The Man with No Name Trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Gift for pops
  • The Greatest Westerns Ever Made, But These DVDs have Shortcomings
  • Clint Eastwood - the Man with No Name Trilogy DVD collection
  • great
  • Good old westerns
The Man with No Name Trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly)
Starring: Clint Eastwood
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

GeneralGeneral | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video
ClassicsClassics | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video
Cowboys & IndiansCowboys & Indians | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video
Clint EastwoodClint Eastwood | Western Stars | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video
Eastwood, ClintEastwood, Clint | ( E ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
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ASIN: 0792842502
Release Date: 1999-10-05

Amazon.com

Sergio Leone's trilogy of operatic spaghetti Westerns with Clint Eastwood made the former TV star into an international sensation as the scraggly, silent Man with No Name, a wandering rogue with a scheming mind and a sense of humor drier than the dusty, wind-scoured desert. With A Fistful of Dollars, a blatant rip-off of Kurosawa's cynical samurai hit Yojimbo, Leone transforms the Western hero into a crafty mercenary. The follow-up, For a Few Dollars More, teams Eastwood up in an uneasy alliance with Lee Van Cleef in a tale of revenge, but the masterpiece of the set is The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, an epic scramble for buried gold set against the violence of the Civil War. In this film good is a relative term as three criminals make a series of tenuous partnerships broken in double-crosses and betrayals in Leone's epic vision of the American southwest as endless deserts and clapboard towns infested with gunmen. This was a new kind of Western: cynical, violent, stylish, and austere. Eastwood's rough face and squinting eyes fill the widescreen frame in massive close-ups while Leone stages action in bold compositions on empty streets and stark landscapes. The guns ring out in cartoonish exaggeration, and the music, an eclectic, electric mix of buzzing guitar, human voice, and harmonica by Ennio Morricone, sets the whole thing in a world pitched between myth and modernity. Leone's shot-in-Spain trilogy ushered in a flood of Italian spaghetti Westerns, but none hold a candle to Leone's stylish classics. --Sean Axmaker

Description

Disc 1: FISTFUL OF DOLLARS Disc 2: FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE Disc 3: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Gift for pops.......2007-09-01

My dad is a Clint Eastwood fan and this was the perfect gift for him! Item as described!

2 out of 5 stars The Greatest Westerns Ever Made, But These DVDs have Shortcomings.......2007-05-05

My low rating does not apply to the movies themselves. In a period when most Hollywood westerns were becoming predictable and formulaic, Italian director Sergio Leone broke the mold! This trilogy, along with his last western, "Once Upon A Time In The West" (not included in this set), are the four greatest westerns ever made, and yet were not produced by Hollywood. The greatest of the Hollywood westerns, such as "The Big Country", "The Alamo", "The Three Godfathers", and south-of-the-border westerns like "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" and "Guns For San Sabastian" (to name but a few of the greats) all fall in behind the Leone westerns. If you are a fan of westerns and have not seen the movies in this trilogy, watch them as soon as possible, but be prepared for something different than you are used to. They are not slick, but instead portray an accurate grittiness of the old west. They are not gimmicky like the Hollywood westerns of more recent vintage (say from about the mid 1970's to present). The greatest western ever made has to be "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly". This is the mother of all westerns! The acting in all three movies is superb, but the performance of Eli Wallach as Tuco in "The Good..." is extraordinary, and ranks as one of the greatest performances by any actor on film. Clint Eastwood also gives the greatest performance of his career in "The Good...". It is interesting that Clint tried to recapture the magic of the Leone films in his own productions such as "Pale Rider", Hang 'Em Hign", etc., but never even came close.

Now on to the problems with these discs. The transfers are not particularly hign quality, and appear not to be remastered. The first two trilogy movies are merely letterboxed rather than enhanced widescreen. But the biggest bummer of all is the sound quality. The sound quality on "The Good..." is about as good as any of the versions I have heard. The sound quality of "Fistful..." is rather poor. But it is the obnoxious sound of "for A Few Dollars More" that is really a crime. The dialog is too far in the background, and the overall sound on this disc is so harsh that if you turn the volume up to a level where you can hear the dialog clearly, the hard, treble-heavy, distorted sound will bore a hole in your head! I'm not kidding. I love these movies so much that I will have to find an alternative version of "For a Few Dollars More" to replace the one that came with this trilogy. If I had it to do over again, I would purchase the best individual versions I could find, rather than waste money of this set. It's too bad that MGM didn't put just a little bit more TLC into these masterpieces!

5 out of 5 stars Clint Eastwood - the Man with No Name Trilogy DVD collection.......2007-04-12

A Must have for all Clint Eastwood's classic spaghetti western fans.

