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 theme song was originally composed by Ennio Morricone as a lullaby. Sergio Leone insisted that he wanted the "deguello" trumpet dirge - played by Mexican troops before a battle to signify to the enemy that there will be no quarter given - that was used in Rio Bravo (1959), believing it was a "public domain" piece. Finally, he settled for a "Mexican trumpet" arrangement of the original Morricone piece.

Goofs:

Continuity: The Man With No Name takes off on a brown horse after shooting the three baddies before El Paso. Then he rides into town and ties up a chestnut horse. Then the rest of the movie he is riding a bright bay with a blaze.

Quotes:

Don Miguel Rojo: That's the right idea? You didn't misunderstand?
Joe: I get the wrong idea only when it suits me.
Ramon Rojo: You are well informed, eh?
Joe: A man's life in these parts often depends on a mere scrap of information. Your brother's own words.
Ramon Rojo: Tell me. Why are you doing this for us?
Joe: [Holds out his hand with a response that is almost a question] Five hundred dollars.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004) (VG)

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.