LIKE the video if you want to see the rest of the Dollar trilogy! BUTCH + SUNDANCE Reaction: ua-cam.com/video/RfwmUCWqff8/v-deo.html WESTERN Playlist: ua-cam.com/play/PLQHhQlj8i5doFNPAVpvMK4x_0goHHNGHs.html
Watch the whole trilogy anyway, and also "Once upon a Time in the West". As you have started to watch Italo Westerns, I would again recommend the original "Django" with Franco Nero and "They call me Trinity" with Terence Hill and Bud Spencer to get the Soundtrack references of Quentin Tarantinos "Django Unchained". They are really some of the best Italo Westerns. Still got 35mm copys of "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly", "Once Upon a Time in the West" and "Django Strikes Sgain" in the cellar ...even two of the second one.😅
Absolutely! It would be a crime if you didn't watch the react to the rest of the trilogy. BTW "For a Few Dollars More" is my favorite of the trilogy because I love Lee Van Cleef, and I think this was his best "Dollar" role, and because I found the recurring musical pocket watch tune very haunting.
Mad Magazine did a parody of the trilogy (a spaghetti westerns in general) called "A Fistful of Lasagne." After all these decades, I still remember four of the jokes. 1) At the beginning, the bad guys ki11 a young couple, and they leave the couple's baby alive saying "We don't shoot babies!" "We don't?" "No! We leave them alive to starve!" 2) The baby (with Lee Van Cleef's face complete with moustache) declares from from his crib "Gaa, gaa. Goo, goo. Someday I kill you!" 3) Two bandit are in the middle of a wild gunfight and have this exchange: "Ha! Ha! We are KEELING them!" The other says "But they are also keeling us, so why are you laughing!" "Mexicans ALWAYS laugh in gringo movies!" "Even ITALIAN gringo move?" 4) As the erstwhile baby ki11s the bad guys who ki11ed his parents, one of the bad guys reaizes that he's the baby they left to starve and says "You've changed!" to which he responds "Yeah, I don't wear diapers anymore!"
Jen, you are likely already aware of this but A Fistful of Dollars was inspired by the (great) Akira Kurosawa movie Yojimbo which was itself inspired by the Dashiell Hammett novel Red Harvest. I'm not sure you - or your audience would want to watch a subtitled/dubbed B & W film but it is good. Decades later Red Harvest was filmed as the Bruce Willis picture, Last Man Standing directed by Walter Hill. You could watch three different interpretations of the same story! I would definitely watch Hill's 48 Hrs a violent comedy thriller that unleashed the young funny Eddie Murphy on the world. Warning: You might be shocked by some of the dialogue/attitudes. Thanks for your work, Ms Murray. Love to 🇨🇦
I'd suggest "The Outlaw Josey Wales", both starring and directed by Clint Eastwood. He called it one of the highlights of his career, and also in the Western genre. I'd say it's grittier and more realistic than his spaghetti Westerns, and delves much more deeply into the backstory and emotional trauma of the main character. It helped bring the Western back in the '70s.
yea Im sure Jen will get to that one, and I love Pale Rider too as it really has a lot of hidden gems of significant images that people interpret. I know its been compared to SHANE which is a classic too, but Clint E had his own way of telling a story. Lets see if JEN recalls the scene from BACK to FUTURE where MArty does the same trick as Clint in the big showdown
The soundtrack for this and the other Leone/Eastwood westerns was composed by Ennio Morricone. The themes are almost their own character in the movies, and are so original and tailored to the films so well. Many excerpts of the Morricone soundtracks are used by other directors in later movies, including Quentin Tarantino. To me, he's a composer on the same level as John Williams.
@GSErnie Ennio Morricone's soundtracks are so iconic , it's only fitting that Eastwood presented him with a lifetime achievement award at the '07 Oscars . RIP to Mr Morricone his music will always live on and inspire .🎵🙏
Morricone was still a frequent Hollywood composer well into the 90s, and I suspect some would say he ranks higher even than John Williams in terms of influence etc - and curiously enough, in the 1990s it was quite common to hear little samples of Morricone used in pop music...
This movie was inspired by the Japanese movie Yojimbo directed by Akira Kurosawa. Sergio Leone was a fan of the movie and wanted to make his own remake of it. He was also a fan of American westerns. And so it began, what is known today as, the Spaghetti Westerns.
There was a significant amount of controversy as well over the similarities between this movie and Yojimbo - I can't remember the outcome off the top of my head though. I'd view this film in many was as a homage - the target market was completely different but only Leone could ever know if it was a ripoff or a love-letter to Yojimbo.
@@msrich1982- Sergio Leone didn't admit to it being a remake before he was sued for it, but nobody who has seen both movies can deny it. Akira Kurosawa wrote something like: "It is a fine movie that you have made, but it is my movie, and you should pay me for it." It was settled out of court, apparently by Kurosawa getting a percentage of the profits.
There is nothing better than a great Clint Eastwood western! It is action packed and it literally grabs your attention and is unrelenting! Five Great stars for this one.
Well, yes, of course it reminds you of BTTF3. It was from this movie that Marty got the inspiration for the "armour". He even calls himself Clint Eastwood.
Clint Eastwood's breakout role (out of the Western genre) was "Where Eagles Dare"(1968) which is one of my favorite movies of all time. It was shot on location in Austria: real castle, real snow, real stunts, real explosions, great score, beautiful scenery. Clever story with plenty of suspense, intrique, twists, and action.
An incredible trilogy….and Once upon at a time in the West ❤🎉. Spaghetti Western: Italian production (usually filmed in Spain). Ennio Morricone was The best composer in history if u ask me
with the exception of the big name draws, most of the secondary and extras are locals. They all speak their own language on set and that is the reason everything is dubbed
Yes good trilogy, but I prefer more the America Trilogy by Leone. I wonder why nobody is reacting to this movies, since every one of them is in my personal Top 10 movies.
Great reaction Jen! There are so many great Clint Eastwood westerns! After the trilogy please get to 'The Outlaw Josey Wales' (1976), 'Pale Rider' (1985), and of course 'Unforgiven' (1992). Thank you!
I watched it so long ago I don't remember. Does it bear any resemblance to the Western part of "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" (or the main story structure for that matter)?
Speaking about the cast: Henry Fonda, who at the time was known to the public as the eternal goody (much like Tom Hanks these days) cast as one of the bad guys: it shocked the audience, but was really effective.
@@sophiamarchildon3998 Vaguely but tbh not really. It is more sinister and the intro part alone is a cinematic masterpiece - in a completely different way than modern movies.
Ennio Morricone is by far my favourite composer in cinema (he was also a serious composer). He and Leone were fans of opera and that comes across in their work together, sometimes playing the score on set so the actors moved in time. In 2007 Tarantino curated a series of Spaghetti Westerns at the Venice Film Festival, and I got to see Il Maestro himself conduct his most famous scores in the Piazza San Marco. Pretty much the highlight of my life! ❤️
Yep, in Back to the Future 3 this is were Marty got the idea from for his metal vest, as Biff was watching this exact movie when he confronted him in the hot tub about the almanac. A lot of people miss that scene, and never really notice this movie, or were Marty got the idea from.
The score's composer was Ennio Morricone. An absolute legend. Did a lot of Sergio Leone films and a few excellent Brian De Palma films like The Untouchables and Casualties of War.
