For a Few Dollars More (1965): Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef

     After completing principle production on A Fistful of Dollars (1964), Italian director Sergio Leone was eager to start filming a follow-up to kickstart his new stylized brand of Western films (now commonly referred to as "Spaghetti Westerns"). He wanted Clint Eastwood to return for the next film, as he was very happy with Eastwood's performance in the first. Eastwood would not immediately consent to a second role, however, as he had yet to see a rough cut of his work in the first film. Leone sent him an Italian language print (the English version had not been made yet, as Leone's films were shot silent, then recorded dialogue was added later) and Eastwood was so elated, even without understanding the words, that he agreed to work for Leone again. Eastwood required a heftier than usual salary, though, which cut into Leone's limited budget. Thankfully veteran Western villain actor, Lee Van Cleef signed on for a modest sum. The resulting film, For a Few Dollars More (1965) expanded on Eastwood's "Man with No Name" character and proved to be a defining film, the second in a trilogy. 

     The "Man with No Name" (Clint Eastwood) is back, now working as a bounty hunter, prowling the West and killing crooks (never taking them alive), and collecting reward money... 

For a Few Dollars More. 1965: Clint Eastwood

     He is not the sole practitioner of this profession in the Territory, however. Colonel Douglas Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef) makes his living tracking down and killing bad guys as well... 

For a Few Dollars More. 1965

     When they find themselves in pursuit of the same outlaw, El Indio (Gian Maria Volonte), they are placed at an impasse and decide to join forces... 

For a Few Dollars More. 1965: Clint Eastwood

     Killing El Indio and his 14 cohorts must become a team effort... 

For a Few Dollars More. 1965: Clint Eastwood

     Their prospective financial prize changes, however, when El Indio and his gang rob a bank in El Paso...

For a Few Dollars More. 1965: Clint Eastwood

     But one of the bounty hunters may have ulterior motives, beyond reward money, is desiring El Indio dead...

For a Few Dollars More. 1965: Clint Eastwood

A Fistful of Dollars (1964): Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood

     By the early 1960's, the American Western film genre had pretty much run it's course. Italian director Sergio Leone, a fan of the genre, still saw tons of potential in marketing Westerns to European audiences though. He devised to come up with a Western in his own style, a grittier panorama more focused on realism and atmosphere. With a limited budget and minimal salary to offer, Leone's top picks (Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, James Coburn) all turned down the role... but Clint Eastwood, a TV actor in the Rawhide series, was more than happy to accept. The resulting film, A Fistful of Dollars (1964), was shot in Spain but made to resemble the American West. It became the first "Spaghetti Western" and the first in Leone's "The Man with No Name" series. With the addition of a great musical score by Ennio Morricone, Leone invented a whole new genre of film making. One with it's own technical and visual characteristics that have now become Iconic.

     An unnamed man (Clint Eastwood), quiet but skilled with a gun, rides into a Western town...

A Fistful of Dollars. 1964: Clint Eastwood

     He makes it clear from the start that he won't be pushed around...

A Fistful of Dollars. 1964: Clint Eastwood

     The town is divided between two warring factions: The Baxters and the Rojos...

A Fistful of Dollars. 1964: Clint Eastwood

     The man with no name intelligently concocts a plan to play one side against the other, all the while collecting wages for himself from both sides for his services...

A Fistful of Dollars. 1964: Clint Eastwood

     This scheme is not without it's difficulties...

A Fistful of Dollars. 1964: Clint Eastwood

A Fistful of Dollars. 1964: Clint Eastwood

The Great Train Robbery (1903): The First Narrative Film

     The first film to have a clear narrative storyline, albeit only 12 minutes long, was The Great Train Robbery (1903), written, directed and photographed by Edwin S. Porter. That's correct, the first "Modern American Film" was a Western... a fact most Western Film scholars are proud to reiterate. It was a milestone in movie making, produced by the Edison Film Company, and was pioneering in a number of the cinematic techniques that it utilized. These elements include double exposures, moving cameras and on-location shooting, to name a few. The Great Train Robbery was loosely based on the brazen exploits of the Wild Bunch, namely Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, as evidenced by the scene where explosives are used to open the locked strong-box. On a related historic side note, Butch and Sundance were in New York City, en route to South America, around the time The Great Train Robbery was released, and it is more than likely that the two would have caught a showing of it.

