The Dollars Trilogy (Italian: Trilogia del dollaro), also known as the Man with No Name Trilogy (Italian: Trilogia dell'Uomo senza nome), 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.

Dollars Trilogy
Blu-ray box set cover
Created bySergio Leone
Original workA Fistful of Dollars (1964)
OwnerMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Years1964–1966
Films and television
Film(s)
Audio
Soundtrack(s)
Original music
Miscellaneous
Character(s)List of characters
Dollars Trilogy
Blu-ray box set cover
Directed bySergio Leone
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography
Edited by
Music byEnnio Morricone
Production
companies
Constantin Film
Jolly Film (1)
Ocean Films (1)
Produzioni Europee Associati (PEA) (2–3)
Arturo González Producciones Cinematográficas (2–3)
United Artists (3)
Distributed byUnidis (Italy, 1)
PEA (Italy, 2–3)
United Artists (US & UK, original)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (current)
Release dates
1: 16 October 1964
2: 18 November 1965
3: 23 December 1966
Running time
409 minutes (1–3)
CountriesItaly
West Germany
Spain
LanguagesEnglish
Italian
BudgetTotal (3 films)
$2,000,000–$2,025,000
Box officeTotal (3 films)
$84.3 million
126.8 million admissions

The series has become known for establishing the spaghetti western genre, and inspiring the creation of many more spaghetti western films. The three films are consistently listed among the best-rated western films in history.[1]

The three films came to be considered a trilogy following the exploits of the same so-called "Man with No Name", portrayed by Clint Eastwood. The "Man with No Name" concept was invented by the American distributor United Artists, looking for a strong angle to sell the films as a trilogy.[2] Eastwood's character has a name and a different one in each film, "Joe", "Manco" and "Blondie", respectively.

Films

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A Fistful of Dollars (Per un pugno di dollari, 1964)

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The first film has the Man with No Name arriving in the Mexico–United States border town of San Miguel, the base of two rival smuggling families, the Rojos and the Baxters. The Man with No Name, referred to by the old undertaker Piripero as "Joe", plays them against each other by collecting prizes for giving information, capturing prisoners and killing men, while also helping a woman, her husband and their son, held captive by the ruthless Ramón Rojo, to escape. He is discovered by the Rojos and tortured, but escapes. The Rojos massacre the unarmed Baxters while searching for him, but helped by Piripero he hides away from the town. The Man with No Name returns as the Rojos are preparing to hang the local innkeeper, Silvanito, who had befriended him. He kills Don Miguel Rojo, uses his last bullet to free Silvanito, and kills Ramón in a gunslinging duel. After the last remaining Rojo brother, Esteban, is killed by Silvanito while trying to shoot from a window, the Man with No Name departs from the now-peaceful town.

For a Few Dollars More (Per qualche dollaro in più, 1965)

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The second film introduces the Man with No Name, nicknamed "Manco", as a bounty hunter killing bandits for money, and Colonel Douglas Mortimer, a bounty hunter hunting for the same criminals. Both searching for the psychopathic Mexican bandit known as "El Indio" who escaped from jail, they rival each other, but realize that to kill him, they must work together. Manco infiltrates El Indio's gang, while Mortimer acts from the outside. Manco discovers El Indio's elaborate plot to rob the Bank of El Paso, and is forced to take part in it, being careful to avoid wounding innocents. El Indio transfers his gang to Agua Caliente, Mexico, where Manco and Mortimer attempt to steal the money to take it back to the Bank. El Indio discovers their plot but lets them escape as part of an operation to murder all but one of his associates, to split the money in two instead of with the entire gang. Battle ensues between the bounty hunters and the bandits, as the two kill all of them, although the one El Indio meant to spare is killed. Manco discovers that Mortimer's hunt for El Indio is personal and lets him kill the bandit in a duel. Manco keeps all the money and rides away. Manco piles the bandit corpses in a horse-drawn cart and rides away with the stolen bank money to collect his bounty earnings.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo, 1966)

