Per un pugno di dollari
Regie:
Sergio LeoneMuziek:
Ennio MorriconeActeurs:
Clint Eastwood, Marianne Koch, Gian Maria Volonté, Wolfgang Lukschy, Sieghardt Rupp, Josef Egger, Antonio Prieto, José Calvo, Margarita Lozano (meer)Samenvattingen(1)
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. (officiële tekst van distribiteur)
(meer)Video's (1)
Recensie (8)
What an amazing start! When Monco puts a plate under his poncho and learns to shoot again with his crippled hands, I get chills down my spine - and it's the fault of all three gentlemen - Eastwood, Leone and Morricone. Thanks, guys. The final duel, which at one point is amazingly filmed as a shoe fight, must have been such an "event" in its time that all directors of westerns had their eyes popping out of their sockets. Good for them. At least they had a chance to prepare for what was coming in a few years.
()
This is where it all began. For westerns, for Eastwood and also maybe for Leone. The day when a gunslinger arrived in a small town. The story is simple, but nice, the same as the characters in it. And Clint straining snappy lines through his perpetual cheroot is just delicious. When a man's got money in his pocket he begins to appreciate peace.
()
This cult Western was practically created at the same time as one of my favorite films, Lemonade Joe, which programmatically opposes exactly what Leone did here. That means emphasizing genre clichés, the naivety of the plot, and an unrealistic view of historical events and actions. In the case of Leone's film, nostalgia doesn't work for me at all, which influences, in some cases, more than just my assessment of films, as I didn't see this film during my adolescence. Of course, A Fistful of Dollars is the beginning of the subgenre of spaghetti Westerns, it is a recognized classic, and naturally, I easily find within it practically everything that led to Leone's success. Excellent camera work, scenes designed to maximize the most fundamental human emotions, a sharp contrast between positive and negative characters, cuts to sweaty, bearded faces, and wild gleam in the eyes, a great sense of film detail, and superb casting, which, among other things, helped Clint Eastwood rise to stardom. However, I have a very lukewarm relationship with westerns, as I've mentioned in my reviews several times, so I can't overlook many of the film's unfinished aspects. Leone was still finding himself in this filmmaking genre and honing his directing style. While I forgive genre clichés much more readily in other entertaining genres that I like more, I am unforgiving here. For example, key scenes such as the attack on the military convoy or the destruction of Baxter's hideout are poorly shot and practically cry out for parody. Notice the dozens of male characters, who, after being shot in the chest, tense up, grab their heart, and slowly stagger to the ground with a typical motion. Overall, the script is naive, and a person simply has to turn off their brain. In his later films, Leone added much greater depth of thought, and new motifs, and even Morricone delivered much more emotional performances. When it comes to westerns, I prefer a more realistic style, for example, as demonstrated by the Coen brothers in their new film True Grit. This film lacks much of what I appreciate in cinema, such as realism, rawness, and the internal logic of the story. On the other hand, there are plenty of aspects that repel me from this genre. Overall impression: 40%.
()
Leone’s first foray into western territory meant the arrival of a legend. This Kurosawa remake turned out particularly well and although Sergio was still fine-tuning his directing style to perfection, this is an amazing work. Of course, it can’t compete with Leone’s later masterpieces, which changed the face of cinema forever, but compared to the vast majority of other westerns (and other movies regardless of genre) its quality takes it to completely other spheres. ♫ OST score: 4/5
()
Out of sentiment for the material and respect for the legend of Sergio Leone, it's hardly three stars. In A Fistful of Dollars it is clear that the cult trilogy is still in its infancy. The budget is lacking and the technical side is all over the place, but the foundation stones have been successfully laid. Clint Eastwood with his growl, a unique Ennio Morricone and a surprisingly well-written story that at times feels like a spaghetti Bolognese commercial.
()
Reclame