I've been a life long Star Wars fan and over the last few years started watching George Lucas' influences for Star Wars which deepened my appreciation for the franchise and introduced me to great samurai films from Akira Kurosawa and Spagetti Westerns like the Dollars Trilogy. Eastwood's character here has been cited as an inspiration by Boba Fett's original actor Jeremy Bulloch for the character, and The Mandalorian is inspired by Eastwood as well (other characters in the Dollars Trilogy inspired other Star Wars characters as well) Looking forward to seeing you react to the other films!
Very few actors can pull off the "badass cool loner" persona, but Clint is probably at the top of the list, as besides these westerns, the Dirty Harry series is top shelf as well.
I really love watching your reactions, Jen. They're so fun. There were many spaghetti westerns made in the 60s in Italy or Spain, by Italian directors. The best known was Sergio Leone. I think all of his movies were filmed in Spain, with a mostly Spanish or Italian supporting cast. Although the three films he made with Clint Eastwood are often referred to as the "Dollars Trilogy", Leone has said that they were not meant to be a trilogy when he made them. Although, some of the actors appear in more than one movie, they are three different stories with different characters. I think the best of Leone's Spaghetti westerns is actually one without Eastwood, Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), with Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson. The opening scene, at the train depot, is a classic, and one of the best scenes ever filmed. Some other great classic westerns you should check out are High Noon (1952) with Gary Cooper, the original Magnificent Seven (1960) with Yul Brynner, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, and Steve McQueen, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) with Robert Redford and Paul Newman. For a funny comedy, check out Support Your Local Sheriff (1969) with James Garner. Another more recent western worth watching is Maverick (1994) starring Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster, based on the classic TV series of the same name.
Once Upon A Time In The West is one of my all time favorites, but it wasn't released in the US until 1969, and by Paramount. Jack Elam playing with that fly at the depot was worth the price of admission, right off the bat. LOL. I actually liked SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL GUNFIGHTER (UA, 1971)better than ...SHERIFF.
The Leone westerns are, for me, the most atmospheric films ever made. Everything; the locations, sets, imagery (pause the films at any moment and you'll have a great poster!), direction, performances (Eastwood, Van Cleef, Volonte, Wallach....), and Ennio Morricone's masterful, and very unique, music all come together to forge something very special indeed. While The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is definitely the most epic, my personal favourite is For a Few Dollars More. It has so many cool, stylistic moments (which give me an anime vibe), is very focused, we have the awesome pairing of Eastwood and Van Cleef, the excellent villain; Indio etc, but what really sets it apart is the soulful ending backed-up by Morricone's exquisite Addio Colonnello.
Absolutely top level comment. FaFDM is also my favourite and one of my very top movies of all time. Mention must also be made of how the pocket watch theme is not only a great and haunting melody, but of the brilliant way its use is woven into the story as well. Addio Colonnello is also one of the few tracks I consistently go back to when listening to this soundtrack (those horns that come up about halfway, sounding like something you would hear played at the passing of a great figure, beautiful), along with any tune that includes the pocket watch theme. The only thing I miss being part of the soundtrack is that meandering organ piece you hear when Indio is giving his sermon to the rest of the gang, apparently the master tapes to this movie were lost or something. Anyways, "Bravo" for this brilliant comment.
You should do the whole "The man with no Name" Trilogy: "A fist full of dollars", "For a few dollars more" and "The Good The Bad and The Ugly". I would also recomend "Hang 'Em High" and "Unforgiven".
Great reaction Jen! For us Italians, Leone's movies and Morricone's scores are part of our cultural heritage. When they paired in these spaghetti westerns and worked with Eastwood it was perfect. Many of the banters and dialogues came from Leone's personal experience going to the market in Rome or to the mechanic where people tells jokes and mock other people. Go all in for the trilogy and with time, other Leone's movies.
Glad to see you starting these Eastwood westerns, so many good ones. The next two of the dollars trilogy are even better. Spaghetti westerns had primarily Italian cast and crew and were usually filmed in Spain.
If you want an excellent Clint Eastwood western that's not part of the Dollars trilogy, I can't recommend The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976). It's one of the best westerns ever made, and Eastwood also directs.
On the DVD I have for this, they added the made-for-TV intro in the special features. They made a special intro that aired before the movie aired on TV for the first time. At the time movies and shows didn't have protagonists that weren't clearly morally good. So they made this intro (that did not star Eastwood obviously) to make Eastwood's character seem like he was sent by the American government to sort out the problem with the two gangs.
Just wanted to request Eastwood's most underrated classic western, High Plains Drifter....Clint plays a similar character to this film (and the other Leone films), but there's a really cool twist to the plot of Drifter that makes it a little more thought provoking than the amazing Leone/Eastwood Trilogy films....i'm actually not sure why it's not as popular?
They are called spaghetti-westerns because they were produced by italians, and filmed in Europe with mostly european actors. They were quite different from the american westerns, and mostly thought of as cheap copies. But with especially Sergio Leone's movies they ended up becoming quite influential of their own.
JEN: Clint's breakthrough role was as Rowdy Yates on Rawhide, a TV western that ran from 1959 to 1965. He starred in all seasons. I grew up watching it on reruns. Good show. You've probably heard the intro to the show as it's covered/parodied in numerous places including in the film Blues Brothers. There's no story connection between the Dollars Trilogy (or Man With No Name Trilogy): A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good The Bad and The Ugly. A Fistful of Dollars is a remake of Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo... without permission. They sued and won, Dollars had to be paid to Yojimbo.
they gave Kurosawa the Japanese territory so all the money from from that area went to him. He said he made more money from that film than any of his own.
This film was based on a b&w Japanese film "Yojimbo" (the Body Guard) made in the 50s by the famous director Akira Kurosawa. A b&w western you might enjoy is "High Noon".
I admire your willingness to watch a spaghetti western. Sergio Leone was a genius and well studied by every director. You will now notice his influence on modern day flix.
This is the first movie my dad and I went to see together!! After that dad and I went to see “every “ Clint Eastwood movie together!!Became our thing!! Love Clint , especially all the “Dirty Harry “ movies!!
Back in the day Revolvers weren't double action like now where you could just pull the trigger, you had to cock it before each shot which is why we see the classic hammer slaps like here when they shoot in quick sucsession.
Oh, the music in the other Eastwood westerns gets even better! I can't wait for you to hear... the music is very famous and has been played by many orchestras around the world. Spaghetti Western - made in Italy. Well explained in 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Yes to finishing the trilogy, and Pale Rider, High Plains Drifter, Josey Wales and Once Upon a Time in the West. But nobody ever mentions another Leone/Morricone classic with De Niro and James Woods, Once Upon a Time in America?
Soundtrack for many of the westerns of this time including "Fist Full Of Dollars", "For a few dollars more", "The good the bad and the ugly" was done by Ennio Morricone. All of them very recognizable. This series goes under the title of "The Man With No Name".
The next in the "trilogy" is "For a Few Dollars More" and will introduce you to Lee Van Cleef. The third, "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" also has Van Cleef in a completely different role and will also introduce you to the great Eli Wallach. The three stories are not connected, even Eastwood's character is not the same although Eastwood pretty much plays them the same way.
He is the same man in all three. The third film (which takes place first) even tells you how he got his poncho. And in the screenplay of "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly," Eastwood's character was identified as "Joe," even though he's only referred to as "Blondie" in the film itself. But he's meant to be the same guy.