5 out of 5 stars great.......2007-03-29

have you ever seen those movies, no ?? you have to do it

4 out of 5 stars Good old westerns.......2007-02-23

This trilogy is a necessity for all Clint Eastwood fans. These are the good westerns. I bought them for my husband, and he watched all of them, forgetting to do his chores. His only complaint was that he missed seeing them in the low-quality, scratchy, uncolorful versions he used to see when the movies were on TV!
The Sergio Leone Anthology (A Fistful Of Dollars / For A Few Dollars More / The Good, The Bad And The Ugly / Duck, You Sucker)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • What a great package!
  • 30th Anniversary of the Infamous Network TV Prologue!
  • Great but with technical difficulties
  • An awesome set!!
  • A couple of these are among the best westerns ever!
The Sergio Leone Anthology (A Fistful Of Dollars / For A Few Dollars More / The Good, The Bad And The Ugly / Duck, You Sucker)
Starring: Clint Eastwood , James Coburn , Rod Steiger , Eli Wallach , and Lee Van Cleef
Director: Sergio Leone
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
GeneralGeneral | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video
ClassicsClassics | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video
Sergio LeoneSergio Leone | Western Directors | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video
Clint EastwoodClint Eastwood | Western Stars | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video
Lee Van CleefLee Van Cleef | Western Stars | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000OPOAMU
Release Date: 2007-06-05

Amazon.com

From the innovative "James Bond Western" style of A Fistful of Dollars (1964) to the complete restoration of Duck You Sucker (1971), The Sergio Leone Anthology pays lavish tribute to one of the greatest of all Italian directors. A lifelong film buff deeply influenced by the movies he enjoyed as an uneducated youth in southern Italy, Leone (1929-1989) had officially directed only one previous film (1961's The Colossus of Rhodes) when he recruited a relatively unknown American TV star named Clint Eastwood (on a modest salary of $15,000) and made cinema history with A Fistful of Dollars, not the first Western made by an Italian but certainly the first truly Italian entry in the "Spaghetti Western" genre that Leone virtually invented. Each of the four films included in this eight-disc set are influential milestones in that once-maligned, now-celebrated genre, and while Leone's classic Westerns were largely dismissed by critics throughout the 1960s and '70s, they now stand as the masterworks of a visionary artist who was posthumously elevated into the pantheon of world-class filmmakers. To acknowledge Leone's historic impact on the genre, the Leone Anthology includes MGM's previous two-disc extended-cut collector's edition of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966), and applies the same deluxe treatment to A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More (1965), and, for the first time on DVD, the fully restored English-language version of the original 157-minute Italian cut of Duck You Sucker (previously known by its alternate U.S. title A Fistful of Dynamite), which was never shown in American theaters.

A Fistful of Dollars is best known in America for spawning the "Man With No Name" marketing campaign that made Eastwood a star, although Eastwood's character is clearly named "Joe" in this cleverly adapted low-budget remake of Akira Kurosawa's samurai classic Yojimbo, in which Eastwood's lone drifter vies for strategic advantage in a corrupt Mexican town divided by a bitter family feud. The operatic qualities that grew increasingly lavish in Leone's later films are evident here on a smaller scale, along with the modern, innovative score of Ennio Morricone, whose legendary collaborations with Leone (on all four of these films) were vital to the director's deliberate defiance of Hollywood's Western traditions. Fistful was an instant success in Italy and its immediate sequel, For a Few Dollars More, is often cited as the definitive Spaghetti Western, with a bigger budget ($600,000) and a charismatic costar with Eastwood (Lee Van Cleef) in an uneasy alliance between gunslingers that introduced a hint of humanity to Leone's increasingly de-mythologized vision of the West. While teaming Eastwood, Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach in a ruthless Civil War-era quest for buried Confederate gold, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly completed Leone's "Dollars" trilogy (filmed primarily on locations in Spain) on a truly epic scale, introducing the darker cynicism, grander ambition, and artistic maturity that defined Leone's later films.

Leone vowed to quit making Westerns after his 1968 masterpiece Once Upon a Time in the West (a Paramount release not included in this set), but circumstances led him to seize the directorial reins of Duck You Sucker, a dynamic yet deeply disillusioned study of revolution that can now take its rightful place among Leone's greatest films. Like several of Leone's films, Duck You Sucker suffered a long history of cuts, re-cuts, and censorship, and the fully restored 157-minute version (unseen since the film's 1971 Italian premiere) more effectively explores the complex friendship between an Irish rebel explosives expert (James Coburn) and a brutish Mexican bandit (Rod Steiger) who becomes a reluctant revolutionary in 1913 Mexico. With explosive action sequences that remain among the most impressive ever filmed, Duck You Sucker now gives richer meaning to the film's original Italian title Giù la testa ("Keep Your Head Down"), asserting Leone's theme that family is far more important than the devastating violence of revolution. In the Leone Anthology (a variation on previous DVD sets released in England, Germany, and Japan), Duck You Sucker is the long-awaited crown jewel in a box-set of cinematic treasures. And while Leone purists will endlessly debate over the image quality (generally quite impressive) and 5.1-channel soundtrack mixes included here, there's no denying that The Sergio Leone Anthology is the definitive Leone tribute for a technically demanding 21st-century audience, and that's cause for enthusiastic celebration. --Jeff Shannon

