A Fistful of Dollars, Hands Down, A Classic Western
Hands down, A Fistful of Dollars is a classic Western movie – one of the greatest of all time. I once painted Clint’s character from A Fistful of Dollars on a trashed paint can lid and I have pencil sketched his as well. The pencil sketch was a gift to a friend, and I sold the painting to a fellow in Pendleton, SC. To bleed this right on into the next paragraph, I have to say that I think for me, Tombstone is my favorite western movie. I feel like, though, in the western movie fandom that Tombstone may not be considered a Western. Am I wrong, someone please enlighten me. The “Spaghetti Westerns” with Clint Eastwood are my favorite of what I consider to be real westerns though. I feel some philosophy stewing. Hop on your mule or horse, and let’s hit the blog trail.
A Fistful of Dollars Raises Discussion Points for Me
I really want to get a discussion started around this because I don’t know. There are 2 questions I have. First, I remember my grandfather watching Westerns on TV. I’m from SC and he was too. Why are Westerns so popular amongst old fellows? Culturally, why does this seem to be the case? Second, and this is the real question, who made the best Western / Cowboy movies? Was it John Wayne, Eastwood, or another? I’m not qualified to have a serious opinion because I know so little about the genre. Please someone that knows more than me chime in on this and enlighten me. I am forever a student, and I have these as serious questions.
A Fistful of Dollars Reflects the Untamed Wild West
I feel like, based on what I’ve read, this is a somewhat accurate portrayal of the wild west. With so few lawmen, towns spread miles apart with only horse as transportation, and no internet (say what?), there’s any amount of craziness that could have taken place. If you rob a bank or shoot a cop today, your picture, name, family history, friends, vehicle, etc. can literally be across the entire globe in seconds. It’s not often that you see someone successfully murder someone or rob a bank anymore. It happens, but it’s rarer than ever. I feel that it really would have been a no one is coming to save you, and you must be bad enough to take care of yourself environment. Otherwise, you would be prey. Clint’s character is certainly this type and fits well in the culture.
Eastwood’s Ninja-Like Behaviors in A Fistful of Dollars
A Fistful of Dollars is a ninja movie without the black suit, weapons, and Taijutsu. If you’ve been reading my blogs, you’ll know that ninja movies from the 80s are some of my favorites. You can read one on Revenge of the Ninja here and another on Ninja III here. I am a product of the ‘80s ninja craze in America, so I have studied about the art. Eastwood’s character is what a ninja would have really been like in feudal Japan. Ninja rarely wore black but rather were the “gray man” and fit in with their surroundings. Trickery and psychological manipulation were huge and lesser-known skills of the shinobi. Eastwood’s character uses these beautifully. Firefights and fighting are not too heavily used though which gives the film a nice feel and it keeps the focus on the character’s wit.
Artistic Brilliance in A Fistful of Dollars’ Color Palette
From an artist’s perspective, the color palette in A Fistful of Dollars is remarkable. My favorite aspect has to be how it plays with muted tones. Unlike the bold contrasts I mentioned in Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw, here, everything is subdued. The whiskey is a dull brown, the walls are off-white, and even the mule is gray. It’s a visual masterpiece where consistency in colors matches the pace of the story.
English Class Analytics Paper, Get Film in the Hat
I imagine that English class is still like it was in the late ‘90s and students write papers providing an analysis of a topic. Teachers probably still try to make this fun by giving students the opportunity to vote on a movie to watch and then write about. You likely still have 98% of the class choosing Blade Runner and the cool 2% choosing A Clockwork Orange like in the case of the class of 2001. Just a joke, we would have never been allowed to watch A Clockwork Orange in school but, Blade Runner was the class choice. I hate it to this day. There will not be a blog on this movie – thank you Mr. whatever your name was. Sorry, back on the mule, I’m still frustrated about having to write an analysis paper on Blade Runner. I remember the other option being my choice.
If I were an English professor, I’d let my class analyze A Fistful of Dollars. It’s funny, here I am 20 years after graduating doing this very thing for fun. I have some deeper questions about this western. Feel free, reader(s), to chime in because I’d love to read your thoughts. Why did the undertaker look away in the closing scene? Digging graves by hand at 70 years old in the desert couldn’t be fun but why? Was the knight armor foreshadowing? Not in that Ramone would shoot for the heart but that Eastwood was a “knight in shining armor” to the imprisoned family. The main question for me though – why did he ride a mule and not a horse? I liked how Eastwood’s character had no back story. He just showed up on a mule, handled business, and bounced but, why a mule?
A Fistful of Dollars Delivers Timeless Entertainment
In closing, I am a fan of A Fistful of Dollars and of Eastwood. As usual, I question the unlimited ammo in addition to another unrealistic situation. If I shot a fellow in the heart and it didn’t kill him, his dome would be a canoe quickly. I guess, picking up my #2 pencil for English paper again, that Ramone in his arrogance had to fulfill the proverb of a rifle beating a 45 and stay consistent with his heart shot reputation. In the end, the pace changes from consistent and attention holding to quick, and action packed. Finally slowing down as Eastwood rides out of town on his slow trotting mule in the same way he came in. This worked well. A Fistful of Dollars is a great movie, a guaranteed rewatch for me, and a must see for fans of this genre or just great movies.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this artist’s thoughts on A Fistful of Dollars. I invite you to follow my art journey on social media, visit my website, and consider supporting and buying my work here. If you liked this blog or the movie, please share. Also, feel free to comment, especially if you are A Fistful of Dollars fan. Weigh in on the questions I presented. Peace.