FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE (Per qualche dollar in piu, 1965)
“The hero is a bounty hunter, a stranger with no name, or an outlaw who, in the course of events, striving to achieve a certain goal, commits some good deeds, not for the good of society, but only because he hates those who are arrogant and pushy. In the Italian western we are dealing with the anti-hero.” – "Dollars, Bullets and Success" in Popular Italian Cinema, written & edited by Flavia Brizio-Skov (2011)
When Disney+ launched, the series that both casual and die-hard Star Wars films jumped on was THE MANDALORIAN (2019). The show, quite frankly, is a long-awaited breath of fresh air. Prior to this series’ launch, much of Disney’s handling of the Star Wars franchise caused consternation and fatigue in the fans. But under Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s skillful leadership, THE MANDALORIAN exceeded everyone’s expectations thanks to an expert blend of legend/canon references and new characters tied to multiple eras in the Star Wars timeline. And “Baby Yoda” didn’t hurt the show’s popularity, either.
Each MANDALORIAN episode was packed with both Star Wars lore and references to films created by George Lucas, his peers and his mentors/inspirations. More than one website called out ties to both classic Samurai and Western films. For 2020, Digging Star Wars will be highlighting one classic film per each episode within Season One of the THE MANDALORIAN. Some films may be westerns, some Samurai, and some – well, some will not be Samurai or Western. We are also introducing guest writers for the very first time. We’re very excited to get this season started – so, here we go...
Disney+’s description of episode 1 reads: “A Mandalorian bounty hunter tracks a target for a well-playing, mysterious client.” We won’t dive deep into recapping the episode, but it was clear from the Disney+ app’s thumbnail of Episode I, we were entering the Star Wars version of the spaghetti western. “Spaghetti Westerns” was a film critic term used to describe westerns produced in Italy. Simply put: Spaghetti westerns have more in-your-face opening titles, deliberate musical scores, intense violence and brewing bromance than classic American westerns.
THE MANDALORIAN episode 1 thumbnail consists of a backlit silhouetted image of the title character in an open door frame – a staple image in many spaghetti westerns including our pick: A FEW DOLLARS MORE (1965). We weren’t the only Star Wars fan that saw the spaghetti western connection to THE MANDALORIAN. YouTube user “KingKida” also saw the production elemental connection between the Disney+ series and spaghetti westerns and cut this mock trailer in the style of a spaghetti western trailer…
A FEW DOLLARS MORE is the second film in filmmaker Sergio Leone’s “The Man With No Name” trilogy. Each film in the trilogy stars Clint Eastwood – a lone wolf bounty hunter who visits lonely towns in the middle of seemingly nowhere and gets in and out of trouble, all the while accompanied by the iconic film score of Ennio Morricone. The first film in the trilogy, A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS (Per un pugno di dollari, 1964) was surprisingly successful and “unleashed the spaghetti western phenomenon: 462 films in a decade…all with respectable box-office takings” – according Flavia Brizio-Skov in her essay "Dollars, Bullets and Success – The Spaghetti Western Phenomenon."
In my opinion, FISTFUL is the least interesting in the trilogy. A FEW DOLLARS MORE ups the stakes in comedy, drama, action, violence, you name it. It’s also the inspiration for a number of MANDALORIAN episode 1 moments.
The most well-known film in the trilogy is the third installment, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (Il buono, il brutto, e il cattivo, 1966). Digging Star Wars did a podcast entry exploring the connections between THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980) back in December 2011. That Digging Star Wars entry is in our Top 9 entries of all-time and features guest star Phil Congleton (of Film366.com who also did an original video review on GBU).
Before I get into our findings of connections between MANDALORIAN ep1 and DOLLARS, here’s a look at the A FEW DOLLARS MORE trailer…
When you watch either the first episode of THE MANDALORIAN, there are a few nods to FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE. By pointing out these light spoilers, we hope to pique your interest in screening FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE for yourself…
PORTAL PRESENCE
“Mando” (the main character/the Mandalorian in THE MANDALORIAN) enters a cantina by first standing at the iris-opened door and entering the scene with an intimidating air of self-confidence. This entrance is basically the same bounty hunter Colonel Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef)…and just about every other time Clint Eastwood’s character “Monco” enters the scene. Oh yeah, kind of interesting how Mando and Monco sound very, very similar. Hmmmm.