     Armed men enter a railroad telegraph office, forcing the operator to signal the train to stop, before leaving him bound up on the floor... 

The Great Train Robbery. 1903

     The bandits board the train, but find the safe to be locked. They must use dynamite to open it... 

The Great Train Robbery. 1903

     They de-board and a person trying to escape is shot... 

The Great Train Robbery. 1903

     The robbers flee with the money... 

The Great Train Robbery. 1903

     A young girl frees the telegraph operator, who promptly alerts the authorities, and the chase is on... 

The Great Train Robbery. 1903

     The inevitable shoot-out occurs...

The Great Train Robbery. 1903

By the Sun's Rays (1914): Lon Chaney

     With a total running time of eleven minutes, By the Sun's Rays (1914) was a typical short Western film of the period. What makes the film stand out, however, is that it is the earliest surviving film starring Lon Chaney... The Man of a Thousand Faces. In the film, Chaney showcases his burgeoning talents with his impressive array of facial expressions, including his classic sinister grin. By the Sun's Rays also proved Chaney's adeptness at playing villains, which would help him in the remainder of his career. 

     Frank Lawler (Lon Chaney) is a clerk for a mining company... 

By the Sun's Rays. 1914: Lon Chaney

     He is also in cahoots with a band of robbers, whom he tips off about the gold shipments leaving the mine... 

By the Sun's Rays. 1914: Lon Chaney

     Tired of getting robbed, the company hires a detective, John Murdock, to figure out where the bandits are getting their information... 

By the Sun's Rays. 1914: Lon Chaney

     All fingers point to Lawler... 

By the Sun's Rays. 1914: Lon Chaney

The Toll Gate (1920): William S. Hart

     Directed by Lambert Hillyer, The Toll Gate (1920) showcased popular Silent Western Film star William S. Hart at the top of his craft. The story focuses on an outlaw who plans to go straight, but is betrayed by a member of his gang for reward money, before he gets the chance. With great action sequences, chases and shootouts the film is pure early cinema entertainment.

The Toll Gate. 1920: William S. Hart

The Toll Gate. 1920: William S. Hart

The Toll Gate. 1920: William S. Hart

The Toll Gate. 1920: William S. Hart

The Toll Gate. 1920: William S. Hart

The Toll Gate. 1920: William S. Hart

The Toll Gate. 1920: William S. Hart

The Toll Gate. 1920: William S. Hart

The Toll Gate. 1920: William S. Hart

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966): Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach

     Directed by Sergio Leone, with an unforgettable musical score by Ennio Morricone, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) is one of the preeminent Spaghetti Westerns, and the third installment in Leone's "Dollars Trilogy". The story concerns three gunfighters out to find hidden Confederate gold during the chaos of the Civil War. Sweeping cinematography and close-up frames create stunning atmosphere. The cast is great, including Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach in the title roles.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. 1966: Clint Eastwood and Eli Wallach

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. 1966: Clint Eastwood

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. 1966: Eli Wallach

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. 1966: Eli Wallach

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. 1966: Clint Eastwood

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. 1966: Lee Van Cleef

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. 1966: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. 1966: Clint Eastwood

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. 1966: Lee Van Cleef

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. 1966: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. 1966: Clint Eastwood

Ride the High Country (1962): Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott

     Directed by Sam Peckinpah (in only his second film), Ride the High Country (1962) was unceremoniously released as the bottom half of a double bill, because studio executives felt the film "didn't cost enough to be any good." It is now regarded as a Classic Western and one of the first great examples of Peckinpah's work. The story concerns an aging ex-lawman who takes a job guarding a shipment of gold from a mining camp to the bank, and the dissension and toils he faces from both friends and foes along the way. The cast is fantastic, including Joel McCrea, Randolph Scott and Mariette Hartley.

Ride the High Country. 1962: Joel McCrea

Ride the High Country. 1962: Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott

Ride the High Country. 1962: Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott

Ride the High Country. 1962: Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott

Ride the High Country. 1962

Ride the High Country. 1962: Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott

Ride the High Country. 1962: Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott

Ride the High Country. 1962

Ride the High Country. 1962: Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott

Ride the High Country. 1962

Ride the High Country. 1962

"Ride the High Country"- movie trailer