21 Issues We Discovered from the ‘Fistful of {Dollars}’ Commentary

Welcome to Commentary Commentary, the place we sit and take heed to filmmakers speak about their work, then share probably the most attention-grabbing elements. On this version, Rob Hunter revisits the primary entry within the unofficial “Man With No Identify” trilogy, A Fistful of {Dollars}.

The “Man With No Identify” trilogy — three movies directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood as an unnamed stranger who rides into and out of hassle — started in 1964 with A Fistful of {Dollars}. The movie sees Eastwood’s character arrive in a small border city and instantly set about taking part in two feuding factions towards one another. It’s a well-known sufficient story, extra on that under, nevertheless it’s made into one thing iconic because it kicks off the spaghetti western as we all know and love them.

The brand new 4K UHD from KL Studio Classics is the gorgeous launch you’re hoping for with new shade grading of a 4K restoration, and it consists of two commentary tracks. One is from Tim Lucas, and the opposite — the one we’re listening to at this time — is from movie historian Sir Christopher Frayling, the creator of a Sergio Leone biography. Hold studying to see what I heard on the commentary observe for A Fistful of {Dollars}.

A Fistful of {Dollars} (1964)

Commentator: Sir Christopher Frayling (movie historian)

1. The opening title credit have been designed by Luigi Lardani and primarily based partly on the favored James Bond title credit of the time. The shot at 1:13 is a reasonably direct reference with “the attention, the iris trying down onto the horseman.”

2. Ennio Morricone’s rating stands out from the style’s normal music as evident proper from the beginning. The title observe options gunshots, whip cracks, electrical guitar, and extra to create “a rock ‘n roll western.”

3. The capturing script opens with a map exhibiting the divide between Mexico and the southern United States in 1872. The lead character (Clint Eastwood) is called Ray… one thing that was properly dropped to depart him the person with no title, though the coffin maker does name him Joe within the third act.

4. There weren’t many timber on this a part of Spain (standing in for Mexico), so — per Eastwood — when Leone drove previous a farm with single tree by the facet of the highway, he stopped to amass it. “They stopped the automobile, received out, mentioned ‘we’re from the freeway division and your tree is a hazard to passing site visitors.’” They took the tree, introduced it to their capturing location, and secured it into the bottom to hold a noose from it.

5. The person rides into city  at 7:05, and it’s a shift from the early location filming to an current “set” north of Madrid. It was inbuilt 1962 for a collection of Zorro movies after which redressed for this movie. Leone would go on to reuse it in different movies, however whereas these later budgets would permit for extras to be roaming the streets, right here the low finances left no room for non-speaking filler.

6. A Fistful of {Dollars} is a co-production between Italy, Spain, and Germany. Whereas thought by some to be the primary Italian western, there had truly been twenty-five or in order that preceded it with the identical manufacturing setup. They have been “copy American” westerns, although, which means Leone’s movie was the primary to create this new fashion.

7. this already, however the movie may be very instantly primarily based on Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo (1961). Kurosawa had already acknowledged that his samurai movies have been in some methods a transforming of conventional Hollywood westerns, however A Fistful of {Dollars} is a really, very clear remake of Yojimbo — “the difficulty was that no person had cleared the rights.” Kurosawa finally wrote to Leone after seeing the western and mentioned “I like your movie very a lot, it’s a really attention-grabbing movie, sadly it’s my movie not your movie.” They settled out of courtroom with the Japanese director occurring to earn extra from this movie than from any of his personal releases.

8. The unique title was The Magnificent Stranger. The capturing script additionally specified the 2 competing clans as each being Mexican versus the place it stands now with a Mexican group opposed by whites.

9. Eastwood was paid $15,000 for the movie with a six-week Spanish “vacation” included. Different actors initially thought of for the position, together with Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Henry Fonda, and others, all requested for an excessive amount of cash.