The director, composer and production team were all Italian, but the spaghetti westerns were shot in Murcia in south Spain, in Europe's only desert. The whitewashed buildings are typical of the area. The next one, For a Few Dollars More, is my personal favourite of the trilogy, but my favourite Clint western is The Outlaw Josey Wales, which he also directs.
Jen, a Spaghetti Western but with a sense of humor made in the same era: 'THEY CALL ME TRINITY' (If you see and like that movie, it was popular enough that they made a sequel. The sequel is 'THEY STILL CALL ME TRINITY').
You didn't mention "My Name is Nobody" (1973) which featured long time Western actor, Henry Fonda, dragged along by "Nobody" Terence Hill into an epic showdown with The Wild Bunch! (Love that off-kilter "Ride of the Valkyries.";)
Welcome to Sergio Leone, a master of the gritty 'spaghetti western' 🍝🤠! With Ennio Morricone composing the score and Clint on the screen, it's a formula for magic. Few Dollars More and Good Bad & Ugly are equally good (GBU is my fave of the trilogy). For some non-Leone Clint Westerns - Two Mules For Sister Sara, Hang Em' High, High Plains Drifter
Spaghetti western: Because of the director, the composer, much of the crew and cast, and the filming locations. A lot of the smaller roles are filled by Italians and Spaniards, speaking their respective languages which were dubbed into English.
So this movie was such a big hit in Italy Leone called Eastwood and said he wanted to do another movie with him. Eastwood was like, "I haven't even seen the first one yet, I don't know if it's any good." Leone sent Eastwood a copy of the film in Italian because they hadn't done the voiceovers yet. Eastwood invited a bunch of friends over to view it, asking them to give their opinion on whether he should work with the director again. After watching this movie, even though none of them could understand what was being said in it, Eastwood's friends all said, "you have got to work with this guy again. Definitely do the second movie!"
Awesome that you are reacting to this. One quick note or fun fact if you decided to react to the rest of the series. Some of the same actors will return in the other movies, but in most cases, they aren't playing the same character
Edit: As Jen asked (and tho' she probably already knows now), no, it isn't literally the same character in each Dollars movie. And altho' he was promoted as the Man with No Name, Eastwood's character always has one! Joe, Manco (left-handed, I think), and Blondie. Excitable movie-loving Jen, hooray! Watching a seminal spaghetti western inspired by Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo? This going to be good. Eastwood's laconic anti-hero performance, Leone's (slightly rough here) inspired direction with its looming close-ups, and Ennio Morricone's iconic refrains combine to make a classic.
And Akira Kurosawa's _Yojimbo_ was inspired from Dashiell Hammett's detective novels, including _Red Harvest_ (1929) and _The Glass Key_ (1931), and was patterned after American westerns, so it came full circle with this movie.
@@dernwine The wardrobe belongs to Clint Eastwood, who brought it from the States. Supposedly he might of got some of the ensemble from his show Rawhide.
Parts of this were filmed in the Tabernas Desert in Spain. I lived there from 2000-2010 and the town they built for it is now a western theme park called Oasys Tabernas (previously Mini Hollywood when I lived there)
Jen Before Clint Eastwood took his famous role of this movie plus others, there were other actors up for the role with last one, Richard Harrison (Dumbledore of 1st Harry Potter) suggested Clint Eastwood for the role to director, Sergio Leone. Fact is that Clint Eastwood played cowboy named Rowdy Yates of CBS' series, Rawhide from 1959 to 1965
Jen You are correct about Back to the Future Part III. Michael J Fox (Marty) had cover from iron stove to protect his heart as Marty calls himself, Clint Eastwood.
"A Fistful of Dollars" was good, "A Few Dollars More" is even better. "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" is just an outright epic classic! A 'Spaghetti Western' is a low-budget film produced by Italian directors (hence the “spaghetti” connection) and filmed in Europe, primarily in Almería and the Tabernas Desert. (source: Google) Clint Eastwood was a rising star after the 'Spaghetti Trilogy' and went on to make a series of "Dirty Harry" movies and two comedies "Every Which Way But Loose" (1978) and "Any Which Way You Can" (1980) all of which are really good too but a real fav Eastwood for me is "Kelly's Heroes" (1970). Another good reaction Jen, glad to see you covering the older movies. 😎👍🏻
The old joke is that cowboy boots are pointy so you can get the bugs that hide in the corner. The best sensible explanation I've heard is it makes it easier to put your foot in a stirrup.
The whole trilogy is a rise in complexity. In the first movie, there is basically only one hero with an antagonist and the story flows simply. In the second movie, there are two heroes and of course, that means more story element and more entanglement. In the third movie, there are essentially three heroes, although that can be discussed. Length of the movies is also directly tied to it, as well as the budget increase each time. Just a perfect trilogy really.
After you watch the Eastwood trilogy, you need to experience a classic western from the 40s or 50s to get an idea of the roots of westerns. The Big Country is a good choice, it has all the elements on an epic scale, including a love story.
This is actually a remake of a Japanese Samurai movie called Yojimbo, from the famous director Akira Kurosawa. You might find it interesting to see how closely this follows the original.
Ennio Morricone was almost a one man industry as far as music for Italian movies. During the 60s, it wasn’t unusual for him to compose music for a dozen movies per year or more. Westerns, romance, horror, war movies, bible epics, he did it all.
In combat handgun training they say that a handgun exists to protect you until you can get to your rifle or shotgun. So in answer to your question, a long gun is always better.
In BACK TO THE FUTURE III, marty McFly gets the idea for armouring himself from watching this movie. So many things here were NOT part of the western tradition, until Leone made them so: like the big closeups of eyes, you never saw that in earlier westerns (classic westerns really got started in 1939 with STAGECOACH). By the time the Italians got in on it, the genre was growing old...
This trilogy of western's remains some of my favourite movies. They're incredibly tight and to the point, wasting little and blending a range of filmmaking techniques to create an unforgettable genre completely set apart from the previous generation of classic Westerns. These movies took the ideal of the clean, honest, hardworking cowboy and utterly turned it on its head with selfish, cunning and deceitful protagonists. If anything the stereotypical honest cowboys are the ones who get shafted fastest and hardest in these films, if you can actually find any that is! I will say though that of the three my favourite is For a Few Dollars More. Bringing Lee van Cleef into the mix worked perfectly and I felt that he and Eastwood played well against each other, with a better dynamic than in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. As far as the stories being connected goes, it's not made clear. Personally I think they are but the ordering is wrong. If you look at the timings in-setting the order would be The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, followed by a Fistful of Dollars and a Few Dollars More. Towards the end of TGTB&TU Eastwood exchanges his coat for a poncho that looks exactly like the one he wears here so I like the idea that he goes from an outlaw to a mercenary to a bounty hunter.
It's worth watching all 3 of these movies and after that, watching Once upon a time in the west, all are classic movies and the budget and quality gets better with each one. It's also recommended you watch them in order.
I have been to the set of this movie many times. The set is still active today as a very popular theme park. They have a show there which features a shootout with amazing stunt actors and they play the music from this movie throughout the show on loudspeakers for the crowds of about 100+ people. The theme park also has a very cool zoo and a water park. If you are ever in the south of Spain I'd highly recommend visiting it :) Oasys Mini Hollywood theme park in Almeria, Spain...