On the DVDs
Listed in the glossy 32-page booklet that accompanies this eight-disc set (also including cast lists, scene selections, brief synopses, and behind-the-scenes details), the bonus features found in The Sergio Leone Anthology provide a comprehensive study of Leone's career, themes that dominated his work, and the historical contexts that inform Leone's classic "Spaghetti Westerns." With an even balance of lively authority and erudite scholarship, acclaimed Leone biographer and British film historian Sir Christopher Frayling provides informative commentary on A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More and Duck You Sucker, while Time magazine critic Richard Schickel's equally astute commentary remains on MGM's previous two-disc release of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. (Many of these features were prepared for the U.K. version of The Leone Anthology, including interviews conducted in 2003 and 2005.) In addition to a wide variety of vintage American radio promotional spots for these films, the meticulously researched and delightfully fascinating "location comparisons" show "then and now" scenes from all four films, with original film clips perfectly matched to location photos taken in 2004 by devoted Leone fans Donald S. Bruce and Marla J. Johnson.

Extras on A Fistful of Dollars begin with "A New Kind of Hero" (22:53), Frayling's behind-the-scenes analysis of the film's innovative anti-hero played by Clint Eastwood, whom Leone hired (when first choices Henry Fonda, James Coburn, Lee Marvin, and Charles Bronson proved too expensive) after seeing Eastwood in a 1961 episode of Rawhide. In the interview featurette "A Few Weeks in Spain" (8:33), Eastwood recalls the experience of making the film on location, and "Tre Voci" (or "Three Voices") is an 11-minute combination of retrospective interviews with producer Alberto Grimaldi, screenwriter Sergio Donati, and Mickey Knox, an American actor living in Rome who provided many of the post-synchronized voices for the English-language versions of Leone's films. In "Not Ready for Prime Time" (6:20), maverick American director Monte Hellman describes the circumstances that led to his direction of an explanatory Fistful of Dollars prologue for the film's American network TV premiere on August 29, 1977. Featuring Harry Dean Stanton, and filmed as an attempt to "legitimize" the Man With No Name's seemingly immoral behavior, the rarely-seen prologue (7:44) is introduced by obsessive Leone fan Howard Fridkin, who saved his Betamax recording from the one-time-only 1977 broadcast.

Frayling examines For a Few Dollars More in "A New Standard" (20:15), a "making of" featurette with emphasis on the film's male/male dynamic (described by Frayling as Leone's "invention of the brother he never had"). In "Back for More" (7:08), Eastwood recalls how he'd begun to watch Leone to inform his own directorial ambitions. "Tre Voci" (11:05) continues the retrospective interviews with Grimaldi, Donati, and Knox, and "The Original American Release Version" (5:19) examines three edits (including removal of the name "Manco" so Eastwood's character could remain "nameless" in the film's American marketing) that were made for the film's U.S. release.

Extras on The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly are highlighted by "Leone's West" (19:53) and "The Leone Style" (23:47), a pair of excellent documentaries exploring the film itself and the evolution of Leone's visual style as his budgets and production values grew to epic proportions. Featuring interviews with Clint Eastwood, critic and Eastwood biographer Richard Schickel, and others, these are must-see features packed with entertaining observations and anecdotes. Lending historical context to Leone's film, "The Man Who Lost the Civil War" is a 14-minute excerpt from a documentary about ill-fated Confederate general Henry Hopkins Sibley's botched campaign to expand Confederate dominance in the West. The "Reconstruction" featurette (11:07) is a detailed study of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly's painstaking restoration to Leone's intended 179-minute extended cut, featuring an interview John Kirk, the MGM director of technical operations who supervised the film's meticulous reconstruction. The essential contribution of composer Ennio Morricone is celebrated in the "Il Maestro" featurette (7:47) and film music historian Jon Burlingame provides an excellent audio-only survey (12:29) of Morricone's most popular soundtrack. Deleted scenes include the extended "Tuco torture" sequence (in which the brutal beating of Eli Wallach's character is masterfully cross-cut with the melancholy performance of a prison-camp orchestra); the brilliant "Socorro sequence" that was drastically edited in previous cuts; and a French trailer revealing shots and alternate angles not seen in the film's various theatrical releases. The poster gallery includes eight posters from the film's international marketing campaigns.

