Fistful of Dollars

Directed by Sergio Leone

Fistful of Dollars (1964) directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood, is the first in the trilogy known as The Dollars Triliogy. It was followed by For a Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), also starring Eastwood.

A new type of hero to Hollywood cinema, a Man with No Name (Eastwood), arrives at a little Mexican border town named San Miguel. He is quickly introduced to the feud between two Mafioso style families bitterly laying claim to the town: the Rojos brothers and the Baxter family, of which John Baxter is sheriff of the town. Morally ambiguous, the Stranger quickly spies an opportunity to make a "fistful of dollars" and decides to play both families against each other, performing tasks for both while at the same time subversively inciting them to fight.

Director

Sergio Leone

Writers

A. Bonzzoni

Victor Andrés Catena

Sergio Leone

Jaime Comas Gil

Cast

Clint Eastwood … The Man with No Name

Marianne Koch … Marisol

Gian Maria Volontè … Ramón Rojo (as Johnny Wels)

Wolfgang Lukschy … John Baxter (as W. Lukschy)

Sieghardt Rupp … Esteban Rojo (as S. Rupp)

Joseph Egger … Piripero (as Joe Edger)

Antonio Prieto … Don Miguel Rojo

José Calvo … Silvanito (as Jose Calvo)

Margarita Lozano … Consuelo Baxter (as Margherita Lozano)

Daniel Martín … Julián

Benito Stefanelli … Rubio (as Benny Reeves)

Mario Brega … Chico (as Richard Stuyvesant)

Bruno Carotenuto … Antonio Baxter (as Carol Brown)

Aldo Sambrell … Rojo gang member (as Aldo Sambreli)

Trivia

• Clint Eastwood's role was first offered to Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson.
• Clint Eastwood helped in creating his character's distinctive visual style. He bought the black jeans from a sport shop on Hollywood Boulevard, the hat came from a Santa Monica wardrobe firm and the trademark black cigars came from a Beverly Hills store.
• Clint Eastwood's trademark squint was caused by the combination of the sun and high-wattage arc lamps on the set.