Man with No Name

Last updated

Man with No Name
Dollars Trilogy character
Clint Eastwood1.png
Clint Eastwood as the Man with No Name
in the film For a Few Dollars More (1965)
First appearance A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
Last appearance The Good, the Bad and the Ugly  (1966)
Created by Sergio Leone
Portrayed by Clint Eastwood
In-universe information
Aliases
  • The Stranger
  • The Hunter
  • The Bounty Killer
  • The Good
  • Americano
  • Mister Sudden Death
  • Señor Ninguno
  • Nameless
  • No Name
  • Blondie
  • Manco
Occupation Bounty hunter
NationalityAmerican

The Man with No Name (Italian : Uomo senza nome) is the antihero character portrayed by Clint Eastwood in Sergio Leone's " Dollars Trilogy " of Italian Spaghetti Western films: A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965), and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). He is recognizable by his poncho, brown hat, tan cowboy boots, fondness for cigarillos, and the fact that he rarely speaks. [1]

Contents

The "Man with No Name" concept was invented by the American distributor United Artists. Eastwood's character does have a name, and a different one in each film: "Joe", "Manco" and "Blondie", respectively. [2] [3]

When Clint Eastwood was honored with the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996, Jim Carrey gave the introductory speech and said: "'The Man with No Name' had no name, so we could fill in our own." [4] In 2008, Empire chose the Man with No Name as the 33rd greatest movie character of all time. [5]

Appearances

Concept and creation

A Fistful of Dollars was directly adapted from Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo (1961). It was the subject of a lawsuit by Yojimbo's producers. [6] Yojimbo's protagonist, an unconventional rōnin (a samurai with no master) played by Toshiro Mifune, bears a striking resemblance to Eastwood's character: both are quiet, gruff, eccentric strangers with a strong but unorthodox sense of justice and extraordinary proficiency with a particular weapon (in Mifune's case, a katana; in Eastwood's, a revolver).[ citation needed ]

Like Eastwood's western setting character, Mifune plays a rōnin with no name. When pressed, he gives the pseudonym Sanjuro Kuwabatake (meaning "30-year-old mulberry field"), a reference to his age and something he sees through a window. The convention of hiding the character's arms from view is shared as well, with Mifune's character typically wearing his arms inside his kimono, leaving the sleeves empty. [7] Prior to signing on to Fistful, Eastwood had seen Kurosawa's film and was impressed by the character. [8] During filming, he did not emulate Mifune's performance beyond what was already in the script. He also insisted on removing some of the dialogue in the original script, making the character more silent and thus adding to his mystery. [2] As the trilogy progressed, the character became even more silent and stoic.[ citation needed ]

The "Man with No Name" sobriquet was actually applied after the films were made, and was a marketing device used by distributor United Artists to promote the three films together in the United States film market. [2] [9] The prints of the film were physically trimmed to remove all mention of his names. [2]

Actual names or monikers

Eastwood as the Man with No Name in A Fistful of Dollars (1964). Clint Eastwood - 1960s.JPG
Eastwood as the Man with No Name in A Fistful of Dollars (1964).

In A Fistful of Dollars (1964), he is called "Joe" by the undertaker, Piripero, and Eastwood's role is credited as "Joe".[ citation needed ]

In For a Few Dollars More (1965), he is called "Manco" (Spanish for "one-armed"; in fact, in the original Italian-language version he is called "il Monco", a dialectal expression meaning "the One-armed one"), because he does everything left-handed, except for shooting.[ citation needed ]

In The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), Tuco calls him "Blondie" ("il Biondo", meaning "the Blond one", in Italian) for his light hair. He is also "the Good" ("il Buono"), from which the film receives its name.[ citation needed ]

In the Dollars book series, he is also known as "The Hunter", "The Bounty Killer", "Mister Sudden Death", "Nameless", "No Name", and "Señor Ninguno" or its literal translation "Mr. None".[ citation needed ]

Literature

The popularity of the characters brought about a series of spin-off books, dubbed the "Dollars" series due to the common theme in their titles:

A Coffin Full of Dollars provides some background history; when he was young, The Man with No Name was a ranch hand who was continually persecuted by an older hand named Carvell. The trouble eventually led to a shootout between the two with Carvell being outdrawn and killed; however, an examination of Carvell's body revealed a scar which identified him as Monk Carver, a wanted man with a $1,000 bounty. After comparing the received bounty with his $10-a-month ranch pay, the young cowhand chose to change his life and become a bounty hunter.

