Dollars Trilogy

Dollars Trilogy
Blu-ray box set cover
Directed by Sergio Leone
Produced by
Starring
Music by Ennio Morricone
Cinematography
Edited by
Production
company
Constantin Film
Jolly Film (1)
Ocean Films (1)
Produzioni Europee Associati (PEA) (2–3)
Arturo González Producciones Cinematográficas (2–3)
United Artists (3)
Distributed by Unidis (Italy, 1)
PEA (Italy, 2–3)
United Artists (US & UK, original)
Release date
 1: October 16, 1964
2: November 18, 1965
3: December 23, 1966
Running time
 409 minutes (1–3)
Country Italy
West Germany
Spain
United States (3)
Language English
Italian
Budget Total (3 films):
$2,000,000–$2,025,000
Box office Total (3 films):
$54.6 million

The Dollars Trilogy (Italian: Trilogia del dollaro), also known as the Man with No Name Trilogy, is an Italian film series consisting of three Spaghetti Western films directed by Sergio Leone. The films are titled A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). They were distributed by United Artists.

The series has become known for establishing the Spaghetti Western genre, and inspiring the creation of many more Spaghetti Western films. The three films are consistently listed among the best rated Western films in history.[1]

Although it was not Leone's intention, the three movies came to be considered a trilogy following the exploits of the same so-called "Man with No Name" (portrayed by Clint Eastwood, wearing the same clothes and acting with the same mannerisms). The "Man with No Name" concept was invented by the American distributor United Artists, looking for a strong angle to sell the movies as a trilogy. Eastwood's character does indeed have a name (albeit a nickname) and a different one in each film: "Joe", "Monco" and "Blondie", respectively.

Development

Clint Eastwood as the Man with No Name in A Fistful of Dollars

A Fistful of Dollars is an unofficial remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1961 film Yojimbo starring Toshiro Mifune, which resulted in a successful lawsuit by Toho.[2][3]

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is considered a prequel,[4] since it depicts Eastwood's character gradually acquiring the clothing he wears throughout the first two films and because it takes place during the American Civil War (1861–1865), whereas the other two films feature comparatively more modern firearms and other props. For example, Lee Van Cleef's character in For a Few Dollars More appears to be a Confederate veteran who has come down in the world, and a graveyard scene in A Fistful of Dollars features a gravestone dated 1873.

Cast

The only actors to appear in all three movies besides Eastwood are Mario Brega, Aldo Sambrell, Benito Stefanelli and Lorenzo Robledo. Four other actors each appear twice in the trilogy, playing different characters: Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volontè, Luigi Pistilli, and Joseph Egger.

"I think [the Leone films] changed the style, the approach to Westerns [in Hollywood]. ... They made the violence and the shooting aspect a little more larger than life, and they had great music and new types of scores. ... They were stories that hadn't been used in other Westerns. They just had a look and a style that was a little different at the time: I don't think any of them was a classic story—like [John Wayne's 1956] The Searchers or something like that—they were more fragmented, episodic, following the central character through various little episodes."

— Clint Eastwood reflecting on the impact of the films.[5]

Music

Composer Ennio Morricone provided original music score for all three films, although in A Fistful of Dollars he was credited as "Dan Savio."[6][7]

Principal cast

Actor Character
A Fistful of Dollars
(1964)		 For a Few Dollars More
(1965)		 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
(1966)
Clint Eastwood Joe Manco Blondie
Mario Brega Chico Niño Corporal Wallace
Aldo Sambrell Manolo Cuchillo Angel Eyes Gang Member
Benito Stefanelli Rubio Hughie (a.k.a. "Luke")
Lorenzo Robledo Baxter's member Tomaso Clem
Joseph Egger Piripero Old Prophet  
Gian Maria Volontè Ramón Rojo El Indio  
Lee Van Cleef   Colonel Douglas Mortimer Angel Eyes
Luigi Pistilli   Groggy Father Pablo Ramirez
Eli Wallach   Tuco Ramirez

Crew

Role Film
A Fistful of Dollars
(1964)		 For a Few Dollars More
(1965)		 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
(1966)
Director Sergio Leone
Producer Arrigo Colombo
Girogia Papi		 Alberto Grimaldi
Writer Screenplay Sergio Leone
Víctor Andrés Catena
Jamie Comas Gil
Fernando Di Leo
Duccio Tessari
Tonino Valerii		 Sergio Leone
Luciano Vincenzoni
Sergio Donati		 Sergio Leone
Luciano Vincenzoni
Age & Scarpelli
Sergio Donati[8]
Story Akira Kurosawa
Ryūzō Kikushima
(Yojimbo)		 Sergio Leone
Fulvio Morsella
Enzo Dell'Aquila
Fernando Di Leo[9]		 Sergio Leone
Luciano Vincenzoni
English Dialogue Mark Lowell
Clint Eastwood		 Luciano Vincenzoni Mickey Knox
Music Composer Ennio Morricone
Director Ennio Morricone Bruno Nicolai
Cinematographer Massimo Dallamano Tonino Delli Colli
Editor Roberto Cinquini Eugenio Alabiso
Giorgio Serrallonga		 Eugenio Alabiso
Nino Baragli
Set and costume designer Carlo Simi