“For A Few Dollars More,” and “The Good, The Bad And The Ugly” are the other two in the trilogy. It’s like the Cornetto Trilogy: Clint is in all three but the movies aren’t connected. My personal favorite Clint Eastwood Western is “High Plains Drifter.” That movie is a very unusual Western.
Great! Reaction! You get it. The man with no name is an avenging spirit of the West, who can survive great punishment and brings vengeance to the evil and usually destroys everything at the same time. Don't Forget "High Plains Drifter" and "Pale Rider" also feature the same enigmatic man with no name.
Ennio Morricone's music for the "dollars" trilogy is next level. All three movies are good, but "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" is probably the best. This movie is also a remake of the Kurosawa movie "Yojimbo", and a surprisingly faithful one (though the Kurosawa version is a samurai movie). Leone's spaghetti westerns were shot in Italy, mostly in Italian but really in whatever languages the cast spoke. So Clint Eastwood would be speaking in English, but most of the actors would be speaking Italian, and then they just dub over it all. Aside from the Dollars movies, you might give "High Plains Drifter" a try (it's very weird).
Hell yeah Jen, I'm so happy you're doing these movies! All three movies have amazing music, it's the same composer who scored The Thing, Ennio Morricone.
Pistol (these are all revolvers) 13:50 versus rifle. Rifle is generally better for targets beyond 20 yards or so. Pistols are the best in close quarters. Pistols are generally faster to reload, depending.
A movie like this couldn't be made in the US because of the Hays Code, a code the prohibited certain things. A Fistful of Dollar was made outside of the US so did not need to comply with the code and was very sucessful. Only a few years later the hays code was dropped.
Ennio Morricone was the brilliant composer of the film score. He died in the last few years. All three films have amazing scores. The films were directed by Sergio Leone and are Italian produced, but filmed in Spain. They are only loosely related, the mysterious and elusive Eastwood character is shared by the three. Many of the actors were Italian, and were dubbed in English. Clint went to film in Spain, while on hiatus ftom his successful western TV show Rawhide, not expecting any financial success from the film. Months later back in California, he began to see reports of a big film success in Europe. Then later, when brought to the USA, the distributor concocted "the man with no name" publicity campaign. In short order Eastwood was a sensation!
Loved your reactions to this amazing Clint Eastwood western, Jen. Incredible to think that Clint Eastwood was struggling to find work and was thinking about giving up acting, when he was offered this Spaghetti western.
Then there was Lee Van Cleef, also ready to give up acting when Sergio Leone came calling. Lee Van Cleef's role as "Col. Douglas Mortimer" in "For A Few Dollars More" (1965) turned him into an international movie star!
Love the reaction, can't wait for The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. I'd also look at The Magnificent 7, The Professionals, Once Upon A Time In The West, The Wild Bunch and a John Wayne film perhaps my favourite Rio Bravo?
Especially fun watching with Jen's enthusiasm! ... alternate re-title Back To The Western Part 4, didn't realize how much inspiration BTTF3 took from the town scenes as well Clint' Eastwood's role.
Glad to see you tackling these. The "trilogy" is three movies that are not related to each other in terms of storyline. The only connection is the Clint Eastwood character: "The man with no name". We never learn his name in any of them. He has the same hat, poncho , and cigarillow, as well as his preference for less talk, but when he does he has a lot of good quips, and of course his amazing shooting ability. He is the classic Western anti-hero--the mystery man who is a loner, a law unto himself, never forming long-term connections, but never harms women or other innocents. He is typically rather mercenary, and happy to pursue the treasure (and usually gets it), but typically comes down on the side of good. The "Spaghetti Western" is a subgenre of Westerns, filmed by Italian directors and crew, and most of the cast as well, although Leone and other Italian directors would utilize American actors as the lead, or sometimes a small group of leads. A Fistful of Dollars made Eastwood a big star. He would go on to star in A Few Dollars More (okay, but not as good), and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly--one of the greatest Westerns of all time (you should put that one on your reaction list. It is implied that he is the same character in each, but we can't be sure since he has no name! The very distinct music, which fits so damn well, is by Ennio Morricone, and he did the music for many of Leone's other Westerns as well. Outstanding work, which didn't get the attention it should have at the time, but is very highly regarded now. Besides the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, consider Once Upon a Time In the West, and maybe Two Mules for Sister Sarah (not sure if that one is a Spaghetti, but is a Clint Eastwood Western that I think you would like).
LIKE the video if you want to see the rest of the Dollar trilogy!
BUTCH + SUNDANCE Reaction: ua-cam.com/video/RfwmUCWqff8/v-deo.html
WESTERN Playlist: ua-cam.com/play/PLQHhQlj8i5doFNPAVpvMK4x_0goHHNGHs.html
Watch the whole trilogy anyway, and also "Once upon a Time in the West".
As you have started to watch Italo Westerns, I would again recommend the original "Django" with Franco Nero and "They call me Trinity" with Terence Hill and Bud Spencer to get the Soundtrack references of Quentin Tarantinos "Django Unchained".
They are really some of the best Italo Westerns.
Still got 35mm copys of "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly", "Once Upon a Time in the West" and "Django Strikes Sgain" in the cellar ...even two of the second one.😅
Absolutely! It would be a crime if you didn't watch the react to the rest of the trilogy. BTW "For a Few Dollars More" is my favorite of the trilogy because I love Lee Van Cleef, and I think this was his best "Dollar" role, and because I found the recurring musical pocket watch tune very haunting.
when you are done with Eastwood; then I recommend: The Quick and the Dead
Mad Magazine did a parody of the trilogy (a spaghetti westerns in general) called "A Fistful of Lasagne." After all these decades, I still remember four of the jokes. 1) At the beginning, the bad guys ki11 a young couple, and they leave the couple's baby alive saying "We don't shoot babies!" "We don't?" "No! We leave them alive to starve!" 2) The baby (with Lee Van Cleef's face complete with moustache) declares from from his crib "Gaa, gaa. Goo, goo. Someday I kill you!" 3) Two bandit are in the middle of a wild gunfight and have this exchange: "Ha! Ha! We are KEELING them!" The other says "But they are also keeling us, so why are you laughing!" "Mexicans ALWAYS laugh in gringo movies!" "Even ITALIAN gringo move?" 4) As the erstwhile baby ki11s the bad guys who ki11ed his parents, one of the bad guys reaizes that he's the baby they left to starve and says "You've changed!" to which he responds "Yeah, I don't wear diapers anymore!"
Jen, you are likely already aware of this but A Fistful of Dollars was inspired by the (great) Akira Kurosawa movie Yojimbo which was itself inspired by the Dashiell Hammett novel Red Harvest. I'm not sure you - or your audience would want to watch a subtitled/dubbed B & W film but it is good. Decades later Red Harvest was filmed as the Bruce Willis picture, Last Man Standing directed by Walter Hill. You could watch three different interpretations of the same story! I would definitely watch Hill's 48 Hrs a violent comedy thriller that unleashed the young funny Eddie Murphy on the world. Warning: You might be shocked by some of the dialogue/attitudes. Thanks for your work, Ms Murray. Love to 🇨🇦
The Good The Bad And The Ugly and Once Upon A Time In The West are masterpieces of the Western genre.
Rio Bravo, High Noon, My Darling Clementine, Stagecoach...
Yep, these two are not only the greatest of this era, but they are exceptionally notable for their music and we know Jen loves that.
