Clint Eastwood returns as the man with no name in Sergio Leone's second Spaghetti Western. Paramount R2 German disc.
The Film
With the sucess of Fistful of Dollars (1964)
the European Western was beginning to take-off, so when the time came
to shoot a sequel, producers were able to drum up three times the
budget of the original film allowing a bigger storyline and more actors.
Two Bounty Hunters roam the Old West - Monco (Clint Eastwood) and Colonel
Douglas Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef) living off the rewards they collect.
When El Indio (Gian Maria Volontè), a ruthless, scheming bandit,
is sprung from prision by his gang, a US$10,000 reward is placed on his
head and both Bounty Hunters set off to track him down, first in
opposition, then working together...
Although generally billed as a sequel, For a Few Dollars More actually contains no direct links with the earlier film except the casting of Clint Eastwood as a mysterious gunman. While Fistful of Dollars (1964) had concentrated the storyline in a single, almost deserted town, the increased budget
of this sequel allowed a much broader story. Although a typical Western
tale, a Bounty Hunter tracking down a villian, the script contains a
number of original elements, most notably the fact that the Monco and
Mortimer characters get almost identical screentime and are essentially
equally rated characters. The story contains innumerable twists and
turns and is rarely predictable, building to a good climax. It is let
down slightly by an over-long 'post climax' ending and some comic
relief characters early on.
Leone was a fan of the epic films, his later work Once Upon a Time in America
(1984) reportedly running up to 8 hours in its original cuts, his
pacing here is much more in an 'epic' style, with some very long and
slow sequences, mixed in with some quick cut fight sequences. While his
direction of the exteriors is very good, and shows complete command of
the scope frame, his fight-scene direction and editing (most notable in
the very early sequence of Monco in a bar fight) is rather poor, cutting too quickly between shots. The
sets look varied and are well populated with extras, Ennio Morricone
returns with a very distinctive soundtrack including character themes
and ranging from crashing organ chords to light whistling - it fits the
film like a glove.
Clint Eastwood and Gian Maria Volontè return to play similar characters to their roles in Fistful of Dollars
(1964) and perform equally well. Looking for another American actor to
fill the co-lead role, Leone tried to secure Lee Marvin, however since Fistful
had not yet played in America, he was rejected and instead cast Lee Van
Cleef a little known actor who had previously had minor roles in a
number of Classic Westerns and Western TV shows. With his distinctive
smile and knowing look he perfectly suits the role as the very smart
Mortimer. At the insistance of the German producers, Klaus Kinski was
cast in a lesser role as a hunchback named 'Wild' and gets little
chance to actually act.
Just as Fistful of Dollars
(1964) was an influencial film, so was For a Few Dollars More.
Further establishing Morricone, Eastwood and Leone as stars, it took
Van Cleef from being a retired actor to the star of dozens of European
Westerns and action films and brought international fame to Klaus
Kinski who had previously been known only within Germany. For a Few Dollars More is
a very good film, but
Leone does try to overreach himself, the film is paced like an epic,
but is only two hours long and the awkward comic relief characters and
over-long ending give this film a less acomplished feel than Fistful of Dollars
(1964) where the small scale of the story fitted well with the limited
run-time and budget - Leone would finally get his 'epic' with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) the next year. Ultimately, despite its problems, For a Few Dollars More is a very good and enjoyable film, and recommended to all.
In brief:
Anyone famous in it?
Clint Eastwood - went on to star in dozens of action films from Where Eagles Dare (1968) to Firefox (1982). Klaus Kinski - a German cult movie actor who appeared in dozens of euro-westerns and horror films. Lee Van Cleef - a former American Western actor who went on to star in a myriad of Euro-Westerns. Gian Maria Volontè - Italian actor who appeared Face to Face (1967) and Bullet for the General (1967)
Directed by anyone interesting?
Sergio Leone - One of the most famous Italian directors who also shot Once Upon a Time in Italy (1968)
Any violence?
Quite a lot of gunfights and fist-fights, some blood and brutality
Any sex?
Some implied rape and an unrevealing nude scene.
Good soundtrack?
A strong and clever score from Ennio Morricone that fits the film well.
Who is it for?
Recommended to all, although you should watch Fistful of Dollars (1964) first.
The DVD
Visuals
The film is shown at original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 anamorphic wide-screen. Colour. The
print is perfect, I noticed one minor bit of print damage in the
entire run-time. Colours are good and strong, detail is high and the
original film grain is still there (some restoration removes this,
giving the film a 'fake' look)
Audio
German
and English original mono tracks - sound good and have been accurately
synced to the action, more so than when originally played. English 5.1 remix, as on the MGM disc, with some altered sound effects - sounds good but not original.
Subtitles
English and German. All the documentary features and the audio commentary have English and German subtitles.
Runtime
Main feature runtime: 2h 06m 50s (PAL) (includes 31 seconds of DVD company credits at start and end)
Extras
The extras are mostly imported from the existing MGM releases.
Disc 1 includes:
Audio commentary by Western 'expert' Christopher Frayling. He talks almost continually with lots of interesting facts.
Disc 2 includes:
Christopher Frayling talking about the film, as with the commentary, a mix of facts and film analysis. (19m 08s)
Clint Eastwood talks about the fim, very interesting. (6m 34s)
Three Voices - interview clips with producer Alberto Grimaldi, a voice actor and scriptwriter. (10m 16s)
American release alterations - footage of three minor plot alterations made to the film for American distribution. (4m 48s)
Restoration Italian Style - documentary about the MGM restoration of the film print. (4m 20s)
Location comparisons - footage the film compared with modern photos of the filming locations. (11m 30s)
Radio Spots - 12 audio tracks, individually selectable.
Original American cinema trailer, good print quality. (3m 35s)
American cinema trailer for a Dollars double-bill, low PQ. (1m 53s)
DVD promotional trailer for the German Dollars DVD release. (new feature) (1m 51s)
DVD promotional trailer for the German My Name is Nobody DVD release. (new feature) (1m 33s)
Text notes about the German DVD restoration process. (new feature)
Availability
German release, DVD Title: Für ein paar Dollar mehr This set is available individually, in a digipack with Fistful of Dollars or in a special edition wooden box with Fistful of Dollars also containing a Clint Eastwood branded pocketwatch (that sadly doesn't play the tune) and a film strip.
Region
Region 2 (UK, Europe) - PAL
Other regions?
There are loads of DVD releases worldwide, usually with the alternate MGM restored print. See DVD Rewind for more.
Cuts?
The
film is believed to be uncut, the print includes a slightly extended
beating scene not present on any other DVD. Title and credits are in
English.
Summary
A very impressively written and directed film with a good cast - but slightly over ambitious in places.
A fantastic looking uncut
print, with original mono soundtrack. A good mix of extras, although
sadly no new special features (eg. German trailers or title sequences) are included, or Italian soundtrack. This is probably
the most definitive release we will see on standard definition DVD.