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In the third film, set during the American Civil War, Mexican bandit Tuco Ramírez and the Man with No Name, whom Tuco calls "Blondie", work together to scam small towns. Blondie collects the bounties on Tuco and then frees him as he is about to be hanged. A mercenary, "Angel Eyes", is searching for a man named "Jackson", who has stolen $200,000 from the Confederate Army. Angel Eyes threatens the family of one of Jackson's former accomplices and learns that Jackson goes under the alias of "Bill Carson", who has murdered both of his original accomplices. The partnership between Blondie and Tuco sours when Tuco complains that being repeatedly placed in a noose with only a single bullet standing between himself and death demands a larger cut than 50/50. Blondie betrays Tuco, but is caught and tortured by Tuco, who tries to put Blondie in a noose, but the raging war encroaches and drives them apart. Tuco catches Blondie and drags him through the desert. Tuco's revenge is interrupted when they stumble upon a Confederate carriage carrying the bullet-riddled and barely-alive Carson. Bleeding and desperate for water, Carson tells Tuco the name of the cemetery in which the gold is hidden, but while Tuco goes to get water, Blondie crawls past and gets the name of the grave in which the treasure is buried just as Carson dies. Tuco realizes that he cannot find the bounty without Blondie, and the two form an alliance. During their journey to the treasure, they are arrested by Union Army soldiers and taken to a prison camp where Angel Eyes is posing as a Sergeant. Angel Eyes tortures Tuco into revealing his half of the secret and recruits Blondie to show him the grave. All three leave the prison. Blondie, Tuco, and Angel Eyes commence a game of betrayal and subterfuge. Tuco and Blondie are blocked by the warring Union and Confederates. Blondie tricks Tuco into revealing the name of the cemetery. The gunslingers arrive at the graveyard where the treasure is hidden, but find themselves in a three-way standoff. Blondie takes up a burnt-ended cigar and a rock and tells the others that he will write the name of the grave marker on the bottom of a stone. He places the stone in the middle of the cemetery and a duel begins. After the duel, Blondie takes his half of the money, leaving Tuco in a noose, balancing on an unstable grave stone. Blondie rides into the distance as Tuco curses him. After Tuco nearly hangs himself, Blondie frees him from a distance using his rifle.

Development

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A Fistful of Dollars is an unofficial remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1961 film Yojimbo starring Toshiro Mifune, which resulted in a successful lawsuit by Toho.[3][4]

Cast

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The actors who appear in all three films are Eastwood, Mario Brega, Aldo Sambrell, Benito Stefanelli and Lorenzo Robledo. Four actors appear twice in the trilogy, playing different characters: Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volonté, Luigi Pistilli, and Joseph Egger.

Music

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Composer Ennio Morricone provided the original music score for all three films, although in A Fistful of Dollars he was credited either as "Dan Savio" or "Leo Nichols", depending on the print.[5][6]

Principal cast

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Actor Films
A Fistful of Dollars
(1964)
For a Few Dollars More
(1965)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
(1966)
Clint Eastwood Man with No Name
Joe Manco
("Il Monco")
Blondie
("Il Biondo")
Mario Brega Chico Niño Corporal Wallace
Aldo Sambrell Manolo Cuchillo Angel Eyes Gang Member
Benito Stefanelli Rubio Hughie (a.k.a. "Luke")
Lorenzo Robledo Baxter's member Tomaso Clem
Joseph Egger Piripero[7] Old Prophet[8]
("Vecchio Profeta")
 
Gian Maria Volonté Ramón Rojo[9] El Indio[10]  
Marianne Koch Marisol[11]  
Lee Van Cleef   Colonel Douglas Mortimer Angel Eyes
("Sentenza")
Luigi Pistilli   Groggy Father Pablo Ramirez
Román Ariznavarreta   Half-Shaved Bounty Hunter[12] Bounty Hunter[13]
Antonio Molino Rojo   Frisco Captain Harper
Antoñito Ruiz   Fernando[14] Stevens' Youngest son[13]
José Terrón   Guy Calloway[15] Thomas 'Shorty' Larson[16]
Eli Wallach   Tuco Ramirez[17]

