Clint Eastwood – Man With No Name Trilogy Blu-Ray : MGM Home Entertainment
Review by JAM
Review by JAM
Way back in 1964, a young Italian director by the name of Sergio Leone and a young grizzled television actor named Clint Eastwood turned the Western on its side, establishing the “Spaghetti western” as a new archetype in the eyes of moviegoers. Establishing characters full of realism and grit with moral ambiguity depending on the situation rather than the hero dressed in white versus the villain in all black. Starting with A Fistful of Dollars, the Man with No Name (as Clint Eastwood’s character was known) began his quest for righting wrongs, achieving vengeance, getting rich, or whatever was required at that moment in time. The movies were not shot to be a trilogy necessarily, but by factor in that all three movies followed a man with no name wearing the same clothes, with the same character traits and mannerisms, and played by the same actor caused the three movies to be lumped together into a trilogy which is now being released on Blu-Ray discs for your enjoyment.
A Fistful of Dollars
The original of the three movies starring the Man with No Name (Clint Eastwood) in which he works over two separate bands of smugglers, playing them off each other in a dance of betrayal and death. The Man with No Name enters a small Mexican Border town and hears a story of the feud between two rival families, the Rojos and the Baxters, who are both vying to take control of this little town. Seeing the opportunity for his enrichment as a shipment of gold passes through the town, he starts the wheels in motion for his plan. Seeing the caravan waylaid by the Rojos, The Man starts to sell information to both sides about survivors from the ambush, leading the Baxters to come to save the survivors as witnesses to the Rojos’ acts and the Rojos coming to eliminate the witnesses.
The Man in his search for the gold discovers Marisol (Marianne Koch), an unwilling participant with the Rojos who was taken from her son and husband. Showing his hidden heart of gold, he frees her and sends her away with her family which leads to a beating from the Rojos family. After his escape, the Rojos destroy the Baxter gang, thinking they are protecting The Man. Finaly in the climatic showdown, The Man covers himself with a steel chestplate, urging the Rojos to aim for his heart, killing them all in the process before he rides from town.
For a Few Dollars More
Two bounty hunters hunt the vicious bandit “El Indio” (Gian Maria Volontè) for their own reasons. Colonel Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef) searches for Indio, on a quest for family retribution as he catches and mows down a number of bounties in his pursuit. He crosses paths with a man known as “Manco”, the Man with No Name (Clint Eastwood) from the trilogy, and proceeds to team up in order to take down Indio and his gang. Infiltrating the gang, Manco and Mortimer work hard to integrate themselves in to Indio’s trust, only to be caught red-handed trying to steal his earning from a bank robbery. Indio, in the process of trying to double-cross his own gang, has his right-hand man Nino (Mario Brega) release them and inform the gang they have gotten away. Indio’s plan is to split the money with Nino after eliminating his own gang and the bounty hunters, but his plan starts to backfire after Nino is shot by a smarter gang member Groggy (Luigi Pistilli). Indio teams with Groggy after discovering the money gone to track down Mortimer and Manco, leading to a final showdown between Colonel Mortimer and the man who had caused the death of his sister. Mortimer leaves Manco with the money and the bounties for the outlaws, satisfied with the revenge he has achieved.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Three gunslingers cross paths on a quest for Confederate gold in this third part of the Man with No Name trilogy (even though the Man is called Blondie this time). “The Bad” of this movie, Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) is a ruthless mercenary looking for his fortune and killing whoever is in his way at the time. Alliances come and go with this man as cash reigns supreme in his mind. “The Ugly” Tuco (Eli Walach) is a bandit with a price on his head who has a tenuous partnership with “The Good” Blondie (Clint Eastwood) in which Tuco is turned in for the bounty and then escapes the hangman’s noose through the sharpshooting of Blondie.
The greed of Tuco brings a sudden end to this partnership with Blondie abandoning Tuco in the desert, which leads Tuco to seek revenge (and coincidently stumble upon the chance to find the fortune of their lifetimes). Crossing paths with Angel Eyes and his posse, the former partners reunite for a final time to confront “The Bad” and find the buried treasure. The movie ends with a final act of revenge, mercy, or torture depending on how one views it as Blondie saves Tuco from the noose one last time (though he was who had noosed Tuco) and leaving half the gold for Tuco, but no horse to take it.
JAMS Ink on The Man With No Name Trilogy
If you really look at it, these movies were extremely important in the history of Hollywood. Westerns before these movies had tended to be cut and dry black and white. The bad guys wore black and talked ominously or laughed manically, and the hero rode the fanciful horse and the immaculately clean white and won the heart of the pretty little lady in trouble after a fancy shootout where everyone was winged and arrested at the end of the movie. Then came The Man with No Name. Morally ambiguous, but generally on the side of the angels in his own way, he defended those who needed him with guns ablazing and death totals rising. Never did he walk away with the girl, because he was not searching for that but rather his fortune. The “spaghetti Westerns” had a real feeling to them as the characters seemed realistic and the audience could connect as they watched.