For Duck You Sucker, Frayling's film-by-film analysis continues in "The Myth of Revolution" (22:10), a behind-the-scenes study of Leone's deepening artistic maturity, as manifested in the film's cynical view of political revolution. "Donati Remembers" (7:20) is a continuation of the retrospective interview with screenwriter Sergio Donati (who by the early '70s was urging Leone to return to smaller-scale filmmaking), and "Once Upon a Time in Italy" (6:00) explores the ambitious effort that went into creating the definitive traveling exhibit of material (props, posters, costumes, etc.) from Leone's archives and beyond, first shown at the Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage, in Los Angeles, California, in July 2005. In "Sorting Out the Versions" (11:37), film historian Glenn Erickson narrates a visual survey of the various cuts and changes made to Duck You Sucker during its tortured history of global distribution, and in "Restoration Italian Style" (6:07), MGM director of technical operations John Kirk outlines the painstaking effort to restore Duck You Sucker to its original Italian premiere length of 157 minutes, resulting in the first-ever English language version based on the film's Italian-language restoration of 1996. The disc concludes with the enjoyable "Location Comparisons" (9:32), six rare radio spots from the film's original U.S. release in 1972, and (as with all other films in this set) the original theatrical trailer. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Disc 1: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY Collector's Edition Disc 2: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY Bonus Disc Disc 3: A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS Collector's Edition Disc 4: A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS Bonus Disc Disc 5: FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE Collector's Edition Disc 6: FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE Bonus Disc Disc 7: DUCK, YOU SUCKER (A FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE) Collector's Edition Disc 8: DUCK, YOU SUCKER (A FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE) Bonus Disc

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars What a great package!.......2007-09-03

I believe it is humanly impossible not to like Sergio Leone's movies. I got this package for an unbelieavable price of $35.99 (it went $30+ up since then). It is worth every penny. Such a great selection. I can watch these movies over and over. Highly recommended!

5 out of 5 stars 30th Anniversary of the Infamous Network TV Prologue!.......2007-08-29

AUGUST 29, 2007 marks the *2nd* anniversary of Hurricane Katrina for all us down here along the Gulf Coast.

On a much, much brighter note, it's also an important date for all spaghetti western buffs. Today is the *30th* anniversary of the *only* airing (mercifully!!) of the infamous prologue to 'Fistful' before it's network TV premiere.

The prologue itself is 4:46 in length and stars Harry Dean Stanton and an obviously-waaaaaaay-too-short stunt double in place of Clint. It was shot on what looks like a budget of 10 pesos in one of my fave places in all of Mexico, Cuernavaca (the capital of the Mexican state of Morelos).

Why the need for such a prologue you ask? Very simply, network TV censorship at the time didn't allow such 'immoral' violence to air without some sort of explanation for it.

BOTTOMLINE: If you're a true fan of All Things Sergio And Clint, the prologue is a MUST SEE!!

5 out of 5 stars Great but with technical difficulties.......2007-08-06

Well the set is awesome. The movies superb. The bonus features wonderful. However, you may want to wait until Fox/MGM make a Run-change on this because mine came without disc 2 for "Fistful..." and instead came with TWO disc 2's for "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly" which means i didn't get the Made for American TV intro for Fistful featuring Harry S. Stanton... Major Bummer.

5 out of 5 stars An awesome set!!.......2007-07-29

I have been waiting a long time for these, and they are excellent!

Although I am happy to see the renamed "A Fistful of Dynamite", I wish they would have included "Once Upon a Time In the West"? Although I am a diehard Clint Eastwood fan, I beleive that "Once Upon a Time In the West" was Leone's best western!

5 out of 5 stars A couple of these are among the best westerns ever!.......2007-06-25

The Good The Bad and The Ugly is certainly in the top ten best westerns ever and For a few Dollars More in the top ten or at least top twenty. See my amapedia review below for more details.
A Fistful of Dollars (2-Disc Collector's Edition)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 30th Anniversary of the Infamous Network TV Prologue!
  • Classic Death by 45
  • tough and cool
  • Get the collector's edition -not this one-
  • Kills 4 guys, in 3 seconds, for laughing at his mule
A Fistful of Dollars (2-Disc Collector's Edition)
Starring: Clint Eastwood , Marianne Koch , Gian Maria Volontè , Wolfgang Lukschy , and Sieghardt Rupp
Director: Monte Hellman , and Sergio Leone
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