Crew

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Role Film
A Fistful of Dollars
(1964)
For a Few Dollars More
(1965)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
(1966)
Director Sergio Leone
Producer Arrigo Colombo
Giorgio Papi
Alberto Grimaldi
Writer Screenplay Sergio Leone
Víctor Andrés Catena
Jaime Comas Gil
Fernando Di Leo
Duccio Tessari
Tonino Valerii
Sergio Leone
Luciano Vincenzoni
Sergio Donati
Sergio Leone
Luciano Vincenzoni
Age & Scarpelli
Sergio Donati[18]
Story Akira Kurosawa
Ryūzō Kikushima
(Yojimbo)
Sergio Leone
Fulvio Morsella
Enzo Dell'Aquila
Fernando Di Leo[19]
Sergio Leone
Luciano Vincenzoni
English Dialogue Mark Lowell
Clint Eastwood
Luciano Vincenzoni Mickey Knox
Music Composer Ennio Morricone
Director Ennio Morricone Bruno Nicolai
Cinematographer Massimo Dallamano Tonino Delli Colli
Editor Roberto Cinquini Eugenio Alabiso
Giorgio Serrallonga
Eugenio Alabiso
Nino Baragli
Set and costume designer Carlo Simi

Reception

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Critical reception

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A Fistful of Dollars earned a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 65 on Metcritic.[20][21]

For a Few Dollars More earned a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 74 on Metcritic.[22][23]

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly earned a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 90 on Metcritic.[24][25]

Box office performance

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Film Release date Box office gross revenue Budget
Italy United States Italy (Lira) United States & Canada (Dollars) Other territories[26] Worldwide
A Fistful of Dollars September 12, 1964 (1964-09-12) January 18, 1967 (1967-01-18) 2,700,000,000 ($4,400,000)[27] $14,500,000[28] $1,000,000 $19,900,000 $200,000–$225,000[29]
For a Few Dollars More December 18, 1965 (1965-12-18) May 10, 1967 (1967-05-10) L. 3,100,000,000 ($5,000,000)[30][31][32] $15,000,000[33] $5,500,000 $25,500,000 $600,000[34]
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly December 23, 1966 (1966-12-23)[35][36] December 29, 1967 (1967-12-29) $6,300,000[37] $25,100,000[38] $7,500,000 $38,900,000 $1,200,000[39]
Totals $15,700,000 $54,600,000 $14,000,000 $84,300,000 $2,000,000–$2,025,000
Film Box office admissions
Italy[40] United States & Canada France & Spain Germany Combined
A Fistful of Dollars 14,797,275 15,591,000[41] 7,665,321[42] 3,281,990[43] 41,335,586
For a Few Dollars More 14,543,161 13,761,000[44] 9,691,900[45] 3,072,010[46] 41,068,071
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 11,364,221 21,271,000[47] 10,520,467[48] 1,250,000[49] 44,405,688
Totals 40,704,657 50,623,000 27,877,688 7,604,000 126,809,345

Accolades

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Film Award Category Recipients Result
A Fistful of Dollars Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists[50] Best Score Ennio Morricone Won
Best Supporting Actor Gian Maria Volonté Nominated
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Laurel Awards[51] Action Performance Clint Eastwood Runner-Up
Grammy Awards[52] 2009 Grammy Hall of Fame Award Ennio Morricone Won

Music

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Soundtracks

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Title U.S. release date Length Composer(s) Label
A Fistful of Dollars: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 1964 TBA[clarification needed] Ennio Morricone TBA
For a Few Dollars More: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 1965 TBA
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 1966 TBA

Singles

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Literature

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Clint Eastwood as the Man with No Name in A Fistful of Dollars

Novel series

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The Dollars Trilogy spawned a series of spin-off books focused on the Man with No Name, dubbed the Dollars series due to the common theme in their titles:

  • A Fistful of Dollars (1972), film novelization by Frank Chandler
  • For a Few Dollars More (1965), film novelization by Joe Millard
  • The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1967), film novelization by Joe Millard
  • A Dollar to Die For (1967) by Brian Fox
  • A Coffin Full of Dollars (1971) by Joe Millard
  • The Devil's Dollar Sign (1972) by Joe Millard
  • Blood For a Dirty Dollar (1973) by Joe Millard
  • The Million-Dollar Bloodhunt (1973) by Joe Millard

Comic series

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In July 2007, American comic book company Dynamite Entertainment announced that they were going to begin publishing a comic book featuring the Man with No Name, 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.[53] The first issue was released in March 2008, entitled, The Man with No Name: The Good, The Bad, and The Uglier.[54] Luke Lieberman and Matt Wolpert took over the writing for issues #7–11.[55][56] 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. Despite its title, the new series was not an adaptation of the film. After releasing eight issues, Dynamite abandoned the series.[57]

