Per un pugno di dollari (1964)

Director:

Sergio Leone

Writers:

A. Bonzzoni (story) &
Víctor Andrés Catena (story) ...

Release Date:

18 January 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Western

Tagline:

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.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Mexican | Animal Cruelty | Revolver | Good Versus Evil | Warrior

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Joe
Marianne Koch	...	Marisol
Gian Maria Volonté	...	Ramón Rojo (as Johnny Wells)
Wolfgang Lukschy	...	John Baxter (as W. Lukschy)
Sieghardt Rupp	...	Esteban Rojo (as S. Rupp)
Joseph Egger	...	Piripero (as Joe Edger)
Antonio Prieto	...	Don Miguel Benito Rojo
José Calvo	...	Silvanito (as Jose Calvo)
Margarita Lozano	...	Consuelo Baxter (as Margherita Lozano)
Daniel Martín	...	Julián
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)

Also Known As:

A Fistful of Dollars (UK) (USA)
Für eine Handvoll Dollar (West Germany)
Il magnifico straniero (Italy) (working title)
Nur einer bleibt zurück (West Germany) (working title)
Por un puñado de dólares (Spain)

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

Italy | Spain | West Germany

Language:

Italian

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1967) | Finland:K-16 (re-rating) (cut) (1977) | Singapore:PG | Brazil:14 | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:M | UK:X (original rating) | Australia:MA (re-rating) (2004) | Australia:R (original rating) | Canada:G (Quebec) (re-rating) (2003) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) (1986) | UK:AA (re-rating) (1981) | USA:M (original rating) | USA:R (re-rating) (1993) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) (original rating) | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

Constantin Film Produktion

Trivia:

The Man With No Name is actually called Joe in the film's dialog (by the undertaker) and in the closing credits.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the large barrel rolls down the ramp, it rolls on two large rails. Right afterwards "Joe" crawls down the ramp, and no rails are visible. The large rails re-appear when his captors come into the room right after he exits.

Quotes:

Esteban Rojo: My name is Esteban Rojo, my bother aked me to... what are you doing?
Joe: Moving.
Esteban Rojo: Don't you know all our men sleep here with us?
Joe: Well that's all very cozy, but I don't find you men all that appealing.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Movie Music Mania (2005) (TV)

A fistful of style

The first of Sergio Leone's "spaghetti westerns" is now overshadowed by its superior successors, but remains an exciting introduction to this peculiar genre. Clint Eastwood redefined the notion of a hero in this film, a man who seems to operate by a code but doesn't feel the need to explain it. Although the U.S. advertising campaign billed Eastwood's character as "The Man With No Name," a name is one thing he does have - Joe - but almost everything else about him is a mystery except for his deadly proficiency with a gun. Leone's style would be more pronounced in later films, but this one provided the template. Eastwood is superb, of course, as is Gian Maria Volante (billed as Johnny Wells) as his deadly opponent, Ramon Rojo. If it's slow moving at times, the music of Ennio Morricone always takes up the slack.