GeneralGeneral | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video
ClassicsClassics | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video
Sergio LeoneSergio Leone | Western Directors | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video
Clint EastwoodClint Eastwood | Western Stars | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video
Brega, MarioBrega, Mario | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Eastwood, ClintEastwood, Clint | ( E ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Lozano, MargaritaLozano, Margarita | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
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Leone, SergioLeone, Sergio | ( L ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
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Similar Items:
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  5. High Plains Drifter High Plains Drifter

ASIN: B000OPOAOI
Release Date: 2007-06-05

Amazon.com essential video

A Fistful of Dollars launched the spaghetti Western and catapulted Clint Eastwood to stardom. Based on Akira Kurosawa's 1961 samurai picture Yojimbo, it scored a resounding success (in Italy in 1964 and the U.S. in 1967), as did its sequels, For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The advertising campaign promoted Eastwood's character--laconic, amoral, dangerous--as the Man with No Name (though in the film he's clearly referred to as Joe), and audiences loved the movie's refreshing new take on the Western genre. Gone are the pieties about making the streets safe for women and children. Instead it's every man for himself. Striking, too, was a new emphasis on violence, with stylized, almost balletic gunfights and baroque touches such as Eastwood's armored breastplate. The Dollars films had a marked influence on the Hollywood Western--for example, Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch--but their most enduring legacy is Clint Eastwood himself. --Edward Buscombe

Description

Clint Eastwood's legendary "Man With No Name" makes his powerful debut in this thrilling, action-packed "new breed of western" (Motion Picture Herald) from the acclaimed director of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and For a Few Dollars More. Exploding with blistering shootouts, dynamic performances and atmospheric cinematography, it's an undisputed classic of the genre. A mysterious gunman (Eastwood) has just arrived in San Miguel, a grim, dusty border town where two rival bands of smugglers are terrorizing the impoverished citizens. A master of the "quick-draw,"the stranger soon receives offers of employment from each gang. But his loyalty cannot be bought; he accepts both jobs...and sets in motion a plan to destroy both groups of criminals, pitting one against the other in a series of brilliantly orchestrated setups, showdowns and deadly confrontations.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars 30th Anniversary of the Infamous Network TV Prologue!.......2007-08-29

AUGUST 29, 2007 marks the *2nd* anniversary of Hurricane Katrina for all us down here along the Gulf Coast.

On a much, much brighter note, it's also an important date for all spaghetti western buffs. Today is the *30th* anniversary of the *only* airing (mercifully!!) of the infamous prologue to 'Fistful' before it's network TV premiere.

The prologue itself is 4:46 in length and stars Harry Dean Stanton and an obviously-waaaaaaay-too-short stunt double in place of Clint. It was shot on what looks like a budget of 10 pesos in one of my fave places in all of Mexico, Cuernavaca (the capital of the Mexican state of Morelos).

Why the need for such a prologue you ask? Very simply, network TV censorship at the time didn't allow such 'immoral' violence to air without some sort of explanation for it.

BOTTOMLINE: If you're a true fan of All Things Sergio And Clint, the prologue is a MUST SEE!!

5 out of 5 stars Classic Death by 45.......2007-08-22

It's difficult to describe Eastwood's highly evolved presence in the movie. So intelligent he's dangerous, the unnamed character who is not quite amoral possesses an individual coda and will power which is able to manipulate killers and guide new criminal stories to emerge.

The killing scenes are the best, you can feel the energy in the silence and in the eyes, as the unnamed character calculates death by 45, for his unscrupulous victims.

This movie's plot, setting, and musical score are very entertaining, and is simply fun to watch.

4 out of 5 stars tough and cool.......2007-07-19

Eastwood is awesome as a tough loner. The violence is brutal but still tame compared to R-rated movies of today. He comes off as extremely self-centered, but then shows a softness towards the helpless. Great shoot-em-up.

3 out of 5 stars Get the collector's edition -not this one-.......2007-07-06


Spaghetti western with Clint Eastwood, by Sergio Leone. I didn't like it. But maybe it was the edition: poor dvd quality, voices were added and don't match well the characters... Really like a home recording; it spoils whatever good the movie was.

The story is interesting, but it feels too theatrical and unreal, like a pose for a photographer. The soundtrack was nice. It should have been shorter. I don't think the collector's edition, no matter how clean it is, could make it to 4 stars.