Home media

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The films had various VHS releases in Italy and in other countries,[58] including some editions boxed together with Leone's other spaghetti western films (Once Upon a Time in the West and Duck, You Sucker!).[59][better source needed]

The 1999 DVD, plus the 2010 and 2014 Blu-ray box set releases by MGM (distributed by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment), make specific reference to the set of films as "The Man with No Name Trilogy".[60][61]

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ "Top 100 Western Movies". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  2. ^ Farino, Ernest (August 2020). "A Fistful of Pasta: The Italian Westerns of Sergio Leone". RetroFan (10). United States: TwoMorrows Publishing: 63.
  3. ^ Gelten, Simon. "FISTFUL – The Whole Story, part 2". The Spaghetti Western Database. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  4. ^ Alfreds, David (24 April 2009). "Cinema this week: The greatest director of all time". When Falls the Coliseum. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  5. ^ Anderson, Cal. "A Fistful of Dollars (1964)". Clint Eastwood.Net. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  6. ^ "Man With No Name Movies – Fun Facts, Questions, Answers, Information". FunTrivia. 7 January 2014. Archived from the original on 20 November 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  7. ^ Frayling, Christopher (27 January 2008). Spaghetti Westerns: Cowboys and Europeans from Karl May to Sergio Leone. I.B.Tauris. p. 258. ISBN 9781845112073.
  8. ^ Maltin, Leonard (4 September 2012). Leonard Maltin's 2013 Movie Guide: The Modern Era. Penguin. p. 870. ISBN 9781101604632.
  9. ^ Cerquiglini, Emanuele (12 July 2019). Un Gelato Per Henry. Litres. p. 15. ISBN 9785041721862.
  10. ^ Cooke, Mervyn; Ford, Fiona (8 December 2016). The Cambridge Companion to Film Music. Cambridge University Press. p. 274. ISBN 9781107094512.
  11. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (13 April 2018). "A Fistful of Dollars review – punk-rock western as fabulous as ever". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  12. ^ Hughes, Howard (31 March 2006). Once Upon A Time in the Italian West: The Filmgoers' Guide to Spaghetti Westerns. I.B.Tauris. p. 74. ISBN 9780857730459.
  13. ^ a b Neibaur, James L. (12 March 2015). The Clint Eastwood Westerns. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 31. ISBN 9781442245044.
  14. ^ Núñez Marqués, Anselmo (2006). Western a la europea--: un plato que se sirve frío. Entrelineas Editores. p. 277. ISBN 9788498024326.
  15. ^ Hughes, Howard (30 July 2009). Aim for the Heart: The Films of Clint Eastwood. I.B.Tauris. p. 279. ISBN 9780857730473.
  16. ^ Leinberger, Charles (2004). Ennio Morricone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: A Film Score Guide. Scarecrow Press. p. 80. ISBN 9780810851320.
  17. ^ Rajgopal, K.S. (20 January 2017). "'When you have to shoot, shoot'". The Hindu. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  18. ^ Sir Christopher Frayling, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly audio commentary (Blu-ray version). Retrieved on 3 August 2015.
  19. ^ Cox, Alex (2009). 10,000 Ways to Die: A Director's Take on the Spaghetti Western. Oldcastle Books. ISBN 978-1842433041.
  20. ^ "A Fistful of Dollars (1964)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  21. ^ "A Fistful of Dollars (1964)". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  22. ^ "For a Few Dollars More (1965)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  23. ^ "For a Few Dollars More (1965)". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  24. ^ "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  25. ^ "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  26. ^ Tashman, George (5 May 1978). "Piedmont's Claim to Fame". Berkeley Gazette. p. 11. Retrieved 21 April 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ Hughes, Howard (2009). Aim for the Heart. London: I.B. Tauris. p. 7. ISBN 978-1-84511-902-7.
  28. ^ "A Fistful of Dollars (1967)". Box Office Mojo. Amazon. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  29. ^ Sources that refer to the budget of A Fistful of Dollars include:
  30. ^ Smith, Jeffrey Paul (15 November 1998). The Sounds of Commerce: Marketing Popular Film Music. Columbia University Press. p. 135. ISBN 9780231108638. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  31. ^ Monaco, Eitel (11 October 1967). "Italian Films Succeed Alone And With U.S.A.". Variety. p. 29.
  32. ^ "Top Italian Film Grossers". Variety. 11 October 1967. p. 33.