Its like a ... well bit odd western, but i always was very fond of Breakheart Pass. Maybe because its very much trains
El Dorado
I'd suggest "The Outlaw Josey Wales", both starring and directed by Clint Eastwood. He called it one of the highlights of his career, and also in the Western genre. I'd say it's grittier and more realistic than his spaghetti Westerns, and delves much more deeply into the backstory and emotional trauma of the main character. It helped bring the Western back in the '70s.
yea Im sure Jen will get to that one, and I love Pale Rider too as it really has a lot of hidden gems of significant images that people interpret. I know its been compared to SHANE which is a classic too, but Clint E had his own way of telling a story. Lets see if JEN recalls the scene from BACK to FUTURE where MArty does the same trick as Clint in the big showdown
Josey Wales and Pale Rider are my two favourite Clint westerns.
Josey Wales and Pale Rider are my two favorite Clint Eastwood Westerns.
The soundtrack for this and the other Leone/Eastwood westerns was composed by Ennio Morricone. The themes are almost their own character in the movies, and are so original and tailored to the films so well. Many excerpts of the Morricone soundtracks are used by other directors in later movies, including Quentin Tarantino. To me, he's a composer on the same level as John Williams.
Ennio was a true master of his craft. Ecstacy of Gold (from GBU) is my personal fave.
@GSErnie Ennio Morricone's soundtracks are so iconic , it's only fitting that Eastwood presented him with a lifetime achievement award at the '07 Oscars .
RIP to Mr Morricone his music will always live on and inspire .🎵🙏
Arguably more original than John Williams, too.
I almost got to see the Maestro in Norway, missed him by a few months. I’m sad I never got the chance.
Morricone was still a frequent Hollywood composer well into the 90s, and I suspect some would say he ranks higher even than John Williams in terms of influence etc - and curiously enough, in the 1990s it was quite common to hear little samples of Morricone used in pop music...
Best team ever. Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood, and Ennio Morricone. Please, by all means check out the other two.
Also check out Leone’s other films besides the Dollars Trilogy:
Once Upon a Time in the West
Duck you Sucker
Once Upon a Time in America
@@constantdvdcollector duck you sucker is the forgotten overlooked gem. no one has reacted to it and probably never will good luck!
Gina Maria Volante too
This movie was inspired by the Japanese movie Yojimbo directed by Akira Kurosawa. Sergio Leone was a fan of the movie and wanted to make his own remake of it. He was also a fan of American westerns. And so it began, what is known today as, the Spaghetti Westerns.
This movie was stolen scene by scene from "Yojimbo" by Kurosawa, one the greatest movies of all time by the best director ever.
There was a significant amount of controversy as well over the similarities between this movie and Yojimbo - I can't remember the outcome off the top of my head though. I'd view this film in many was as a homage - the target market was completely different but only Leone could ever know if it was a ripoff or a love-letter to Yojimbo.
@@msrich1982- Sergio Leone didn't admit to it being a remake before he was sued for it, but nobody who has seen both movies can deny it. Akira Kurosawa wrote something like: "It is a fine movie that you have made, but it is my movie, and you should pay me for it."
It was settled out of court, apparently by Kurosawa getting a percentage of the profits.
My cat loves this reaction. 😸💜🤠
But she doesn't like when those cowboys laugh. She gets the crazy idea they're laughing at her.
There is nothing better than a great Clint Eastwood western! It is action packed and it literally grabs your attention and is unrelenting! Five Great stars for this one.
Well, yes, of course it reminds you of BTTF3. It was from this movie that Marty got the inspiration for the "armour". He even calls himself Clint Eastwood.
Yah, also Biff is watching it when Marty confronts him in the hot tub in BTTF2.
Clint Eastwood's breakout role (out of the Western genre) was "Where Eagles Dare"(1968) which is one of my favorite movies of all time. It was shot on location in Austria: real castle, real snow, real stunts, real explosions, great score, beautiful scenery. Clever story with plenty of suspense, intrique, twists, and action.
An incredible trilogy….and Once upon at a time in the West ❤🎉. Spaghetti Western: Italian production (usually filmed in Spain). Ennio Morricone was The best composer in history if u ask me
with the exception of the big name draws, most of the secondary and extras are locals. They all speak their own language on set and that is the reason everything is dubbed
I do love that the Iberian plains double so well for the American west, just no Rocky Mountains in the distance 😅
Yes good trilogy, but I prefer more the America Trilogy by Leone. I wonder why nobody is reacting to this movies, since every one of them is in my personal Top 10 movies.
Great reaction Jen! There are so many great Clint Eastwood westerns! After the trilogy please get to 'The Outlaw Josey Wales' (1976), 'Pale Rider' (1985), and of course 'Unforgiven' (1992). Thank you!
Add High Plains Drifter to that list.
Once Upon A Time In The West is my absolute favorite. Music, cast, story... everything.
I watched it so long ago I don't remember. Does it bear any resemblance to the Western part of "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" (or the main story structure for that matter)?
Speaking about the cast: Henry Fonda, who at the time was known to the public as the eternal goody (much like Tom Hanks these days) cast as one of the bad guys: it shocked the audience, but was really effective.
@@sophiamarchildon3998 Vaguely but tbh not really. It is more sinister and the intro part alone is a cinematic masterpiece - in a completely different way than modern movies.
The Dollars trilogy is superb, Jen. Will you be doing the next two?
Ennio Morricone is by far my favourite composer in cinema (he was also a serious composer). He and Leone were fans of opera and that comes across in their work together, sometimes playing the score on set so the actors moved in time.
In 2007 Tarantino curated a series of Spaghetti Westerns at the Venice Film Festival, and I got to see Il Maestro himself conduct his most famous scores in the Piazza San Marco. Pretty much the highlight of my life! ❤️
Yep, in Back to the Future 3 this is were Marty got the idea from for his metal vest, as Biff was watching this exact movie when he confronted him in the hot tub about the almanac. A lot of people miss that scene, and never really notice this movie, or were Marty got the idea from.
There are two kinds of people in the world, Jen: those with super adorable ponytails and glasses, and those without.
But she won't get it until she sees GBU. Save it for then.
The score's composer was Ennio Morricone. An absolute legend. Did a lot of Sergio Leone films and a few excellent Brian De Palma films like The Untouchables and Casualties of War.
I've been a life long Star Wars fan and over the last few years started watching George Lucas' influences for Star Wars which deepened my appreciation for the franchise and introduced me to great samurai films from Akira Kurosawa and Spagetti Westerns like the Dollars Trilogy. Eastwood's character here has been cited as an inspiration by Boba Fett's original actor Jeremy Bulloch for the character, and The Mandalorian is inspired by Eastwood as well (other characters in the Dollars Trilogy inspired other Star Wars characters as well)
Looking forward to seeing you react to the other films!
Though not directly Lucas, Cad Bane from the Clone War cartoon is based on Lee Van Cleef (and they even do a Seven Samurai episode 😅)
You are the absolute Queen. You react to the great movies that no one else reacts to.
Very few actors can pull off the "badass cool loner" persona, but Clint is probably at the top of the list, as besides these westerns, the Dirty Harry series is top shelf as well.
This reminded you of Back to the future because Biff was watching this movie in the 2nd movie and Marty used the trick in the 3rd movie.
I really love watching your reactions, Jen. They're so fun.