5 out of 5 stars Kills 4 guys, in 3 seconds, for laughing at his mule.......2007-07-03

This was a cynical hero, but still with a sense of right and wrong, who had learned how to survive and thrive in a dog eat dog world. By smarts, gun skills, and an aloof cavalier regard for killing those who deserved it...he perseveres. After 50 years of cinematic goody goody two shoes cowboy heroes...this was an eye popping fresh concept. Also for me one of the treats were the sets. Interiors, exteriors, the props...all looked real, not the usual hollywood fakey. Like they had gone back in time and filmed at a real location. The Ennio Morricone music turned the story situations into high drama, that somehow made things mean more than guys shooting each other on a dusty street. All the actors "looked" like their characters...making scenes and the eventual deserved outcomes for them all that more enjoyable. Gian Maria Volontè makes a great villian, energetic, deadly, simultaneously attractive and repulsive. Also for me this take on "Yojimbo" is very Italian, with bigger than life operatic bad guys and an myth-like good guy. Very enjoyable. The DVD is crisp and clear. A must have for any of us middle aged futs who saw it back when it was released originally.
A Fistful of Dollars
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 30th Anniversary of the Infamous Network TV Prologue!
  • Classic Death by 45
  • tough and cool
  • Get the collector's edition -not this one-
  • Kills 4 guys, in 3 seconds, for laughing at his mule
A Fistful of Dollars
Starring: Clint Eastwood , Marianne Koch , Gian Maria Volontè , Wolfgang Lukschy , and Sieghardt Rupp
Director: Monte Hellman , and Sergio Leone
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00000K0DM
Release Date: 1999-10-05

Amazon.com essential video

A Fistful of Dollars launched the spaghetti Western and catapulted Clint Eastwood to stardom. Based on Akira Kurosawa's 1961 samurai picture Yojimbo, it scored a resounding success (in Italy in 1964 and the U.S. in 1967), as did its sequels, For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The advertising campaign promoted Eastwood's character--laconic, amoral, dangerous--as the Man with No Name (though in the film he's clearly referred to as Joe), and audiences loved the movie's refreshing new take on the Western genre. Gone are the pieties about making the streets safe for women and children. Instead it's every man for himself. Striking, too, was a new emphasis on violence, with stylized, almost balletic gunfights and baroque touches such as Eastwood's armored breastplate. The Dollars films had a marked influence on the Hollywood Western--for example, Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch--but their most enduring legacy is Clint Eastwood himself. --Edward Buscombe

Description

Clint Eastwood's legendary "Man With No Name" makes his powerful debut in this thrilling, action-packed "new breed of western" (Motion Picture Herald) from the acclaimed director of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and For a Few Dollars More. Exploding with blistering shootouts, dynamic performances and atmospheric cinematography, it's an undisputed classic of the genre. A mysterious gunman (Eastwood) has just arrived in San Miguel, a grim, dusty border town where two rival bands of smugglers are terrorizing the impoverished citizens. A master of the "quick-draw,"the stranger soon receives offers of employment from each gang. But his loyalty cannot be bought; he accepts both jobs...and sets in motion a plan to destroy both groups of criminals, pitting one against the other in a series of brilliantly orchestrated setups, showdowns and deadly confrontations.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars 30th Anniversary of the Infamous Network TV Prologue!.......2007-08-29

AUGUST 29, 2007 marks the *2nd* anniversary of Hurricane Katrina for all us down here along the Gulf Coast.

On a much, much brighter note, it's also an important date for all spaghetti western buffs. Today is the *30th* anniversary of the *only* airing (mercifully!!) of the infamous prologue to 'Fistful' before it's network TV premiere.

The prologue itself is 4:46 in length and stars Harry Dean Stanton and an obviously-waaaaaaay-too-short stunt double in place of Clint. It was shot on what looks like a budget of 10 pesos in one of my fave places in all of Mexico, Cuernavaca (the capital of the Mexican state of Morelos).

Why the need for such a prologue you ask? Very simply, network TV censorship at the time didn't allow such 'immoral' violence to air without some sort of explanation for it.

BOTTOMLINE: If you're a true fan of All Things Sergio And Clint, the prologue is a MUST SEE!!

5 out of 5 stars Classic Death by 45.......2007-08-22

It's difficult to describe Eastwood's highly evolved presence in the movie. So intelligent he's dangerous, the unnamed character who is not quite amoral possesses an individual coda and will power which is able to manipulate killers and guide new criminal stories to emerge.

The killing scenes are the best, you can feel the energy in the silence and in the eyes, as the unnamed character calculates death by 45, for his unscrupulous victims.

This movie's plot, setting, and musical score are very entertaining, and is simply fun to watch.

4 out of 5 stars tough and cool.......2007-07-19

Eastwood is awesome as a tough loner. The violence is brutal but still tame compared to R-rated movies of today. He comes off as extremely self-centered, but then shows a softness towards the helpless. Great shoot-em-up.

3 out of 5 stars Get the collector's edition -not this one-.......2007-07-06


Spaghetti western with Clint Eastwood, by Sergio Leone. I didn't like it. But maybe it was the edition: poor dvd quality, voices were added and don't match well the characters... Really like a home recording; it spoils whatever good the movie was.

