4. A Fistful Of Dollars
By the mid-60s the Western genre, once a Hollywood staple, had stagnated. Plenty of people still turned out to watch cowboy flicks, but the general sentiment was that the artistic merit of such films had slumped. Enter Sergio Leone, an Italian film-maker who saw potential in marrying a traditionally American genre with the grit and realism traditionally association with the cinema of his own country. All he had to do was find a star to bring it home. Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson and Rex Harrison all declined, citing a poor script and being unconvinced by the project. Eventually the unknown Clint Eastwood was cast and the rest is history. Actually an unknown actor, though only cast through circumstance, was a perfect fit for a film which did not name its lead character now known as The Man With No Name. Also the anonymous anti-hero complimented Leones desire to add Italian realism to a genre which had become increasingly verbose. The film made around $15m on its American release. It only cost $200,000 to be produced. By the release of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Eastwood was a Hollywood mega-star, but it all started with this role he will for ever be associated with.