When a man's got money in his pocket he begins to appreciate peace.

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Alternate Versions

When the film first aired on American TV (ABC) in August 1977, a network executive ordered the creation of a new prologue (directed by Monte Hellman) to give a moral justification for the lead character's killings: a prison warden (Harry Dean Stanton) commutes "The Man With No Name's" sentence if he goes to San Miguel and restores order to the town. Neither Eastwood or Leone participated in this new sequence ("The Man With No Name" is seen only from the rear), and this distortion of Leone's creative vision has reportedly been dropped from subsequent presentations. This prologue can be found on the Special Edition DVD and later Blu-Ray release along with an interview with Harry Dean Stanton about its making and sourcing from a Betamax copy of the ABC American TV broadcast.

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Connections

Referenced in Munje! (2001)

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Soundtracks

Sweet Betsy from Pike
(uncredited)
Written by John A. Stone
Performed by Clint Eastwood

User Reviews

Sergio Leone's first classic spaghetti western masterpiece and the best one of Clint Eastwood!

A Fistful of Dollars (1964) in my opinion is the second best one in the spaghetti western series, that is Sergio Leone's first best masterpiece in "Dollars Trilogy", that started all. It is my personal favorite western movie of all time. I love this movie to death and I will always cherish it.

A lot of people are going for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Once Upon a Time in the West and of course Eastwood's Unforgiven as their best favorite western films. But no one talks about this one: A Fistful of Dollars, which in my opinion is a classic & Sergio Leone's first masterpiece! This was the third Clint Eastwood's western film that I saw as a kid and I loved it every since. What can I say? Except I love this movie and it is my second favorite Clint Eastwood western movie. This one is in my top 5 Eastwood western films. I just love this movie to death and I love the story and the actors that it is in this film.

This movie is shorter for only an hour and 39 minutes long, which is not boring, it is fast paced and it is filled with classic moments. A Fistful of Dollars is a classic and I can always watch and enjoy it, without been bored. Clint Eastwood stars as the greatest Western character of all time, ever created - "The Man With No Name" in the greatest Western of all time. The story is an unofficial reworking of the Akira Kurosawa film Yojimbo from 1961. What I love about this film is Clint Eastwood's character who helps out a young family, who is torn apart from the Rojo's gang, he make sure that the kid goes in to his mom's arms, Eastwood was a heart in this movie. Also you have nice shootouts, Eastwood wears a boiler plate as a bullet proof vest, while Ramón Rojo (Gian Maria Volontè) fires his Winchester '92 rifle at "The Man With No Name" brilliant! Than "The Man With No Name" kills them all with his colt, excellent! Ramón fires the Mitrailleuse machine gun, killing dozen of Mexican Soldiers, awesome! Gian Maria Volontè as Ramón Rojo was a terrific villain and he did awesome job.

The plot start's faster and it is a stone cold classic that started all. Clint Eastwood is the coolest actor in the role playing the famous character of all time, that made him an icon. Every second on screen, he chews up the scenery and even today remains as bad ass as ever. Eastwood's character has been mimicked and copied numerous times over the years and yet he still stands up to modern scrutiny. Despite the character being so cool, there is still humor to be found, like the fact that he ALWAYS has that cigar in his mouth even when he's lying in bed. You also have the classic "Mule" scene which manages to be bad ass and funny at the same time. Sergio Leone directs everything to perfection and considering the film is from 1964, it's extremely well paced with plenty of action. The score was provided by Ennio Morricone, who for some reason is credited as Dan Savio. The music is another element that has been copied by practically every other Western since. It set the standard of what a Western could be and once you watch the film, the tune will go through your head for hours.

Not only that this movie is a classic but two movies ripped off the story from this film: Bruce Willis's Last Man Standing (1996) which completely ripped off the story from this film and Sukiyaki Western Django (2007).

This is the beginning of the Man With No Name series. The visuals are beautiful, the character of the Man With No Name menacing and mysterious, the score is brilliant and the action is a blast. The greatest "spaghetti" western ever. The one that launched a thousand copycat versions, even the wonderful score by Ennio Morricone. A Fistful of Dollars is a legendary, with bullets, as loud as the explosions and close ups extreme. The plot is simple (though not as much as the sequel, A Few Dollars More) but that is what enables Sergio to weave a masterpiece. Iconic score.

A Fistful of Dollars gets a perfect 10 by me and remains my all time best favorite Eastwood Western movie in the series that I absolutely love to death and I love Clint Eastwood's character. It's a genre that doesn't get enough love and it really should as it deals with all the familiar elements of action films, like this one is.