The story is interesting, but it feels too theatrical and unreal, like a pose for a photographer. The soundtrack was nice. It should have been shorter. I don't think the collector's edition, no matter how clean it is, could make it to 4 stars.

5 out of 5 stars Kills 4 guys, in 3 seconds, for laughing at his mule.......2007-07-03

This was a cynical hero, but still with a sense of right and wrong, who had learned how to survive and thrive in a dog eat dog world. By smarts, gun skills, and an aloof cavalier regard for killing those who deserved it...he perseveres. After 50 years of cinematic goody goody two shoes cowboy heroes...this was an eye popping fresh concept. Also for me one of the treats were the sets. Interiors, exteriors, the props...all looked real, not the usual hollywood fakey. Like they had gone back in time and filmed at a real location. The Ennio Morricone music turned the story situations into high drama, that somehow made things mean more than guys shooting each other on a dusty street. All the actors "looked" like their characters...making scenes and the eventual deserved outcomes for them all that more enjoyable. Gian Maria Volontè makes a great villian, energetic, deadly, simultaneously attractive and repulsive. Also for me this take on "Yojimbo" is very Italian, with bigger than life operatic bad guys and an myth-like good guy. Very enjoyable. The DVD is crisp and clear. A must have for any of us middle aged futs who saw it back when it was released originally.
Ultimate Westerns DVD Giftpack
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Ultimate Westerns DVD Giftpack

    ProductGroup: DVD
    Binding: DVD

    GeneralGeneral | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video
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    ASIN: B000NQQ0AK
    Release Date: 2007-05-08

    Amazon.com

    This giftset includes 10 favorite classic westerns including: The Big Country, Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Extended Cut (2-Disc Collector's Edition), Hang 'Em High, Heaven's Gate, Hour of the Gun, The Magnificent Seven (Collector's Edition), The Missouri Breaks and Red River.
    A Fistful of Dollars
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • 30th Anniversary of the Infamous Network TV Prologue!
    • Classic Death by 45
    • tough and cool
    • Get the collector's edition -not this one-
    • Kills 4 guys, in 3 seconds, for laughing at his mule
    A Fistful of Dollars
    Starring: Clint Eastwood , Marianne Koch , Gian Maria Volontè , Wolfgang Lukschy , and Sieghardt Rupp
    Director: Monte Hellman , and Sergio Leone
    Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
    ProductGroup: Video
    Binding: VHS Tape

    GeneralGeneral | Westerns | Genres | VHS | Video
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    4. Hang 'em High Hang 'em High
    5. High Plains Drifter High Plains Drifter

    ASIN: 079284100X
    Release Date: 1999-05-04

    Amazon.com essential video

    A Fistful of Dollars launched the spaghetti Western and catapulted Clint Eastwood to stardom. Based on Akira Kurosawa's 1961 samurai picture Yojimbo, it scored a resounding success (in Italy in 1964 and the U.S. in 1967), as did its sequels, For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The advertising campaign promoted Eastwood's character--laconic, amoral, dangerous--as the Man with No Name (though in the film he's clearly referred to as Joe), and audiences loved the movie's refreshing new take on the Western genre. Gone are the pieties about making the streets safe for women and children. Instead it's every man for himself. Striking, too, was a new emphasis on violence, with stylized, almost balletic gunfights and baroque touches such as Eastwood's armored breastplate. The Dollars films had a marked influence on the Hollywood Western--for example, Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch--but their most enduring legacy is Clint Eastwood himself. --Edward Buscombe

    Description

    Clint Eastwood's legendary "Man With No Name" makes his powerful debut in this thrilling, action-packed "new breed of western" (Motion Picture Herald) from the acclaimed director of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and For a Few Dollars More. Exploding with blistering shootouts, dynamic performances and atmospheric cinematography, it's an undisputed classic of the genre. A mysterious gunman (Eastwood) has just arrived in San Miguel, a grim, dusty border town where two rival bands of smugglers are terrorizing the impoverished citizens. A master of the "quick-draw,"the stranger soon receives offers of employment from each gang. But his loyalty cannot be bought; he accepts both jobs...and sets in motion a plan to destroy both groups of criminals, pitting one against the other in a series of brilliantly orchestrated setups, showdowns and deadly confrontations.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars 30th Anniversary of the Infamous Network TV Prologue!.......2007-08-29

    AUGUST 29, 2007 marks the *2nd* anniversary of Hurricane Katrina for all us down here along the Gulf Coast.