HOT OR COLD
In Ep1, Mando threatens his first onscreen bounty by tapping his gun and saying, “I can bring you in hot or I can bring you in cold.” In DOLLARS, Monco approaches his first bounty, taps his gun and says, “Dead or Alive. Your choice.”
TELESCOPE OF WORK
When sizing up the bad guys setup in a desert town, Mando relies on a Star Wars-tech version of a classic mini telescope. Col. Mortimer uses a telescope from his hotel room window to size up the bad guys in town, too.
LANDSCAPE FOR ACTION
“Central to Leone’s films, and those of other directors of the Italian western, is landscape. The films rely on a certain dry and dusty desert landscape that comes to signify ‘the West’ put provides an arena of open space for action,” writes Marcia Landy in her book, Italian Film. Landy explains that the towns featured in A FEW DOLLARS MORE have a “sense of dirt, grime, and poverty” making them relatable to multiple, international audiences. MANDALORIAN’s locales of desert or rocky planets have the same grime and open space for combat. The location of the final battle in MANDALORIAN episode 1 is a prime example of such a landscape.
WORK TOGETHER
If Mando is to overcome the bad guys and acquire his bounty, he is forced to work with a competitor. In DOLLARS, both Monco and Col. Mortimer agree they need to work together to beat the bad guys and collect their bounty. You need to watch the film to see who survives…
And that’s it. Please check back next month to see what film is referenced in MANDALORIAN episode 2.
Till then, happy trails and watch FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE!
This entry was written by Chris Mich.
Chris created Digging Star Wars in 2010 and has written all entries (video, photo, text or otherwise) up to now. Chris is also the co-creator/co-blogger of Film366.com mentioned above.
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| VHS cover of one of my favorite Italian westerns. |
When Disney+ launched, the series that both casual and die-hard Star Wars films jumped on was THE MANDALORIAN (2019). The show, quite frankly, is a long-awaited breath of fresh air. Prior to this series’ launch, much of Disney’s handling of the Star Wars franchise caused consternation and fatigue in the fans. But under Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s skillful leadership, THE MANDALORIAN exceeded everyone’s expectations thanks to an expert blend of legend/canon references and new characters tied to multiple eras in the Star Wars timeline. And “Baby Yoda” didn’t hurt the show’s popularity, either.
Each MANDALORIAN episode was packed with both Star Wars lore and references to films created by George Lucas, his peers and his mentors/inspirations. More than one website called out ties to both classic Samurai and Western films. For 2020, Digging Star Wars will be highlighting one classic film per each episode within Season One of the THE MANDALORIAN. Some films may be westerns, some Samurai, and some – well, some will not be Samurai or Western. We are also introducing guest writers for the very first time. We’re very excited to get this season started – so, here we go...
Disney+’s description of episode 1 reads: “A Mandalorian bounty hunter tracks a target for a well-playing, mysterious client.” We won’t dive deep into recapping the episode, but it was clear from the Disney+ app’s thumbnail of Episode I, we were entering the Star Wars version of the spaghetti western. “Spaghetti Westerns” was a film critic term used to describe westerns produced in Italy. Simply put: Spaghetti westerns have more in-your-face opening titles, deliberate musical scores, intense violence and brewing bromance than classic American westerns.