There were many spaghetti westerns made in the 60s in Italy or Spain, by Italian directors. The best known was Sergio Leone. I think all of his movies were filmed in Spain, with a mostly Spanish or Italian supporting cast. Although the three films he made with Clint Eastwood are often referred to as the "Dollars Trilogy", Leone has said that they were not meant to be a trilogy when he made them. Although, some of the actors appear in more than one movie, they are three different stories with different characters. I think the best of Leone's Spaghetti westerns is actually one without Eastwood, Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), with Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson. The opening scene, at the train depot, is a classic, and one of the best scenes ever filmed.
Some other great classic westerns you should check out are High Noon (1952) with Gary Cooper, the original Magnificent Seven (1960) with Yul Brynner, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, and Steve McQueen, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) with Robert Redford and Paul Newman. For a funny comedy, check out Support Your Local Sheriff (1969) with James Garner.
Another more recent western worth watching is Maverick (1994) starring Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster, based on the classic TV series of the same name.
Once Upon A Time In The West is one of my all time favorites, but it wasn't released in the US until 1969, and by Paramount. Jack Elam playing with that fly at the depot was worth the price of admission, right off the bat. LOL. I actually liked SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL GUNFIGHTER (UA, 1971)better than ...SHERIFF.
Maverick is fab! ❤️ Western/comedy/action. Dynamite cast.
The Leone westerns are, for me, the most atmospheric films ever made. Everything; the locations, sets, imagery (pause the films at any moment and you'll have a great poster!), direction, performances (Eastwood, Van Cleef, Volonte, Wallach....), and Ennio Morricone's masterful, and very unique, music all come together to forge something very special indeed. While The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is definitely the most epic, my personal favourite is For a Few Dollars More. It has so many cool, stylistic moments (which give me an anime vibe), is very focused, we have the awesome pairing of Eastwood and Van Cleef, the excellent villain; Indio etc, but what really sets it apart is the soulful ending backed-up by Morricone's exquisite Addio Colonnello.
Absolutely top level comment. FaFDM is also my favourite and one of my very top movies of all time. Mention must also be made of how the pocket watch theme is not only a great and haunting melody, but of the brilliant way its use is woven into the story as well. Addio Colonnello is also one of the few tracks I consistently go back to when listening to this soundtrack (those horns that come up about halfway, sounding like something you would hear played at the passing of a great figure, beautiful), along with any tune that includes the pocket watch theme. The only thing I miss being part of the soundtrack is that meandering organ piece you hear when Indio is giving his sermon to the rest of the gang, apparently the master tapes to this movie were lost or something. Anyways, "Bravo" for this brilliant comment.
You should do the whole "The man with no Name" Trilogy: "A fist full of dollars", "For a few dollars more" and "The Good The Bad and The Ugly". I would also recomend "Hang 'Em High" and "Unforgiven".
Yes! Hang 'em High! More traditional, but it's the best!!!
You got it right Jen. They're called Spaghetti Westerns because they were produced for the Italian market.
Great reaction Jen!
For us Italians, Leone's movies and Morricone's scores are part of our cultural heritage. When they paired in these spaghetti westerns and worked with Eastwood it was perfect.
Many of the banters and dialogues came from Leone's personal experience going to the market in Rome or to the mechanic where people tells jokes and mock other people.
Go all in for the trilogy and with time, other Leone's movies.
Glad to see you starting these Eastwood westerns, so many good ones. The next two of the dollars trilogy are even better.
Spaghetti westerns had primarily Italian cast and crew and were usually filmed in Spain.
If you want an excellent Clint Eastwood western that's not part of the Dollars trilogy, I can't recommend The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976). It's one of the best westerns ever made, and Eastwood also directs.
I pretty much love every Eastwood western, especially _The Outlaw Josey Wales_ but these Spaghetti Eastwood's are the absolute best.
On the DVD I have for this, they added the made-for-TV intro in the special features. They made a special intro that aired before the movie aired on TV for the first time. At the time movies and shows didn't have protagonists that weren't clearly morally good. So they made this intro (that did not star Eastwood obviously) to make Eastwood's character seem like he was sent by the American government to sort out the problem with the two gangs.
Just wanted to request Eastwood's most underrated classic western, High Plains Drifter....Clint plays a similar character to this film (and the other Leone films), but there's a really cool twist to the plot of Drifter that makes it a little more thought provoking than the amazing Leone/Eastwood Trilogy films....i'm actually not sure why it's not as popular?
you and "popcorn in bed" are my 2 favourite watch along youtubers, many thanks for all your great uploads, from me here across the pond in the UK !!
They are called spaghetti-westerns because they were produced by italians, and filmed in Europe with mostly european actors. They were quite different from the american westerns, and mostly thought of as cheap copies. But with especially Sergio Leone's movies they ended up becoming quite influential of their own.
JEN: Clint's breakthrough role was as Rowdy Yates on Rawhide, a TV western that ran from 1959 to 1965. He starred in all seasons. I grew up watching it on reruns. Good show. You've probably heard the intro to the show as it's covered/parodied in numerous places including in the film Blues Brothers.
There's no story connection between the Dollars Trilogy (or Man With No Name Trilogy): A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good The Bad and The Ugly.
A Fistful of Dollars is a remake of Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo... without permission. They sued and won, Dollars had to be paid to Yojimbo.
they gave Kurosawa the Japanese territory so all the money from from that area went to him. He said he made more money from that film than any of his own.
@@LuckyBastardProd I believe he also emphasized it was a western remake of a samurai movie inspired by western movies
Okay but if we're starting a spaghetti western series Once Upon a Time in the West is a must watch
This film was based on a b&w Japanese film "Yojimbo" (the Body Guard) made in the 50s by the famous director Akira Kurosawa. A b&w western you might enjoy is "High Noon".
I admire your willingness to watch a spaghetti western. Sergio Leone was a genius and well studied by every director. You will now notice his influence on modern day flix.
This is the first movie my dad and I went to see together!! After that dad and I went to see “every “ Clint Eastwood movie together!!Became our thing!! Love Clint , especially all the “Dirty Harry “ movies!!
Jen you need to find Danish Orchestra performing music from this trilogy. You'll be amazed
Back in the day Revolvers weren't double action like now where you could just pull the trigger, you had to cock it before each shot which is why we see the classic hammer slaps like here when they shoot in quick sucsession.
23:20 time mark. "Some people just want to watch the world burn." Alfred to Bruce Wayne in THE DARK KNIGHT.
Oh, the music in the other Eastwood westerns gets even better! I can't wait for you to hear... the music is very famous and has been played by many orchestras around the world.
Spaghetti Western - made in Italy. Well explained in 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
I enjoyed your flute, beat boxing. 🤣
Great choice! if you are prepping for Unforgiven, I hope others have suggested High Plains Drifter and Pale Rider, after this trilogy. Enjoy!
Yes to finishing the trilogy, and Pale Rider, High Plains Drifter, Josey Wales and Once Upon a Time in the West.
But nobody ever mentions another Leone/Morricone classic with De Niro and James Woods, Once Upon a Time in America?
Soundtrack for many of the westerns of this time including "Fist Full Of Dollars", "For a few dollars more", "The good the bad and the ugly" was done by Ennio Morricone. All of them very recognizable. This series goes under the title of "The Man With No Name".
The next in the "trilogy" is "For a Few Dollars More" and will introduce you to Lee Van Cleef. The third, "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" also has Van Cleef in a completely different role and will also introduce you to the great Eli Wallach. The three stories are not connected, even Eastwood's character is not the same although Eastwood pretty much plays them the same way.