    On a much, much brighter note, it's also an important date for all spaghetti western buffs. Today is the *30th* anniversary of the *only* airing (mercifully!!) of the infamous prologue to 'Fistful' before it's network TV premiere.

    The prologue itself is 4:46 in length and stars Harry Dean Stanton and an obviously-waaaaaaay-too-short stunt double in place of Clint. It was shot on what looks like a budget of 10 pesos in one of my fave places in all of Mexico, Cuernavaca (the capital of the Mexican state of Morelos).

    Why the need for such a prologue you ask? Very simply, network TV censorship at the time didn't allow such 'immoral' violence to air without some sort of explanation for it.

    BOTTOMLINE: If you're a true fan of All Things Sergio And Clint, the prologue is a MUST SEE!!

    5 out of 5 stars Classic Death by 45.......2007-08-22

    It's difficult to describe Eastwood's highly evolved presence in the movie. So intelligent he's dangerous, the unnamed character who is not quite amoral possesses an individual coda and will power which is able to manipulate killers and guide new criminal stories to emerge.

    The killing scenes are the best, you can feel the energy in the silence and in the eyes, as the unnamed character calculates death by 45, for his unscrupulous victims.

    This movie's plot, setting, and musical score are very entertaining, and is simply fun to watch.

    4 out of 5 stars tough and cool.......2007-07-19

    Eastwood is awesome as a tough loner. The violence is brutal but still tame compared to R-rated movies of today. He comes off as extremely self-centered, but then shows a softness towards the helpless. Great shoot-em-up.

    3 out of 5 stars Get the collector's edition -not this one-.......2007-07-06


    Spaghetti western with Clint Eastwood, by Sergio Leone. I didn't like it. But maybe it was the edition: poor dvd quality, voices were added and don't match well the characters... Really like a home recording; it spoils whatever good the movie was.

    The story is interesting, but it feels too theatrical and unreal, like a pose for a photographer. The soundtrack was nice. It should have been shorter. I don't think the collector's edition, no matter how clean it is, could make it to 4 stars.

    5 out of 5 stars Kills 4 guys, in 3 seconds, for laughing at his mule.......2007-07-03

    This was a cynical hero, but still with a sense of right and wrong, who had learned how to survive and thrive in a dog eat dog world. By smarts, gun skills, and an aloof cavalier regard for killing those who deserved it...he perseveres. After 50 years of cinematic goody goody two shoes cowboy heroes...this was an eye popping fresh concept. Also for me one of the treats were the sets. Interiors, exteriors, the props...all looked real, not the usual hollywood fakey. Like they had gone back in time and filmed at a real location. The Ennio Morricone music turned the story situations into high drama, that somehow made things mean more than guys shooting each other on a dusty street. All the actors "looked" like their characters...making scenes and the eventual deserved outcomes for them all that more enjoyable. Gian Maria Volontè makes a great villian, energetic, deadly, simultaneously attractive and repulsive. Also for me this take on "Yojimbo" is very Italian, with bigger than life operatic bad guys and an myth-like good guy. Very enjoyable. The DVD is crisp and clear. A must have for any of us middle aged futs who saw it back when it was released originally.
    United Artists Cinema Greats Collection, Set 1 (The Pink Panther / A Fistful of Dollars / Dr. No / The Magnificent Seven)
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      United Artists Cinema Greats Collection, Set 1 (The Pink Panther / A Fistful of Dollars / Dr. No / The Magnificent Seven)
      Starring: Best of United Artist
      Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
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      Release Date: 2007-10-23
      Thunderbox - Fistful of Dollars
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Thunderbox - Fistful of Dollars
        Starring: Eve , and Xzbit
        Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
        ProductGroup: DVD
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        A Fistful of Dollars (Special Edition] [Region 2]
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          A Fistful of Dollars (Special Edition] [Region 2]
          Starring: Mario Brega , Carla Calo , José Calvo , Marianne Koch , and Margarita Lozano
          Manufacturer: MGM
          ProductGroup: DVD
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          GenresGenres | DVD | Video | Action & Adventure | African American Cinema | Animation | Anime & Manga | Art House & International | Classics | Comedy | Cult Movies | Documentary | Drama | Educational | Fitness & Yoga | Gay & Lesbian | Horror | Kids & Family | Military & War | Music Video & Concerts | Musicals & Performing Arts | Mystery & Suspense | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Special Interests | Sports | Television | Westerns
          ASIN: B0007IK5WI
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          Winds of the Wasteland / Angel and the Badman / Over the Hill Gang / Over the Hill Gang Rides Again {4 Movie Package}
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            Winds of the Wasteland / Angel and the Badman / Over the Hill Gang / Over the Hill Gang Rides Again {4 Movie Package}

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            GeneralGeneral | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video
            ASIN: B000DIMH2I

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