Reception

Critical reception

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
A Fistful of Dollars 98% (8.2/10 average rating) (48 reviews)[10] 65 (7 reviews)[11]
For a Few Dollars More 94% (7.8/10 average rating) (33 reviews)[12] 74 (8 reviews)[13]
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 97% (8.8/10 average rating) (69 reviews)[14] 90 (7 reviews)[15]

Box office performance

Film Release date Revenue Budget
A Fistful of Dollars October 16, 1964 $14.5 million[16] $200,000-$225,000[17]
For a Few Dollars More November 18, 1965 $15 million[18] $600,000[19]
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly December 23, 1966[20][21] $25.1 million[22] $1.2 million[23]
Total $54,600,000 $2,000,000–$2,025,000

Accolades

Film Award Category Recipients Result
A Fistful of Dollars Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists[24] Best Score Ennio Morricone Won
Best Supporting Actor Gian Maria Volontè Nominated
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Laurel Awards[25] Action Performance Clint Eastwood Runner-Up
Grammy Awards[26] 2009 Grammy Hall of Fame Award Ennio Morricone Won

Home media

The 1999 DVD, plus the 2010 and 2014 Blu-ray box set releases by MGM, make specific reference to the set of films as "The Man With No Name Trilogy."[27][28]

References

  1. ↑ "Top 100 Western Movies". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  2. ↑ Gelten, Simon. "FISTFUL - The Whole Story, part 2". The Spaghetti Western Database. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  3. ↑ Alfreds, David (24 April 2009). "Cinema this week: The greatest director of all time". When Falls the Coliseum. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  4. ↑ Anderson, Cal. "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly". Clint Eastwood.Net. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  5. ↑ Eliot (2009), p.114-115
  6. ↑ "Man With No Name Movies - Fun Facts, Questions, Answers, Information". FunTrivia. 7 January 2014.
  7. ↑ Anderson, Cal. "A Fistful of Dollars (1964)". Clint Eastwood.Net. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  8. ↑ Sir Christopher Frayling, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly audio commentary (Blu-ray version). Retrieved on 3 August 2015.
  9. ↑ Cox, Alex (2009). 10,000 Ways to Die: A Director's Take on the Spaghetti Western. Oldcastle Books. ISBN 978-1842433041.
  10. ↑ "A Fistful of Dollars (1964)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  11. ↑ "A Fistful of Dollars Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  12. ↑ "For A Few Dollars More (1965)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  13. ↑ "For a Few Dollars More Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  14. ↑ "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Il Buono, il brutto, il cattivo) (1966)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  15. ↑ "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (re-release) Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  16. ↑ "A Fistful of Dollars (1967)". Box Office Mojo. Amazon. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  17. ↑ Sources that refer to the budget of A Fistful of Dollars include:
    • "Per un pugno di dollari - Box Office Data, DVD Sales, Movie News, Cast Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
    • "Sergio Leone Factoids". Fistful of Leone. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
    • Hicks, Christopher (25 January 1990). "EASTWOOD REMEMBERS `FISTFUL OF DOLLARS' DIRECTOR". Deseret News. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  18. ↑ "For a Few Dollars More (1967)". Box Office Mojo. Amazon. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  19. ↑ "Per qualche dollar in più - Box Office Data, DVD Sales, Movie News, Cast Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  20. ↑ "Catalog Of Copyright Entries - Motion Pictures And Filmstrips, 1968". Archive.org. Library Of Congress, Copyright Office. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  21. ↑ "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly - Release Info". IMDb.com. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  22. ↑ "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1967)". Box Office Mojo. Amazon. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  23. ↑ "Il buono, il burtto, il cattivo - Box Office Data, DVD Sales, Movie News, Cast Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  24. ↑ "Per un pugno di dollari - Awards". Internet Movie Database. Amazon. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  25. ↑ "Il buono, il burtto, il cattivo. - Awards". Internet Movie Database. Amazon.com. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  26. ↑ "The Police, Queen, Morricone Honoured At Grammy Hall Of Fame". Uncut. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  27. ↑ Amazon.com: The Man with No Name Trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly): Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volontè, Aldo Giuffrè, Luigi Pistilli, Rada Rassimov, Enzo Petito, Claudio Scarchilli, John Bartha, Livio Lorenzon, Antonio Casale, Sergio Leone, Adriano Bolzoni, Agenore Incrocci, Duccio Tessari, Fernando Di Leo, Fulvio Morsella, Furio Scarpelli, Jaime Comas Gil: Movies & TV. amazon.com. ISBN 0792842502.
  28. ↑ "Amazon.com: The Man with No Name Trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars / For a Few Dollars More / The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly) [Blu-ray]: Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volontè, Aldo Giuffrè, Luigi Pistilli, Rada Rassimov, Enzo Petito, Claudio Scarchilli, John Bartha, Livio Lorenzon, Antonio Casale, Sergio Leone, Adriano Bolzoni, Agenore Incrocci, Duccio Tessari, Fernando Di Leo, Fulvio Morsella, Furio Scarpelli, Jaime Comas Gil: Movies & TV". amazon.com.

Bibliography

  • Eliot, Marc (2009). American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood. Harmony Books. ISBN 978-0-307-33688-0.

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