  33. ^ "For a Few Dollars More (1967)". Box Office Mojo. Amazon. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  34. ^ "Per qualche dollar in più – Box Office Data, DVD Sales, Movie News, Cast Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  35. ^ "Catalog Of Copyright Entries – Motion Pictures And Filmstrips, 1968". Archive.org. Library Of Congress, Copyright Office. 1968. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  36. ^ "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly – Release Info". IMDb.com. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  37. ^ Eliot (2009), p. 88
  38. ^ "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1967)". Box Office Mojo. Amazon. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  39. ^ "Il buono, il burtto, il cattivo – Box Office Data, DVD Sales, Movie News, Cast Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  40. ^ "La classifica dei film più visti di sempre al cinema in Italia". movieplayer.it. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  41. ^ "Per un pugno di dollari (A Fistful of Dollars) – Etats-Unis" [A Fistful of Dollars – United States]. JP's Box-Office (in French). Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  42. ^ "Per un pugno di dollari (A Fistful of Dollars)". JP's Box-Office (in French). Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  43. ^ "Per un pugno di dollari (A Fistful of Dollars)". JP's Box-Office (in French). Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  44. ^ "Per qualche dollaro in più (For a Few Dollars More) – Etats-Unis" [For a Few Dollars More – United States]. JP's Box-Office (in French). Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  45. ^ "Per qualche dollaro in più (For a Few Dollars More)". JP's Box-Office (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  46. ^ "Top 100 Deutschland 1966" [Top 100 Germany 1966]. Inside Kino (in German). Archived from the original on 30 December 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  47. ^ "Il Buono, il brutto, il cattivo (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) – Etats-Unis" [The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – United States]. JP's Box-Office (in French). Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  48. ^ "Il Buono, il brutto, il cattivo (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly)". JP's Box-Office (in French). Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  49. ^ "Il Buono, il brutto, il cattivo (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly)". JP's Box-Office (in French). Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  50. ^ "Per un pugno di dollari – Awards". Internet Movie Database. Amazon. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  51. ^ "Il buono, il burtto, il cattivo. – Awards". Internet Movie Database. Amazon.com. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  52. ^ "The Police, Queen, Morricone Honoured At Grammy Hall Of Fame". Uncut. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  53. ^ Brady, Matt (15 August 2008). "Christos Gage on The Man With No Name". Newsarama. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  54. ^ Brady, Matt (28 April 2009). "First Look: Dynamite's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly #1". Newsarama. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  55. ^ Brady, Matt (19 August 2008). "The Man With No Name's New Team: Lieberman & Wolpert". Newsarama. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  56. ^ Phegley, Kiel (23 October 2008). "New Writers on The Man With No Name". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  57. ^ Brady, Matt (20 August 2008). "Chuck Dixon to Write The Man With No Name". Newsarama. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  58. ^ "Per un pugno di dollari/VHS releases - the Spaghetti Western Database".
  59. ^ "Cofanetto 5 VHS film Spaghetti Western SERGIO LEONE".
  60. ^ Amazon.com: The Man with No Name Trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly): Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volonté, Aldo Giuffrè, Luigi Pistilli, Rada Rassimov, Enzo Petito, Claudio Scarchilli, John Bartha, Livio Lorenzon, Antonio Casale, Sergio Leone, Adriano Bolzoni, Agenore Incrocci, Duccio Tessari, Fernando Di Leo, Fulvio Morsella, Furio Scarpelli, Jaime Comas Gil: Movies & TV. ISBN 0792842502.
  61. ^ "Amazon.com: The Man with No Name Trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars / For a Few Dollars More / The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly) [Blu-ray]: Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volonté, Aldo Giuffrè, Luigi Pistilli, Rada Rassimov, Enzo Petito, Claudio Scarchilli, John Bartha, Livio Lorenzon, Antonio Casale, Sergio Leone, Adriano Bolzoni, Agenore Incrocci, Duccio Tessari, Fernando Di Leo, Fulvio Morsella, Furio Scarpelli, Jaime Comas Gil: Movies & TV". amazon.com.

Bibliography

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