He is the same man in all three. The third film (which takes place first) even tells you how he got his poncho. And in the screenplay of "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly," Eastwood's character was identified as "Joe," even though he's only referred to as "Blondie" in the film itself. But he's meant to be the same guy.
@@ConstantineFurmanThat’s right. The Good the Bad and the Ugly is essentially a prequel to the dollars movies
@@HaleTheTrev Not "essentially." It is.
@@ConstantineFurman You’re right. It is.
The director, composer and production team were all Italian, but the spaghetti westerns were shot in Murcia in south Spain, in Europe's only desert. The whitewashed buildings are typical of the area.
The next one, For a Few Dollars More, is my personal favourite of the trilogy, but my favourite Clint western is The Outlaw Josey Wales, which he also directs.
Two Mules for Sister Sara is a really good Eastwood western
Jen, a Spaghetti Western but with a sense of humor made in the same era: 'THEY CALL ME TRINITY' (If you see and like that movie, it was popular enough that they made a sequel. The sequel is 'THEY STILL CALL ME TRINITY').
You didn't mention "My Name is Nobody" (1973) which featured long time Western actor, Henry Fonda, dragged along by "Nobody" Terence Hill into an epic showdown with The Wild Bunch! (Love that off-kilter "Ride of the Valkyries.";)
@@Otokichi786 Never heard of it, thanks!
Welcome to Sergio Leone, a master of the gritty 'spaghetti western' 🍝🤠! With Ennio Morricone composing the score and Clint on the screen, it's a formula for magic. Few Dollars More and Good Bad & Ugly are equally good (GBU is my fave of the trilogy).
For some non-Leone Clint Westerns - Two Mules For Sister Sara, Hang Em' High, High Plains Drifter
Spaghetti western: Because of the director, the composer, much of the crew and cast, and the filming locations. A lot of the smaller roles are filled by Italians and Spaniards, speaking their respective languages which were dubbed into English.
And because the movie was shot in Italy
@@heywoodjablowme8120Yup, mentioned the filming locations.
So this movie was such a big hit in Italy Leone called Eastwood and said he wanted to do another movie with him. Eastwood was like, "I haven't even seen the first one yet, I don't know if it's any good." Leone sent Eastwood a copy of the film in Italian because they hadn't done the voiceovers yet. Eastwood invited a bunch of friends over to view it, asking them to give their opinion on whether he should work with the director again. After watching this movie, even though none of them could understand what was being said in it, Eastwood's friends all said, "you have got to work with this guy again. Definitely do the second movie!"
Awesome that you are reacting to this. One quick note or fun fact if you decided to react to the rest of the series. Some of the same actors will return in the other movies, but in most cases, they aren't playing the same character
Edit: As Jen asked (and tho' she probably already knows now), no, it isn't literally the same character in each Dollars movie. And altho' he was promoted as the Man with No Name, Eastwood's character always has one! Joe, Manco (left-handed, I think), and Blondie.
Excitable movie-loving Jen, hooray! Watching a seminal spaghetti western inspired by Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo? This going to be good. Eastwood's laconic anti-hero performance, Leone's (slightly rough here) inspired direction with its looming close-ups, and Ennio Morricone's iconic refrains combine to make a classic.
And Akira Kurosawa's _Yojimbo_ was inspired from Dashiell Hammett's detective novels, including _Red Harvest_ (1929) and _The Glass Key_ (1931), and was patterned after American westerns, so it came full circle with this movie.
Manco means one arm. Meaning he has one good arm/hand, and the other is either limp or injured. Hence Manco has a brace on his 👋.
If he's not the same character then why does he wear the exact same outfit in each movie.
Those aren't actually his character's names in the movies, just nicknames that he is given by other characters since he never says what his name is.
@@dernwine The wardrobe belongs to Clint Eastwood, who brought it from the States. Supposedly he might of got some of the ensemble from his show Rawhide.
A serious classic. One of the few movies (with the other two) I’ve kept on dvd. Clint’s work through the 60s and 70s is pretty consistently good.
Parts of this were filmed in the Tabernas Desert in Spain. I lived there from 2000-2010 and the town they built for it is now a western theme park called Oasys Tabernas (previously Mini Hollywood when I lived there)
Jen
Before Clint Eastwood took his famous role of this movie plus others, there were other actors up for the role with last one, Richard Harrison (Dumbledore of 1st Harry Potter) suggested Clint Eastwood for the role to director, Sergio Leone. Fact is that Clint Eastwood played cowboy named Rowdy Yates of CBS' series, Rawhide from 1959 to 1965
Jen
You are correct about Back to the Future Part III. Michael J Fox (Marty) had cover from iron stove to protect his heart as Marty calls himself, Clint Eastwood.
"A Fistful of Dollars" was good, "A Few Dollars More" is even better. "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" is just an outright epic classic!
A 'Spaghetti Western' is a low-budget film produced by Italian directors (hence the “spaghetti” connection) and filmed in Europe, primarily in Almería and the Tabernas Desert. (source: Google)
Clint Eastwood was a rising star after the 'Spaghetti Trilogy' and went on to make a series of "Dirty Harry" movies and two comedies "Every Which Way But Loose" (1978) and "Any Which Way You Can" (1980) all of which are really good too but a real fav Eastwood for me is "Kelly's Heroes" (1970).
Another good reaction Jen, glad to see you covering the older movies. 😎👍🏻
My top 5 aspects about this movie:
1. The Music
2. The Music
3. The Music
4. The Music
5. Clint Eastwood
Gian Maria Volonte was revealed in the role of Ramon
The old joke is that cowboy boots are pointy so you can get the bugs that hide in the corner. The best sensible explanation I've heard is it makes it easier to put your foot in a stirrup.
The whole trilogy is a rise in complexity. In the first movie, there is basically only one hero with an antagonist and the story flows simply. In the second movie, there are two heroes and of course, that means more story element and more entanglement. In the third movie, there are essentially three heroes, although that can be discussed. Length of the movies is also directly tied to it, as well as the budget increase each time. Just a perfect trilogy really.
After you watch the Eastwood trilogy, you need to experience a classic western from the 40s or 50s to get an idea of the roots of westerns. The Big Country is a good choice, it has all the elements on an epic scale, including a love story.
This is actually a remake of a Japanese Samurai movie called Yojimbo, from the famous director Akira Kurosawa. You might find it interesting to see how closely this follows the original.
A Fistful Of Dynamite is also worth a watch, it's sometimes also known as, Duck, You Sucker.
Definately underrated
Absolute quality film. This and The Good The Bad and The Ugly are up there with the best westerns ever made. Ennio Morricone is also goated.
Ennio Morricone was almost a one man industry as far as music for Italian movies. During the 60s, it wasn’t unusual for him to compose music for a dozen movies per year or more. Westerns, romance, horror, war movies, bible epics, he did it all.
In combat handgun training they say that a handgun exists to protect you until you can get to your rifle or shotgun. So in answer to your question, a long gun is always better.
Music by Ennio Morricone. ;-) Trilogy keeps getting better.
Ennio Morricone did the music. He created the style of music that everyone nowadays think of when they think of Westerns.
A thousand dollars back then is the rough equivalent of twenty five thousand now.
Clint Eastwood is hitting 3 digits in less than a decade and still as prolific as ever
Jen, don't miss the Clint Eastwood 'Dirty Harry' quintology!