In July 2007, American comic book company Dynamite Entertainment announced that they were going to begin publishing a comic book featuring the character, titled The Man With No Name . Set after the events of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, the comic is written by Christos Gage. Dynamite refers to him as "Blondie", the nickname Tuco uses for him in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. [11] The first issue was released in March 2008, entitled, The Man with No Name: The Good, The Bad, and The Uglier. [12] Luke Lieberman and Matt Wolpert took over the writing for issues #7–11. [13] [14] Initially, Chuck Dixon was scheduled to take over the writing chores with issue #12, but Dynamite ended the series and opted to use Dixon's storyline for a new series titled The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. [15] The new series is not an adaptation of the movie, despite its title. After releasing eight issues, Dynamite abandoned the series.[ citation needed ]

References and homages in other works

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Van Cleef</span> American actor (1925–1989)

Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef Jr. was an American actor. He appeared in over 170 film and television roles in a career spanning nearly 40 years, but is best known as a star of Italian Spaghetti Westerns, particularly the Sergio Leone-directed Dollars Trilogy films For a Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). He received a Golden Boot Award in 1983 for his contribution to the Western film and television genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spaghetti Western</span> Film genre

The spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's filmmaking style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most of these Westerns were produced and directed by Italians.

<i>The Good, the Bad and the Ugly</i> 1966 film directed by Sergio Leone

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a 1966 Italian epic spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood as "the Good", Lee Van Cleef as "the Bad", and Eli Wallach as "the Ugly". Its screenplay was written by Age & Scarpelli, Luciano Vincenzoni, and Leone, based on a story by Vincenzoni and Leone. Director of photography Tonino Delli Colli was responsible for the film's sweeping widescreen cinematography, and Ennio Morricone composed the film's score, including its main theme. It was an Italian-led production with co-producers in Spain, West Germany, and the United States. Most of the filming took place in Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sergio Leone</span> Italian filmmaker (1929–1989)

Sergio Leone was an Italian filmmaker, credited as the pioneer of the spaghetti Western genre. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toshiro Mifune</span> Japanese actor (1920–1997)

Toshiro Mifune was a Japanese actor and producer. A winner of numerous awards and accolades over a lengthy career, Mifune is best known for starring in Akira Kurosawa's critically acclaimed jidaigeki films such as Rashomon (1950), Seven Samurai (1954), Throne of Blood (1957), The Hidden Fortress (1958) and Yojimbo (1961). He also portrayed Miyamoto Musashi in Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai Trilogy (1954–1956), Lord Toranaga in the NBC television miniseries Shōgun, and Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto in three different films. He is widely considered one of the greatest actors of all time.

<i>Yojimbo</i> 1961 Japanese film by Akira Kurosawa

Yojimbo is a 1961 Japanese samurai film directed by Akira Kurosawa, who also co-wrote the screenplay and was one of the producers. The film stars Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yoko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada, Daisuke Katō, Takashi Shimura, Kamatari Fujiwara, and Atsushi Watanabe. In the film, a rōnin arrives in a small town where competing crime lords fight for supremacy. The two bosses each try to hire the newcomer as a bodyguard.

<i>A Fistful of Dollars</i> 1964 film directed by Sergio Leone

A Fistful of Dollars is a 1964 spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood in his first leading role, alongside Gian Maria Volonté, Marianne Koch, Wolfgang Lukschy, Sieghardt Rupp, José Calvo, Antonio Prieto and Joseph Egger. The film, an international co-production between Italy, West Germany and Spain, was filmed on a low budget, and Eastwood was paid $15,000 for his role.