The music from these movies is unforgettable as Ennio Morricone created virtual movie symphonies. Play music from these Westerns, and I would bet nearly anyone on the street would stop and claim to have heard that before, even if they may not be able to place it. The director Leone would often shoot scenes to the music of Morricone, having the music created before movie shooting even began. This led to scenes fitting the music, rather than vice versa.
Clint found his star in these movies, making the transition from the television screen to the silver screen in such a comfortable fashion. Clint comes off on the screen as if he was born to play these parts as the grizzled, scruffy cowboy who becomes a savior to those who need him. His pairing with Leone truly was a match made in heaven at the time as each contributed their soul to these movies and established a new genre by themselves.
I am looking forward to re-watching these movies with my father soon as they are from his time, and a little before mine (even though I thoroughly enjoy them). These movies are the kind of classics that a father and son can share and enjoy, escaping to a time where a man was judged as much on his actions as his abilities in the old west. It is always fun to hear what movies like these mean to others and I am looking forward to that time.
EXTRAS
A Fistful Of Dollars Blu-ray Disc Bonus Features:
● The Christopher Frayling Archives: A Fistful of Dollars
● Commentary by Film Historian Christopher Frayling
● A New Kind of Hero
● A Few Weeks in Spain: Clint Eastwood on the Experience of Making the Film
● Tre Voci: A Fistful of Dollars
● Not Ready for Primetime: Renowned Filmmaker Monte Hellman discusses the Television Broadcast of A Fistful of Dollars
● The Network Prologue with Actor Harry Dean Stanton
● Location Comparisons: Then to Now
● 10 Radio Spots
● Double Bill Trailer
● Theatrical Trailer
For A Few Dollars More Blu-ray Disc Bonus Features:
● The Christopher Frayling Archives: For A Few Dollars More
● Commentary by Film Historian Christopher Frayling
● A New Standard: Frayling on For A Few Dollars More
● Back for More: Clint Eastwood Remembers For A Few Dollars More
● Tre Voci: For A Few Dollars More
● For A Few Dollars More: The Original American Release Version
● Location Comparisons
● 12 Radio Spots
● Theatrical Trailer 1
● Theatrical Trailer 2
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Blu-ray Disc Bonus Features:
● Commentary by Film Historian Richard Schickel
● Commentary by Film Historian Christopher Frayling
● Leone’s West
● The Leone Style
● The Man Who Lost the Civil War
● Reconstructing The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
● IL Maestro: Ennio Morricone and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly - Part One
● IL Maestro: Part Two
● Deleted Scenes
○ Extended Tuco Torture Scene
○ The Socorro Sequence: A Reconstruction
● Easter Egg #1 Uno, Due, Tre
● Easter Egg #2 Italian Lunch
● Easter Egg #3 New York Actor
● Easter Egg #4 Gun in Holster
● Theatrical Trailer
● French Trailer
The Man With No Name Trilogy from MGM Home Entertainment appeared on shelves on DVD on June 1, 2010. Grab a copy of the westerns that changed the world of Hollywood and enjoy a little early, dark and gritty Clint Eastwood.
Remember check out this review and more from JAM at www.hollywoodteenzine.com for teens and tweens, and at http://jammoviereviews.blogspot.com for movies of all genres and ages.
Two bounty hunters hunt the vicious bandit “El Indio” (Gian Maria Volontè) for their own reasons. Colonel Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef) searches for Indio, on a quest for family retribution as he catches and mows down a number of bounties in his pursuit. He crosses paths with a man known as “Manco”, the Man with No Name (Clint Eastwood) from the trilogy, and proceeds to team up in order to take down Indio and his gang. Infiltrating the gang, Manco and Mortimer work hard to integrate themselves in to Indio’s trust, only to be caught red-handed trying to steal his earning from a bank robbery. Indio, in the process of trying to double-cross his own gang, has his right-hand man Nino (Mario Brega) release them and inform the gang they have gotten away. Indio’s plan is to split the money with Nino after eliminating his own gang and the bounty hunters, but his plan starts to backfire after Nino is shot by a smarter gang member Groggy (Luigi Pistilli). Indio teams with Groggy after discovering the money gone to track down Mortimer and Manco, leading to a final showdown between Colonel Mortimer and the man who had caused the death of his sister. Mortimer leaves Manco with the money and the bounties for the outlaws, satisfied with the revenge he has achieved.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Three gunslingers cross paths on a quest for Confederate gold in this third part of the Man with No Name trilogy (even though the Man is called Blondie this time). “The Bad” of this movie, Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) is a ruthless mercenary looking for his fortune and killing whoever is in his way at the time. Alliances come and go with this man as cash reigns supreme in his mind. “The Ugly” Tuco (Eli Walach) is a bandit with a price on his head who has a tenuous partnership with “The Good” Blondie (Clint Eastwood) in which Tuco is turned in for the bounty and then escapes the hangman’s noose through the sharpshooting of Blondie.
