On this date in 1967, Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars starring Clint Eastwood, premiered in Hollywood. 10 facts about the film.
It was the first of a trilogy, the other two parts being For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The three films are known as the Dollars Trilogy, or the Man with No Name Trilogy.
It’s a remake of a 1961 Japanese film called Yojimbo, which in turn was based on a 1929 novel called Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett. The Japanese screenwriters, Akira Kurosawa and Ryûzô Kikushima sued the makers of A Fistful of Dollars which delayed its US release. Kurosawa and Kikushima won, and received 15% of the worldwide gross and exclusive distribution rights for Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea.
Clint Eastwood stars as the Man with No Name, although he wasn’t the first choice. James Coburn was too expensive, Charles Bronson turned it down because he thought it was the "worst script I have ever seen." Richard Harrison declined the role, but suggested Leone consider someone from the TV show Rawhide. Sergio Leone offered the role to Eric Fleming, who turned it down but suggested his co-star Clint Eastwood. Having played a do-good hero in Rawhide for several years, Clint Eastwood jumped at the chance to play an anti-hero. Meanwhile, Leone was satisfied too, saying, "More than an actor, I needed a mask, and Eastwood, at that time, only had two expressions: with hat and no hat."
The Man With No Name is a bit of a misnomer as he is given one by Piripero the undertaker, which is also reflected in the credits. The name is “Joe”.
Eastwood was instrumental in creating the look of his character. He bought the black jeans from a sport shop on Hollywood Boulevard, the hat from a Santa Monica wardrobe firm and the trademark black cigars from a Beverly Hills store. Eastwood cut the cigars up to make them shorter. The boots were the same ones he wore in Rawhide. He found the poncho in Spain, and still has it. He says it has never been washed.
The Man With No Name has a cigar in his mouth for most of the movie. Clint Eastwood didn’t smoke and found the taste of the cigars disgusting, which is partly responsible for his surly attitude. His squint was caused by the sun and bright lights on set.
Marianne Koch played the role of Marisol had taken time out from studying to be a doctor in favour of acting. In 1971, she quit acting and went back to medical school, qualifying as a doctor in 1974. She worked as a specialist in her native Germany until 1997, and up until at least 2014 was hosting a medical advice programme on German radio.
The music was written by Ennio Morricone. Leone liked the Music so much that he often allowed scenes to go on for longer than intended so that the music could play out to its end.
The film was going to be called The Magnificent Stranger right up until just a few days before release. Nobody thought to tell Clint Eastwood about the title change, and so he had no idea that the positive buzz was about his film.
A scene of a dinner party 57 minutes in is a deliberate reference to Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper painting.
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