Trivia for
Per un pugno di dollari (1964) More at IMDb Pro »

• Clint Eastwood's role was first offered to Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson.
  
  
• A remake of Yojimbo (1961)
  
  
• The trailers and promo material in the United States list the title of this film as "A Fistful of Dollars". The on-screen title on the film itself gives the title as simply "Fistful of Dollars".
  
  

• Sergio Leone was not keen on using Ennio Morricone, the composer's, choice of musician for this film. Lacerenza's initial trumpet performance of the score made Leone quickly set aside any reservations. Leone and Morricone, who had known each other since 3rd grade, would develop a close working relationship that would last through all of Leone's future films.
  
  
• This has been described as the first "spaghetti western", but when this film was made, there had already been about 25 such westerns produced in Italy. This was, however, the first to receive a major international release.
  
  
• This was the first time that Sergio Leone and Ennio Morricone worked together. As children, they were classmates in school.
  
  
• Originally called "The Magnificent Stranger", the title wasn't changed to "A Fistful of Dollars" until almost three days before the movie premiered in theaters. In fact, nobody had bothered to inform its main star, Clint Eastwood, of the change, and as a result Eastwood remained virtually unaware of the positive buzz surrounding the movie until an agent pointed it out to him in a Variety Magazine article three weeks later.
  
  
• 'James Coburn' also passed on the opportunity to make this film.
  
  
• The Man With No Name is actually called Joe in the film's dialog (by the undertaker) and in the closing credits.
  
  
• According to "Once Upon a Time in the Italian West" by Howard Hughes, Leone spotted a tree, while on location, that he thought would be perfect for the hanging tree at the beginning of the film, so the tree was dug up and relocated.
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• Because this was an Italian/German/Spanish co-production, there was a significant language barrier on the set. Clint Eastwood communicated with Sergio Leone and the Italian crew mostly through stuntman Benito Stefanelli, who also acted as an unofficial interpreter for the production.
  
  
• When the film made its U.S. network television debut on "The ABC Sunday Night Movie" in February 1975, a new prologue was added in which an unidentified lawman or politician (played by Harry Dean Stanton) orders "Joe" to get rid of the gangs of San Miguel in return for a pardon. Neither Eastwood nor Leone were involved in the shooting of this additional footage. A double with his face hidden and stock footage of Eastwood were used. Monte Hellman directed the new footage. This prologue is now available on the Special Edition released in 2005.
  
  
• Clint Eastwood's trademark squint was caused by the combination of the sun and high-wattage arc lamps on the set.
  
  
• The theme song was originally composed by Ennio Morricone as a lullaby. Sergio Leone insisted that he wanted the "deguello" trumpet dirge-played by Mexican troops before a battle to signify that there will be no quarter given to the enemy-that was used in Rio Bravo (1959), believing it was a "public domain" piece. Finally, he settled for a "Mexican trumpet" arrangement of the original Morricone piece.
  
  
• Filmed in 1964, but not released in the US until 1967.
  
  
• The cigars smoked by The Man With No Name were the idea of Clint Eastwood. Eastwood himself bought the cigars and then cut them into three pieces to create the short cigars his character smoked. Eastwood himself is a non-smoker.
  
  
• The film's US release was delayed when Yojimbo (1961) screenwriters Akira Kurosawa and Ryuzo Kikushima sued the filmmakers for breach of copyright. Kurosawa and Kikushima won, and as a result received 15% of the film's worldwide gross and exclusive distribution rights for Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. Kurosawa said later he made more money off of this project than he did on "Yojimbo".
  
  
• After considering Henry Fonda, director Sergio Leone offered the role of the Man With No Name to 'James Coburn', who proved too expensive. Charles Bronson then turned it down after describing it as the "worst script I have ever seen". Third choice Richard Harrison also declined the role but pointed Leone in the direction of "Rawhide" (1959). Leone then offered the part to "Rawhide" star Eric Fleming, who turned it down but suggested his co-star Clint Eastwood for the part. The rest, as they say, is history.
  
  
• Steve Reeves turned down the lead role because he was making more money on other projects.
  
  
• During its 1969 American re-release it was double-billed with "For a Few Dollars More."
  
  
• Prior to this picture, in American films, whenever a person was shot, one camera was focused on the shooter, who fired his weapon, and a split second later, the director quickly cut to the victim who could be seen being hit and falling to the ground or whatever. Clint Eastwood knew this had always been the way such scenes were shot in the States, but didn't bother to tell Leone. Sergio shot the first scene involving any kind of major violence in this picture, with the camera shooting from over Eastwood's shoulder, as though the viewer was right there watching.
  
  

Related Links