 |
| The thumbnail image for THE MANDALORIAN episode I entitled "The Mandalorian." This camera angle/lighting of a character entrance is often used in spaghetti westerns when a bounty hunter enters a bar in search of prey. Image acquired from comingsoon.net |
THE MANDALORIAN episode 1 thumbnail consists of a backlit silhouetted image of the title character in an open door frame – a staple image in many spaghetti westerns including our pick: A FEW DOLLARS MORE (1965). We weren’t the only Star Wars fan that saw the spaghetti western connection to THE MANDALORIAN. YouTube user “KingKida” also saw the production elemental connection between the Disney+ series and spaghetti westerns and cut this mock trailer in the style of a spaghetti western trailer…
A FEW DOLLARS MORE is the second film in filmmaker Sergio Leone’s “The Man With No Name” trilogy. Each film in the trilogy stars Clint Eastwood – a lone wolf bounty hunter who visits lonely towns in the middle of seemingly nowhere and gets in and out of trouble, all the while accompanied by the iconic film score of Ennio Morricone. The first film in the trilogy, A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS (Per un pugno di dollari, 1964) was surprisingly successful and “unleashed the spaghetti western phenomenon: 462 films in a decade…all with respectable box-office takings” – according Flavia Brizio-Skov in her essay "Dollars, Bullets and Success – The Spaghetti Western Phenomenon."
In my opinion, FISTFUL is the least interesting in the trilogy. A FEW DOLLARS MORE ups the stakes in comedy, drama, action, violence, you name it. It’s also the inspiration for a number of MANDALORIAN episode 1 moments.
The most well-known film in the trilogy is the third installment, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (Il buono, il brutto, e il cattivo, 1966). Digging Star Wars did a podcast entry exploring the connections between THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980) back in December 2011. That Digging Star Wars entry is in our Top 9 entries of all-time and features guest star Phil Congleton (of Film366.com who also did an original video review on GBU).
Before I get into our findings of connections between MANDALORIAN ep1 and DOLLARS, here’s a look at the A FEW DOLLARS MORE trailer…
When you watch either the first episode of THE MANDALORIAN, there are a few nods to FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE. By pointing out these light spoilers, we hope to pique your interest in screening FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE for yourself…
PORTAL PRESENCE
“Mando” (the main character/the Mandalorian in THE MANDALORIAN) enters a cantina by first standing at the iris-opened door and entering the scene with an intimidating air of self-confidence. This entrance is basically the same bounty hunter Colonel Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef)…and just about every other time Clint Eastwood’s character “Monco” enters the scene. Oh yeah, kind of interesting how Mando and Monco sound very, very similar. Hmmmm.
HOT OR COLD
In Ep1, Mando threatens his first onscreen bounty by tapping his gun and saying, “I can bring you in hot or I can bring you in cold.” In DOLLARS, Monco approaches his first bounty, taps his gun and says, “Dead or Alive. Your choice.”
TELESCOPE OF WORK
When sizing up the bad guys setup in a desert town, Mando relies on a Star Wars-tech version of a classic mini telescope. Col. Mortimer uses a telescope from his hotel room window to size up the bad guys in town, too.
LANDSCAPE FOR ACTION
“Central to Leone’s films, and those of other directors of the Italian western, is landscape. The films rely on a certain dry and dusty desert landscape that comes to signify ‘the West’ put provides an arena of open space for action,” writes Marcia Landy in her book, Italian Film. Landy explains that the towns featured in A FEW DOLLARS MORE have a “sense of dirt, grime, and poverty” making them relatable to multiple, international audiences. MANDALORIAN’s locales of desert or rocky planets have the same grime and open space for combat. The location of the final battle in MANDALORIAN episode 1 is a prime example of such a landscape.
WORK TOGETHER
If Mando is to overcome the bad guys and acquire his bounty, he is forced to work with a competitor. In DOLLARS, both Monco and Col. Mortimer agree they need to work together to beat the bad guys and collect their bounty. You need to watch the film to see who survives…
And that’s it. Please check back next month to see what film is referenced in MANDALORIAN episode 2.
Till then, happy trails and watch FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE!
This entry was written by Chris Mich.
Chris created Digging Star Wars in 2010 and has written all entries (video, photo, text or otherwise) up to now. Chris is also the co-creator/co-blogger of Film366.com mentioned above.
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