<i>For a Few Dollars More</i> 1965 film directed by Sergio Leone

For a Few Dollars More is a 1965 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone. It stars Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef as bounty hunters and Gian Maria Volonté as the primary villain. German actor Klaus Kinski plays a supporting role as a secondary villain. The film was an international co-production between Italy, West Germany, and Spain. The film was released in the United States in 1967, and is the second instillment of what is commonly known as the Dollars Trilogy.

<i>Duck, You Sucker!</i> 1971 Zapata Western film directed by Sergio Leone

Duck, You Sucker!, also known as A Fistful of Dynamite and Once Upon a Time ... the Revolution, is a 1971 epic Zapata Western film directed and co-written by Sergio Leone and starring Rod Steiger, James Coburn, and Romolo Valli.

<i>Dollars Trilogy</i> 1964–1966 Western films directed by Sergio Leone

The Dollars Trilogy, also known as the Man with No Name Trilogy, is an Italian film series consisting of three Spaghetti Western films directed by Sergio Leone. The films are titled A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). Their English versions were distributed by United Artists, while the Italian ones were distributed by Unidis and PEA.

<i>Last Man Standing</i> (1996 film) 1996 American film

Last Man Standing is a 1996 American action film written and directed by Walter Hill and starring Bruce Willis, Christopher Walken, and Bruce Dern. It is a credited remake of Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo.

<i>This Is Big Audio Dynamite</i> 1985 studio album by Big Audio Dynamite

This Is Big Audio Dynamite is the debut studio album by the English band Big Audio Dynamite, led by Mick Jones, the former lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the Clash. It was released on 1 November 1985 by Columbia Records. The album peaked at No. 27 on the UK Albums Chart and at No. 103 on the Billboard 200, and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Three singles were released from the album, all of which charted in the UK. "The Bottom Line" released a month before the album, barely made the Top 100, peaking at No. 97, becoming their lowest charting single, whereas its follow-up single "E=MC²" released in 1986, became their only Top 20 hit, peaking at No. 11, and becoming their best-selling single. The final single from the album, "Medicine Show" also released in 1986, became their last single to chart within the Top 40 under the original line-up, peaking at No. 29. The music video for "Medicine Show", directed by Don Letts, featured two other former members of the Clash, Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon as police officers as well as John Lydon of the Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd.

<i>The Warrior and the Sorceress</i> 1984 film by John Broderick

The Warrior and the Sorceress is a 1984 Argentine-American fantasy action film directed by John C. Broderick and starring David Carradine, María Socas and Luke Askew. It was written by Broderick and William Stout (story).

<i>Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo</i> 1970 Japanese film

Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (座頭市と用心棒) is a 1970 Japanese drama film directed by Kihachi Okamoto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benito Stefanelli</span> Italian actor (1928–1999)

Benito Stefanelli was an Italian film actor, stuntman and weapons master who made over 60 appearances in film between 1955 and 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samurai cinema</span> Film genre

Chanbara (チャンバラ), also commonly spelled "chambara", meaning "sword fighting" films, denotes the Japanese film genre called samurai cinema in English and is roughly equivalent to Western and swashbuckler films. Chanbara is a sub-category of jidaigeki, which equates to period drama. Jidaigeki may refer to a story set in a historical period, though not necessarily dealing with a samurai character or depicting swordplay.

<i>Dollar for the Dead</i> 1998 American television film by Gene Quintano

Dollar for the Dead is a 1998 American TNT Western television film. Film directed and written by Gene Quintano and starring Emilio Estevez. It is the third Western film in which Estevez stars. Film also stars William Forsythe, Joaquim de Almeida, Jonathan Banks, Ed Lauter and Howie Long. Actor Jordi Mollà nominated for Fotogramas de Plata award.