10. Morricone was not the primary option to compose the movie as they wished Angelo Lavagnino (The Final Days of Pompeii, 1959), however Leone went to fulfill with Morricone anyway. He found the 2 had attended main college collectively, and after reminiscing they started to debate a potential rating strategy. Morricone shared an association he had beforehand written of Woody Guthrie’s “Pastures of A lot” with electrical guitars, choir, and extra — and that grew to become the opening observe.

11. A whopping 34% of Hollywood productions in 1950 have been westerns, however by 1963 that share had dropped to only 9%. Leone and Italian producers noticed their opening as European audiences who grown up beneath fascism have been nonetheless craving the “freedom” and large open areas captured in westerns.

12. René Magritte was one in all Leone’s favourite artists.

13. Eastwood is mouthing an Italian cigar referred to as a Toscano “which is nearly unsmokable” regardless of being very anti-smoking himself. The filmmakers felt it was part of the character, although, so he conceded. He requested Leone if the cigar might be skipped on their subsequent movie, however Leone mentioned “after all you’ll smoke the cigar, it’s taking part in the lead.”

14. Leone had wished to make use of the standard deguello theme from Rio Bravo (1959) and The Alamo (1960), however he found it wasn’t truly as outdated and conventional as he thought. It had truly been written within the 50s for the movies, so Morricone wrote his personal beginning at 33:03.

15. The cross-cutting between the cemetery shootout and Eastwood’s seek for the gold finds an additional layer in its aural syncopation. He faucets barrels within the basement at 45:21, and we minimize to the identical variety of gun pictures within the cemetery. “It’s pure fashion, it’s received nothing to do with the true world.”

16. Leone’s English was restricted, and his course of Eastwood often amounted to standing in a cowboy hat whereas carrying a pair of toy weapons and saying “watch me, Clint!” and miming what he wished the actor to do.

17. The movie options quite a few nods in the direction of Christianity and Easter with the dinner gathering at 57:51 being a deliberate reference to Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Final Supper” portray.

18. William Thomkins was Eastwood’s double and performs a small position within the movie as one of many Baxter gang members.

19. “Trigger I knew somebody such as you as soon as, there was nobody there to assist,” is the one piece of ethical motivation given to Eastwood’s character. The unique capturing script shifted at this level to supply up a three-page flashback exhibiting an earlier incident within the man’s life.

20. The shot at 1:08:50 of a thug placing out his cigarette on Eastwood’s hand was trimmed from many UK prints again within the 60s for being too merciless.

21. The gunbelt and the pistol grips have been borrowed by Eastwood from the Rawhide (1959-1965) set, and he introduced them to the manufacturing for good luck.

Finest in Context-Free Commentary

“He’s a giant man on a bit mule.”

“He’s come from nowhere, he’s going nowhere, and he goes round capturing individuals.”

“You retain wanting Eastwood to be the goodie, however he by no means fairly behaves like that.”

“Everybody’s fairly dangerous, however some are worse than others.”

“Italian western heroes prefer to strike their matches on any accessible floor, whether or not it’s his chin, the boot of a dangling man, or a chunk of steel.”

Remaining Ideas

You possibly can’t go flawed riffing on a Kurosawa movie, and A Fistful of {Dollars} succeeds in delivering a classy story of violence and morality. Frayling’s commentary confirms his in depth information of Leone and the director’s work via particulars, anecdotes, and extra. Followers will wish to give a take heed to each commentaries, although, because the historical past behind the movie, the filmmakers, and the style itself is a wealthy one.

Learn extra Commentary Commentary from the archives.

Associated Matters: A Fistful of {Dollars}, Commentary Commentary

Rob Hunter has been writing for Movie Faculty Rejects since earlier than you have been born, which is bizarre seeing as he is so rattling younger. He is our Chief Movie Critic and Affiliate Editor and lists ‘Broadcast Information’ as his favourite movie of all time. Be happy to say hello if you happen to see him on Twitter @FakeRobHunter.