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United Artists
In 1963, Clint Eastwood found himself weary of his role as a Western hero. His character, Rowdy Yates on CBS’ “Rawhide,” was stuck in a monotonous cycle of heroism, battling clichéd villains while maintaining his unblemished cowboy persona. Although this path promised a future, it meant Eastwood would have to keep repeating the same role until he became a parody of himself.
Upon concluding his fifth season of “Rawhide,” Eastwood decided to take a leap of faith. He accepted an offer to star in a Western film directed by an upcoming Italian director, filmed in Spain. This film, “A Fistful of Dollars,” not only sparked the “Spaghetti Western” trend but also, in conjunction with the American works of Sam Peckinpah, revitalized the genre’s popularity for an entire decade.
At first glance, “A Fistful of Dollars” didn’t seem to have much critical potential. Many critics dismissed the film as overly violent and morally bankrupt, a criticism oddly not directed at Akira Kurosawa’s “Yojimbo,” from which Leone unabashedly borrowed. However, audiences worldwide, tired of John Wayne’s towering heroism, were drawn to the film. Despite some being put off by the dubbed dialogue, the raw and intense Italian aesthetic was well-received.
Leone’s fluency in the language of Westerns was enough for Eastwood, who could only communicate with his director using two words.
Overcoming language barriers with the power of cinema
United Artists
In a 1977 interview with the BBC, Eastwood reminisced about his experience filming “A Fistful of Dollars” in Spain. He remembered having a limited connection with Leone.
As Eastwood shared with the BBC:
“My Italian vocabulary consisted of ‘arrivederci’ and ‘buongiorno,’ and [Leone] knew ‘goodbye’ and ‘hello’ in English. That was our starting point. As time went on, he picked up a bit of English, and I learned some Italian. We also used a bit of Spanish to bridge the gap and somehow managed to make it work.”
And work it did! While I believe “A Fistful of Dollars” is more impactful than it is “good,” its successors, “For a Few Dollars More” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” are undeniable masterpieces. These films may not have enhanced Eastwood’s reputation as an actor (some critics thought his minimalistic persona was an instant self-parody), but audiences loved his unique style. By the end of the 1960s, Eastwood had become one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, and with 1971’s “Dirty Harry,” he was on the brink of becoming arguably the biggest. His Italian may have been rough, but the success of these films spoke volumes.
Credit: www.slashfilm.com
