I watched A Fistful of Dollars on DVD on the 30th December having seen it numerous times before. It stands on its own for me as an iconic piece launching the genre however when compared with the second and third parts of the trilogy it contrasts as a slightly slower, and a more rigid tale.
Great set and costumes feature. Eastwood makes his mark creating an iconic character. Entering on a mule, dressed like a Mexican perhaps, but a bounty hunter and an outsider. From there he directs the events in the corrupt and violent town. The Baxters and Rojos are played off against each other. I always enjoy Volonte and as Ramon he is clearly in control of his family while the Baxters are arguably lead by Consuelo. Ramonâs Achilles heel is his obsession with Marisol which is exploited by the stranger.
Ok, the soundtrack is super, an iconic spaghetti soundtrack. The locations are great and it is shot very well. Some great scenes including the mule scene, the scene where the Baxters are massacred, and the final showdown. A lot of killing and violence with the scene where the army are ambushed. Great use of closeups slowing the action down and the camera getting right into the mugs. The cynical âanti-heroâ comes to make his dollars but as mentioned above he takes risks to rescue the family and is driven at the end by revenge.
Itâs a classic and starts it all off. I did enjoy the more recent viewing this time more than the last couple of viewings some years back. Not sure why.
4 stars - Leone just getting going
In the second part we learn that originally the character played by Daniel MartĂn (Marisolâs husband) had to die at the hands of RamĂłn. No escape with wife and child!
But the script was censored by the Junta de Censura.
Unfortunately my Spanish wasnât good enough to spot that bit about Julio.
Ray El Magnifico I hadnât heard of before. And the Baxterâs were the Morales originally.
This is a good version of âFistfulâ being played in the open air to a crowdâŠI like it. 
Sorry, but it sounds like a school band that havenât put in the practice - I know, âGrumpy old manâ
Woody Guthrie originally did this song that Morricone used as the main theme to Fistful. Guthrieâs original song is rather boring though, the melody is more distinct on Morriconeâs version. And this performance by Tracy Newman is more like the Morricone/Tevis version.
Fun fact: Tracy had to do the full half hour of those episodes in one take, as they didnât want to edit. So if she made a mistake 25 minutes in, she did every song all over again.
Subjective. Woody used the already familiar melody of the folk song Pretty Polly, which also only uses two chords.
Iâve always found Bob Dylanâs rendition pretty interesting. Fitting, since Woody was his #1 influence.
Does anyone out there have both the US and the Italian 4K UHD of this, I wonder how they differ (transfer, colors, cutsâŠ)
I adore Sieghardt Rupp here, this first western of the dollars trilogy pleased me⊠even Gian Maria Volonté was great in the role of Ramon
this is a chance that in 4K UHD the colors differ because of the high quality⊠more than a bluray I thinkâŠbut I have a simple DVD and I enjoy the movie whatever the quality, 
My question was between the US 4K and the Italian 4K
https://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Per_un_pugno_di_dollari/BluRay#Spain
Whoâll be getting this? I am considering⊠who knows when UK/Germany etc will follow, I may be impatient
Rewatching this film today⊠the one that started it all.
I typically find spaghetti westerns to be highly rewatchable, with many films that remain a great experience even after numerous viewings, where the 50th time can be as enjoyable as the first. This is not the case here. I loved this film during my first few viewings, but over time, as I rewatched it, my opinion has gradually declined. This is one of those films that gets weaker with each rewatch.
It features some of Leoneâs best action sequences, but itâs not very rewatchable. I feel it has too much dialogue that doesnât really contribute to the experience, and instead detracts from it, making the film feel like a slog to watch, almost resembling an American film at times. The story is also a bit too simple, which makes sense since the film is more focused on style than narrative, but this also makes it less engaging, especially considering how much runtime is dedicated to the story. This film almost feels like a proof of concept for the style perfected in For a Few Dollars More.
If we ignore its historical significance and importance, and judge it solely on its own merits as a film, I would consider it a B-tier movie. A really solid B-tier film, but B-tier nonetheless.
A Fistful of Dollars 4K - down to 20 bucks! Buy now (SWDb link): Amazon.com
Dollars (4K UHD) Amazon UK: Amazon.co.uk
Dollars (BluRay) Amazon UK: Amazon.co.uk