A number of Akira Kurosawa's films have been remade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nazzareno Natale</span> Italian actor (1938–2006)

Nazzareno Natale was an Italian actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medicine Show (song)</span> 1986 single by Big Audio Dynamite

"Medicine Show" is a song by English band Big Audio Dynamite, released as both a 7" and 12" single from their debut studio album, This Is Big Audio Dynamite (1985). Written by Mick Jones and Don Letts about a fictitious medicine show, and following the success of "E=MC2", "Medicine Show" was released as the third and final single from the album, peaking at No. 29 on the UK Singles Chart, and No. 42 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. It was their final top 40 single in the UK with the original line-up.

References

  1. ↑ "Christos Gage on The Man With No Name". 8 September 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Farino, Ernest (August 2020). "A Fistful of Pasta: The Italian Westerns of Sergio Leone". RetroFan (10). United States: TwoMorrows Publishing: 61–67.
  3. ↑ Curti, Roberto (2 August 2016). Tonino Valerii: The Films. McFarland. p. 208. ISBN   9781476626185 . Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  4. ↑ Ditka, Elaine (2 March 1996). "In the Line of Clint's Praises at AFI Salute". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  5. ↑ "The 100 Greatest Movie Characters". Empire . 5 December 2006. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015.
  6. ↑ "A Fistful of Dollars and Yojimbo". Side B Magazine. 14 April 2011. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  7. ↑ Ebert, Roger (10 April 2005). "Yojimbo". RogerEbert.com.
  8. ↑ From an interview conducted for a DVD documentary on Kurosawa
  9. ↑ Prickette, James (2012). Actors of the Spaghetti Westerns. Xlibris Corporation. p. 287. ISBN   9781469144290.
  10. ↑ Carty, T. J. (2000). A Dictionary of Literary Pseudonyms in the English Language (2nd ed.). Chicago, Ill., USA: Fitzroy Dearborn. p. 272. ISBN   1579582095.
  11. ↑ Brady, Matt (15 August 2008). "Christos Gage on The Man With No Name". Newsarama . Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  12. ↑ Brady, Matt (28 April 2009). "First Look: Dynamite's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly #1". Newsarama . Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  13. ↑ Brady, Matt (19 August 2008). "The Man With No Name's New Team: Lieberman & Wolpert". Newsarama . Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  14. ↑ Phegley, Kiel (23 October 2008). "New Writers on The Man With No Name". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  15. ↑ Brady, Matt (20 August 2008). "Chuck Dixon to Write The Man With No Name". Newsarama . Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  16. ↑ Sherman, Jennifer (14 October 2012). "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Creator Meets Clint Eastwood". AnimeNewsNetwork . Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  17. ↑ Young, Bryan (18 December 2012). "THE CINEMA BEHIND STAR WARS: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY". StarWars.com. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  18. ↑ "Yoji Shinkawa Interview: Segment 4". Konami. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
  19. ↑ Canby, Vincent (27 February 1975). "'Boss Nigger,' Black Western, Proves a Surprise". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 February 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  20. ↑ King, Stephen (2004). Song of Susannah. Anderson, Darrel. (1st trade ed.). Hampton Falls, N.H.: Donald M. Grant, Publisher. ISBN   9781416521495. OCLC   55492007.
  21. ↑ Hill, Jim (8 February 2020). "Why Clint Eastwood was a last minute addition to Disney-MGM's "Great Movie Ride"". jimhillmedia.com. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  22. ↑ Breznican, Anthony (6 March 2011). "Johnny Depp's 'Rango': Its top six riffs on classic movies". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  23. ↑ "Disney's Adventures of The Gummi Bears: Volume 1 DVD Review". DVDizzy.com. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  24. ↑ Michal (14 August 2017). "A Retrospective on Disney's Gummi Bears". The Fandomentals. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  25. ↑ "Time Squad Talkback: "Billy The Baby/Father Figure of Our Country" (Spoilers Here!)". Anime Superhero. 28 March 2003. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  26. ↑ O'Rourke, Ryan (2 December 2023). "'Fallout's Walton Goggins Reveals Which Classic Westerns Inspired The Ghoul". Collider . Archived from the original on 5 December 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.