Hi harj from london uk,a big film fan especially of cult thrillers.love travelling ,favourite destin...
Hi harj from london uk,a big film fan especially of cult thrillers.love travelling ,favourite destination visited so far has been new york!
Member since:25.04.2004
Reviews:57
A fistfull of dollars was released way back in 1964 and at the time was unlike any western before it.It was shot in Italy and featured a tv actor Clint eastwood[RAWHIDE] in the lead role supported by a cast of italian actors led by Gia mario Volanta.The film was directed by then unknown Italian director Sergio leone.Not a lot was expected of the film and it opened to poor reviews with crictics calling it violent,immoral and a shoddy western.However little did they know that it was way ahead of its time in that it was to launch a new style of western and cinema.This was where style and action with minimalist dialogue,would become the norm in many films.Upon its release it caused a sensation in Europe,for its style and pacing,Eastwoods cool antihero and became a surprise success.It was to be followed by two hugely successful followups in For a few dollars more [1965] and good bad ugly[1966].
The plot of Fistfull is heavily inspired by the japanese film Yoijombo[1960].Like that film it features a stranger who rides into town and immediatley gets involed between two warring familys playing them off against each other to obtain money. Eastwoods stranger a man with no name is unshaven wears a poncho and smokes cigars with a mean squint.You know he is not be messed with when entering town some men make fun of his horse.This leads to a tense standoff where Eastwood shows just how quick he is with his gun.The man with no name intially has fun at the expense of the warring families but then the tables are turned on him and he receives a bloody beating. However he recovers leading to climax where he is aiming to emerge with a fistfull of dollars.
This was the western which made Eastwood a cult international star and created his famous persona of toughness,style,little dialgoue but quick action.His character shows all these qualities in the film and even though he is as immoral as the villians , the audience finds itself rooting for him.The classic ending shootout between Eastwood and Volanto who plays the villian is still exciting to this day.Sergio leones direction is stylish and he makes use of barren landscapes and close ups of the actors to create a european feel for the western.Music by ennio morricone is also good and adds to the atmosphere of the film.
The only slight weakness in the film is it occasional rawness in that the dubbing of the italian actors in american is a bit patchy. The dvd is good value offering great picture quality with the widecreen version doing full justice to the film.Its nice to watch it compared to the version shown on tv which has been normally trimmed and gets disturbed by ad breaks.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 1965 - Westerns - Director: Sergio Leone - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Klaus Kinski, Mario Brega, Gian Maria Volonte, Mara Krup, Luigi Pistilli
This is the movie that launched the spaghetti Western and catapulted Clint Eastwood to ... more
stardom. Before director Sergio Leone picked him out, Clint had played only a few bit parts in features plus his role as Rowdy Yates in the TV Western seriesRawhide....
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The First of the Spaghetti Westerns, A Fistful Of Dolars became an instant cult hit. It ... more
also launched the film careers of Italian Writer-Director Sergio Leone, and a little known American television actor named Clint Eastwood. As the lean, cold-eyed co...
The first of the "spaghetti westerns" A Fistful Of Dollars became an instant cult hit. It ... more
also launched the film careers of Italian Writer-Director Sergio Leone and a little known American television actor named Clint Eastwood. As the lean cold-eye ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
This is the movie that launched the spaghetti Western and catapulted Clint Eastwood to ... more
stardom. Before director Sergio Leone picked him out, Clint had played only a few bit parts in features plus his role as Rowdy Yates in the TV Western seriesRawhide....
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 2 to 4 weeks...
![A Fistful Of Dollars [1964] [DVD] [1967]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78545652.jpg "A Fistful Of Dollars [1964] [DVD] [1967]")
Apr 6th, 2005
very helpful by (14%):
helpful by (86%):