The whole trilogy is epic, everyone who has no experience or a low opinion of westerns ends up loving them. You will too.
In BACK TO THE FUTURE III, marty McFly gets the idea for armouring himself from watching this movie. So many things here were NOT part of the western tradition, until Leone made them so: like the big closeups of eyes, you never saw that in earlier westerns (classic westerns really got started in 1939 with STAGECOACH). By the time the Italians got in on it, the genre was growing old...
This trilogy of western's remains some of my favourite movies. They're incredibly tight and to the point, wasting little and blending a range of filmmaking techniques to create an unforgettable genre completely set apart from the previous generation of classic Westerns. These movies took the ideal of the clean, honest, hardworking cowboy and utterly turned it on its head with selfish, cunning and deceitful protagonists. If anything the stereotypical honest cowboys are the ones who get shafted fastest and hardest in these films, if you can actually find any that is!
I will say though that of the three my favourite is For a Few Dollars More. Bringing Lee van Cleef into the mix worked perfectly and I felt that he and Eastwood played well against each other, with a better dynamic than in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
As far as the stories being connected goes, it's not made clear. Personally I think they are but the ordering is wrong. If you look at the timings in-setting the order would be The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, followed by a Fistful of Dollars and a Few Dollars More. Towards the end of TGTB&TU Eastwood exchanges his coat for a poncho that looks exactly like the one he wears here so I like the idea that he goes from an outlaw to a mercenary to a bounty hunter.
"The Good the Bad and the Ugly" is a must watch. Sorry, no champagne in spaghetti westerns 😉🇨🇦🥂
It's worth watching all 3 of these movies and after that, watching Once upon a time in the west, all are classic movies and the budget and quality gets better with each one.
It's also recommended you watch them in order.
I have been to the set of this movie many times. The set is still active today as a very popular theme park. They have a show there which features a shootout with amazing stunt actors and they play the music from this movie throughout the show on loudspeakers for the crowds of about 100+ people. The theme park also has a very cool zoo and a water park. If you are ever in the south of Spain I'd highly recommend visiting it :) Oasys Mini Hollywood theme park in Almeria, Spain...
“For A Few Dollars More,” and “The Good, The Bad And The Ugly” are the other two in the trilogy. It’s like the Cornetto Trilogy: Clint is in all three but the movies aren’t connected. My personal favorite Clint Eastwood Western is “High Plains Drifter.” That movie is a very unusual Western.
30:00 - The most up-to-date retelling of the story, 'A Fistful of Dollars' is... 'Last Man Standing' (1996) starring Bruce Willis.
Great! Reaction! You get it. The man with no name is an avenging spirit of the West, who can survive great punishment and brings vengeance to the evil and usually destroys everything at the same time. Don't Forget "High Plains Drifter" and "Pale Rider" also feature the same enigmatic man with no name.
Jen, that character was famously called 'The Man With No Name." All 3 of the trilogy are stand alone movies.
Murray and Eastwood!! doesn't get any better
Ennio Morricone's music for the "dollars" trilogy is next level. All three movies are good, but "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" is probably the best.
This movie is also a remake of the Kurosawa movie "Yojimbo", and a surprisingly faithful one (though the Kurosawa version is a samurai movie).
Leone's spaghetti westerns were shot in Italy, mostly in Italian but really in whatever languages the cast spoke. So Clint Eastwood would be speaking in English, but most of the actors would be speaking Italian, and then they just dub over it all. Aside from the Dollars movies, you might give "High Plains Drifter" a try (it's very weird).
My favorite Eastwood western is the outlaw Josie whales … so badass
They are called spaghetti westerns, because they were made by an Italian film company in Europe, some scenes in Italy, some in Spain
Hell yeah Jen, I'm so happy you're doing these movies! All three movies have amazing music, it's the same composer who scored The Thing, Ennio Morricone.
Pistol (these are all revolvers) 13:50 versus rifle. Rifle is generally better for targets beyond 20 yards or so. Pistols are the best in close quarters. Pistols are generally faster to reload, depending.
A movie like this couldn't be made in the US because of the Hays Code, a code the prohibited certain things. A Fistful of Dollar was made outside of the US so did not need to comply with the code and was very sucessful. Only a few years later the hays code was dropped.
Ennio Morricone was the brilliant composer of the film score. He died in the last few years. All three films have amazing scores.
The films were directed by Sergio Leone and are Italian produced, but filmed in Spain. They are only loosely related, the mysterious and elusive Eastwood character is shared by the three. Many of the actors were Italian, and were dubbed in English. Clint went to film in Spain, while on hiatus ftom his successful western TV show Rawhide, not expecting any financial success from the film. Months later back in California, he began to see reports of a big film success in Europe. Then later, when brought to the USA, the distributor concocted "the man with no name" publicity campaign. In short order Eastwood was a sensation!
A Few Dollars More has always been my favorite of the 3 man with no name movies.
My favorite Clint movie...The Outlaw Josey Wales.
Loved your reactions to this amazing Clint Eastwood western, Jen.
Incredible to think that Clint Eastwood was struggling to find work and was thinking about giving up acting, when he was offered this Spaghetti western.
Then there was Lee Van Cleef, also ready to give up acting when Sergio Leone came calling. Lee Van Cleef's role as "Col. Douglas Mortimer" in "For A Few Dollars More" (1965) turned him into an international movie star!
The first in the DOLLARS TRILOGY or sometimes called Man With No Name Series.
Love the reaction, can't wait for The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. I'd also look at The Magnificent 7, The Professionals, Once Upon A Time In The West, The Wild Bunch and a John Wayne film perhaps my favourite Rio Bravo?
Few people ever recommend The Professionals and I never could understand why since the cast is star studded
I think it's fantastic, one of Lee Marvin's best.
Especially fun watching with Jen's enthusiasm!
... alternate re-title Back To The Western Part 4, didn't realize how much inspiration BTTF3 took from the town scenes as well Clint' Eastwood's role.
Glad to see you tackling these. The "trilogy" is three movies that are not related to each other in terms of storyline. The only connection is the Clint Eastwood character: "The man with no name". We never learn his name in any of them. He has the same hat, poncho , and cigarillow, as well as his preference for less talk, but when he does he has a lot of good quips, and of course his amazing shooting ability. He is the classic Western anti-hero--the mystery man who is a loner, a law unto himself, never forming long-term connections, but never harms women or other innocents. He is typically rather mercenary, and happy to pursue the treasure (and usually gets it), but typically comes down on the side of good.
The "Spaghetti Western" is a subgenre of Westerns, filmed by Italian directors and crew, and most of the cast as well, although Leone and other Italian directors would utilize American actors as the lead, or sometimes a small group of leads.
A Fistful of Dollars made Eastwood a big star. He would go on to star in A Few Dollars More (okay, but not as good), and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly--one of the greatest Westerns of all time (you should put that one on your reaction list. It is implied that he is the same character in each, but we can't be sure since he has no name!
The very distinct music, which fits so damn well, is by Ennio Morricone, and he did the music for many of Leone's other Westerns as well. Outstanding work, which didn't get the attention it should have at the time, but is very highly regarded now.
Besides the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, consider Once Upon a Time In the West, and maybe Two Mules for Sister Sarah (not sure if that one is a Spaghetti, but is a Clint Eastwood Western that I think you would like).