2. Clint Eastwood The Dollars Trilogy ….and the iconography of the Western hero Jayadev Bhaskaran, EE10B123

3. Overview The Dollars trilogy and Sergio Leone The concept of ‘The Man with No Name’ Soundtrack Iconography Masculinity and the Western hero Women in the trilogy

4. THE DOLLARS TRILOGY

5. The Dollars Trilogy Directed by Sergio Leone, music by Ennio Morricone. Originally in Italian, English versions released later in America – seminal works of the Spaghetti Western genre. Clint Eastwood portrayed ‘The Man with No Name’ – an iconic character ever since.

6. The Dollars Trilogy A Fistful of Dollars; For a Few Dollars More; The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Not really a trilogy in the strict sense of the word, but regarded as one. Inspiration for a whole new genre. Similar themes and central characters.

7. COMMON THEMES

8. Common themes One man taking on a gang of bandits/thieves. Treasure/loot/gold. Frequent skirmishes, gunfights. Mercenaries and outlaws. A final gun battle scene (such as the Mexican Standoff), ending in ‘victory’ for the protagonist(s).

9. The man with no name Central recurring character – an extremely skilled marksman. On the lookout for easy money, yet motivated by some sense of ‘justice’. Never referred to by any name, just nicknames. Stereotype of the iconic ‘Western’ character.

10. THE MAN WITH NO NAME

11. Soundtrack Probably the most significant (and most widely copied) item from the movies. Background score. The typical ‘Western’ theme – used in similar movies all over the world ever since.

12. Iconography Attire – hat and a poncho; similar clothing in all three movies. Constant companions – revolver and cigar. Arms hidden under the poncho – adding to the aura of mystery around the character. Unshaven, dirty, grimy.

13. MASCULINITY AND THE WESTERN HERO

14. Masculinity and the Western hero Independent, strong, daring. Rugged and tough, ready to live in any environment. Strong – willed, willing to take efforts to get what he wants. ‘Protects’ women and rescues them – some amount of inherent sexism.

15. Women in the trilogy Not too many significant female characters. Fistful of Dollars: Marisol, the beautiful mistress of one of the gang lords, who gets ‘rescued and liberated’ by the protagonist.

16. Women in the trilogy For a Few Dollars More: A young woman who gets murdered by the antagonist. Her death is avenged in the end. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: No significant female characters. Minor characters: Barmaids, prostitutes and girlfriends of gangsters.

17. Summary Iconic – influenced the world’s perception of movies of this genre. Western hero and masculinity. Female characters in the trilogy. Background score and soundtrack.