Dollars Trilogy

Dollars Trilogy
Directed by	Sergio Leone
Produced by	Arrigo Colombo (1) Giorgia Papi (1) Alberto Grimaldi (2–3)
Written by	Sergio Leone Víctor Andrés Catena (1) Jamie Comas Gil (1) Luciano Vincenzoni (2–3) Sergio Donati (2–3 - uncredited) Age & Scarpelli (3)
Starring	Clint Eastwood Lee Van Cleef (2–3) Gian Maria Volontè (1–2) Eli Wallach (3)
Music by	Ennio Morricone
Cinematography	Massimo Dallamano (1–2) Federico G. Larraya (1) Tonino Delli Colli (3)
Edited by	Roberto Cinquini (1) Alfonso Santacana (1) Eugenio Alabiso (2–3) Giorgio Serrallonga (2) Nino Baragli (3)
Production company	Constantin Film Jolly Film (1) Ocean Films (1) Produzioni Europee Associati (PEA) (2–3) Arturo González Producciones Cinematográficas (2–3) United Artists (3)
Distributed by	Unidis (Italy, 1) PEA (Italy, 2–3) United Artists (US & UK, original) MGM/UA/20th Century Fox (US & UK, current)
Release dates	1: October 16, 1964 2: November 18, 1965 3: December 15, 1966
Running time	409 minutes (1–3)
Country	Italy West Germany Spain United States (3)
Language	English Italian
Budget	Total (3 films): $2,000,000–$2,025,000
Box office	Total (3 films): $280,500,000

The Dollars Trilogy (Italian: Trilogia del dollarocode: it is deprecated ), also known as the Man with No Name Trilogy, is a film series consisting of three Spaghetti Western films directed by Sergio Leone. The films are titled A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). They were distributed by United Artists.

The series has become known for establishing the Spaghetti Western genre, and inspiring the creation of many more Spaghetti Western films. The three films are consistently listed among the best rated Western films of all time.

Although it was not Leone's intention, the three movies came to be considered a trilogy following the exploits of the same so-called "Man with No Name" (portrayed by Clint Eastwood, wearing the same clothes and acting with the same mannerisms). The "Man with No Name" concept was invented by the American distributor United Artists, looking for a strong angle to sell the movies as a trilogy. Eastwood's character does indeed have a name (albeit a nickname) and a different one in each film: "Joe", "Manco" and "Blondie", respectively.

Development

A Fistful of Dollars is an unofficial remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1961 film Yojimbo starring Toshiro Mifune, which resulted in a successful lawsuit by Toho.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is considered a prequel, since it depicts Eastwood's character gradually acquiring the clothing he wears in the other two films and because it takes place during the American Civil War (1861–1865), whereas the other two films feature comparatively more modern firearms and other props. For example, Lee Van Cleef's character in For a Few Dollars More appears to be a Confederate veteran who has come down in the world, and a graveyard scene in A Fistful of Dollars features a gravestone dated 1873.

Cast

The only actors to appear in all three movies besides Eastwood are Mario Brega, Aldo Sambrell, Benito Stefanelli and Lorenzo Robledo. Four other actors each appear twice in the trilogy, playing different characters: Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volontè, Luigi Pistilli, and Joseph Egger.

"I think [the Leone films] changed the style, the approach to Westerns [in Hollywood]. ... They made the violence and the shooting aspect a little more larger than life, and they had great music and new types of scores. ... They were stories that hadn't been used in other Westerns. They just had a look and a style that was a little different at the time: I don't think any of them was a classic story—like [John Wayne's 1956] The Searchers or something like that—they were more fragmented, episodic, following the central character through various little episodes."

— Clint Eastwood reflecting on the impact of the films.

Music

Composer Ennio Morricone provided original music score for all three films, although in A Fistful of Dollars he was credited as "Dan Savio."

Principal cast

Actor	Character
	A Fistful of Dollars (1964)	For a Few Dollars More (1965)	The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
Clint Eastwood	Joe	Manco	Blondie
Mario Brega	Chico	Niño	Corporal Wallace
Aldo Sambrell	Manolo	Cuchillo	Angel Eyes Gang Member
Benito Stefanelli	Rubio	Hughie (a.k.a. "Luke")
Lorenzo Robledo	Baxter's member	Tomaso	Clem
Joseph Egger	Piripero	Old Prophet
Gian Maria Volontè	Ramón Rojo	El Indio
Lee Van Cleef		Colonel Douglas Mortimer	Angel Eyes
Luigi Pistilli		Groggy	Father Pablo Ramirez
Eli Wallach			Tuco Ramirez

Crew

Role		Film
		A Fistful of Dollars (1964)	For a Few Dollars More (1965)	The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
Director		Sergio Leone
Producer		Arrigo Colombo Girogia Papi	Alberto Grimaldi
Writer	Screenplay	Sergio Leone Víctor Andrés Catena Jamie Comas Gil Fernando Di Leo Duccio Tessari Tonino Valerii	Sergio Leone Luciano Vincenzoni Sergio Donati	Sergio Leone Luciano Vincenzoni Age & Scarpelli Sergio Donati
	Story	Sergio Leone Victor Andrés Catena Adriano Bolzoni	Sergio Leone Enzo Dell'Aquila Fernando Di Leo Fulvio Morsella	Sergio Leone Luciano Vincenzoni
Music		Ennio Morricone
Cinematographer		Massimo Dallamano Federico G. Larraya	Massimo Dallamano	Tonino Delli Colli
Editor		Roberto Cinquini Alfonso Santacana	Eugenio Alabiso Giorgio Serrallonga	Eugenio Alabiso Nino Baragli
Set and costume design		Carlo Simi

Reception

Critical reception

Film	Rotten Tomatoes	Metacritic
A Fistful of Dollars	98% (43 reviews)	N/A
For a Few Dollars More	94% (33 reviews)	N/A
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly	97% (67 reviews)	90 (7 reviews)

Box office performance

Film	Release date	Revenue	Budget
A Fistful of Dollars	October 16, 1964 (1964-10-16)	$14,500,000	$200,000-$225,000
For a Few Dollars More	November 18, 1965 (1965-11-18)	$15,000,000	$600,000
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly	December 15, 1966 (1966-12-15)	$25,100,000	$1.2 million
Total		$54,600,000	$2,000,000–$2,025,000

Accolades

Award	Category	Recipients and nominees	Outcome	Ref.
A Fistful of Dollars
Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists	Best Score	Ennio Morricone	Won
	Best Supporting Actor	Gian Maria Volontè	Nominated
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Laurel Awards	Action Performance	Clint Eastwood	Runner-Up
Grammy Awards	2009 Grammy Hall of Fame Award	Ennio Morricone	Won

Home media

Both the 1999 DVD and the 2010 and 2014 Blu-ray box set releases, both by MGM, make specific reference to the set of films as "The Man With No Name Trilogy."