A Fistful Of Dollars (1964) by Sergio Leone
In the film "A Fistful of Dollars", the lone hero is corrupt. This is similar to the status of the lone hero in many of the so-called "Spaghetti Westerns". The Spaghetti Westerns were filmed in Europe, using Italian actors in all but the leading role, and dubbed with American voices. The Spaghetti Westerns totally changed the face of the Western, as they became more and more violent - and the lone hero became a much more vicious character.
When watching "A Fistful of Dollars", the first focused image is the rocky, desert soil. After this, the camera pans and zooms in onto the lone hero and his horse. Heavy symbolism is being used here - that the lone
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This is amplified sound, for example, horse's footsteps and gunshot. This silence intensifies the atmosphere and heightens the tension.
When the villains of the film are shooting at a child, the man with no name never alters his expression. He is portrayed as utterly selfish, never doing anything unless it concerned him, or benefited him directly. The villains however are much worse than the lone hero. They have no redeeming features to their characters. In this film, the real villains are always the ethnic minority, which is Mexican.
The mise-en-scene of the frame just after the first villain encounter is incredible. The tree only has one leaf on it (i.e. it is dead), and is situated on one side of the screen. On the other half of the screen is a noose. The lone hero is very small at the bottom of the screen - a long shot. This symbolises the reality of the storyline - the fact that the lone hero will face death many times during the film. The tolling of the bell is also the image of death. This type of frame is one the typical frames famous to Sergio Leone's
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This is to prove significant, and the whole film centres on this statement, and the lone hero proved this statement to be true, by becoming very rich himself.
Many men from the Baxter's houses come out and surround the man with no name. They say that he will not get any work dressed as he is. He is an American, but is wearing a Mexican poncho. This was done deliberately by Sergio Leone to make the lone hero look broader and stockier, thus making him appear, along with his tobacco, much tougher.
In the Wild West, survival was the key, and morality came a second best. Both the Americans and the Mexicans shoot at the feet of the man with no name and the child. Anything that happened as a result of the hero getting rich was purely a by-product.
When the hero meets the Mexican who gives him some advice, he is seen as very much taller than his "friend". The lone hero will always be the dominant character in the Spaghetti western, though he is the sometimes the underdog and not necessarily good.
The statement in which Silvanito, the saloon owner, says, "Eating and drinking and Killing. That's all you can do, just like the rest
Another sign of symbolism in this film was the pictures. It seemed as though the pictures inspired these people. They wanted to be just like the people in the pictures. The pictures symbolized the colonizer. The only colonizer in this film was the
The only reason i think this is because Spiderman is known as a hero but he is not portrayed as one in this
to the film early on but makes the viewer want to make sense of what
The film’s story does not simply shines forth, but is also the foundation of the plot. The film’s plot makes the traditional guidelines applicable...
Then the question is posed to Mr. Lockwood, "How did it all begin?" The answering of this question is what my paper will explain. I will attempt to break down the opening scene and show how it all started. By using tools of film such as sound, editing, mise en scene, and cinematography, this paper will show how the scene was made as well. Mise en scene played an important role in this movie as with any other movie.
One of the scenes that mark how the narrative is important to the entire story, is at
Kracauer, Siegfried. “Basic Concepts,” from Theory of Film. In Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings, Seventh Edition, edited by Leo Braudy and Marshall Cohen, 147–58. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Seven Guitars is set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the summer of 1948, where Floyd Barton’s friends gather after his funeral and flashback: Floyd has returned from a trip to Chicago with his hit blues song ‘That’s All Right’ and rekindled love for Vera. After hearing from the record company and their interest in following up his hit song with an album, Floyd becomes ecstatic to finally make things right. After spending all his money, losing two lovers, spending 90 days in jail, and even resorting to pawning his guitar; a driven Floyd prepares for his trip, when he returns he has money and convinces Vera to go with him. A report was announced that someone had robbed the Loan office. Floyd’s friend- Canewell- finds money buried in the garden. Floyd, holding Canewell at gunpoint, threatens for the return of his money. After returning the money, Hedley- tenant- comes in grabbing the money aggressively and returns with his newly acquired machete and kills Floyd and collects the money. The flashback ends, Canewell and Hedley are left alone where he begins to sing, “I thought I heard Buddy Boldin Say” and drops the money that Floyd had “taken a chance” to attain.
could be a hero as he lived and grew up by himself. A villain is
As an audience, we become involved in the plot not through learning about characters’ backgrounds and traits. Instead, we learn information at the same time through the mechanics of the plot and editing. We are made to work to understand the workings of the plot. As we watch the film unfold, the editing takes the along for the ride rather than watching from a distance. the audience and characters sweat together as surprises arise in the well-thought out plan and the way the movie ...
Why isn't he a better looking guy, why doesn’t it end in a good way, If he was a hero why did he fall under a spell aren't they suppose to be strapping than others and more quick-witted? The answer to all these general questions is, Yes he is suppose to be and do all these things; But these a key aspects to be a hero in the modern day or being a
At this point a brief synopsis of the movie would seem to be in order,
Four key film extracts will be discussed. The introduction of Mina, starting of with a medium long shot of her in the Westenra house, which allows the audience to pay more attention to what is happening in the background, the mise-en-scene being a large decorated room of the Victorian era, including plants, chairs. The setting of the whole room is surrounded by glass, which has the ability to allow natural light.
Provide a paragraph ONLY summarizing your understanding of the film. In this summary, address the main theme or idea of the film as well as any underlying themes that are conveyed during the production. In other words, what primary message was conveyed to the audience IN YOUR OWN WORDS via the production of this film? (Note – I have seen all of these films – thus, this section should be one paragraph only – the majority of your critique should include your responses to Items 3 & 4).
Though it is simple to follow, with little in the way of twists, the film is still very enjoyable. What the movie lacks in complexity is made up for in quality, as the story line intrigues the viewer from the start. The creation of the doll in the opening sequence sets the tone for the movie and creates a connection between the viewers and the characters. It holds the viewer’s attention by creating a sense of unease surrounding the different character’s motives and choices, leaving the audience with numerous questions. Though most are answered by the end of the movie, these questions help the viewer remain invested in the plot. The only complaint that the plot of the film may obtain is the pacing of the conclusion, which progresses almost too quickly to be