The greed of Tuco brings a sudden end to this partnership with Blondie abandoning Tuco in the desert, which leads Tuco to seek revenge (and coincidently stumble upon the chance to find the fortune of their lifetimes). Crossing paths with Angel Eyes and his posse, the former partners reunite for a final time to confront “The Bad” and find the buried treasure. The movie ends with a final act of revenge, mercy, or torture depending on how one views it as Blondie saves Tuco from the noose one last time (though he was who had noosed Tuco) and leaving half the gold for Tuco, but no horse to take it.
JAMS Ink on The Man With No Name Trilogy
If you really look at it, these movies were extremely important in the history of Hollywood. Westerns before these movies had tended to be cut and dry black and white. The bad guys wore black and talked ominously or laughed manically, and the hero rode the fanciful horse and the immaculately clean white and won the heart of the pretty little lady in trouble after a fancy shootout where everyone was winged and arrested at the end of the movie. Then came The Man with No Name. Morally ambiguous, but generally on the side of the angels in his own way, he defended those who needed him with guns ablazing and death totals rising. Never did he walk away with the girl, because he was not searching for that but rather his fortune. The “spaghetti Westerns” had a real feeling to them as the characters seemed realistic and the audience could connect as they watched.
The music from these movies is unforgettable as Ennio Morricone created virtual movie symphonies. Play music from these Westerns, and I would bet nearly anyone on the street would stop and claim to have heard that before, even if they may not be able to place it. The director Leone would often shoot scenes to the music of Morricone, having the music created before movie shooting even began. This led to scenes fitting the music, rather than vice versa.
Clint found his star in these movies, making the transition from the television screen to the silver screen in such a comfortable fashion. Clint comes off on the screen as if he was born to play these parts as the grizzled, scruffy cowboy who becomes a savior to those who need him. His pairing with Leone truly was a match made in heaven at the time as each contributed their soul to these movies and established a new genre by themselves.
I am looking forward to re-watching these movies with my father soon as they are from his time, and a little before mine (even though I thoroughly enjoy them). These movies are the kind of classics that a father and son can share and enjoy, escaping to a time where a man was judged as much on his actions as his abilities in the old west. It is always fun to hear what movies like these mean to others and I am looking forward to that time.
EXTRAS
A Fistful Of Dollars Blu-ray Disc Bonus Features:
● The Christopher Frayling Archives: A Fistful of Dollars
● Commentary by Film Historian Christopher Frayling
● A New Kind of Hero
● A Few Weeks in Spain: Clint Eastwood on the Experience of Making the Film
● Tre Voci: A Fistful of Dollars
● Not Ready for Primetime: Renowned Filmmaker Monte Hellman discusses the Television Broadcast of A Fistful of Dollars
● The Network Prologue with Actor Harry Dean Stanton
● Location Comparisons: Then to Now
● 10 Radio Spots
● Double Bill Trailer
● Theatrical Trailer
For A Few Dollars More Blu-ray Disc Bonus Features:
● The Christopher Frayling Archives: For A Few Dollars More
● Commentary by Film Historian Christopher Frayling
● A New Standard: Frayling on For A Few Dollars More
● Back for More: Clint Eastwood Remembers For A Few Dollars More
● Tre Voci: For A Few Dollars More
● For A Few Dollars More: The Original American Release Version
● Location Comparisons
● 12 Radio Spots
● Theatrical Trailer 1
● Theatrical Trailer 2
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Blu-ray Disc Bonus Features:
● Commentary by Film Historian Richard Schickel
● Commentary by Film Historian Christopher Frayling
● Leone’s West
● The Leone Style
● The Man Who Lost the Civil War
● Reconstructing The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
● IL Maestro: Ennio Morricone and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly - Part One
● IL Maestro: Part Two
● Deleted Scenes
○ Extended Tuco Torture Scene
○ The Socorro Sequence: A Reconstruction
● Easter Egg #1 Uno, Due, Tre
● Easter Egg #2 Italian Lunch
● Easter Egg #3 New York Actor
● Easter Egg #4 Gun in Holster
● Theatrical Trailer
● French Trailer
The Man With No Name Trilogy from MGM Home Entertainment appeared on shelves on DVD on June 1, 2010. Grab a copy of the westerns that changed the world of Hollywood and enjoy a little early, dark and gritty Clint Eastwood.
Remember check out this review and more from JAM at www.hollywoodteenzine.com for teens and tweens, and at http://jammoviereviews.blogspot.com for movies of all genres and ages.
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