What is the Dollars Trilogy?

In 1964, A Fistful of Dollars moseyed into cinemas. The film – which starred Clint Eastwood – was a hit with audiences and led to two additional movies, which collectively became known as the Dollars Trilogy.

But what is the Dollars Trilogy?

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What is The Dollars Trilogy?

The Dollars Trilogy is a collection of three films, all featuring Clint Eastwood in the lead role. The movies tell the story of a stranger, who often finds himself helping others or getting caught up in trouble that he would otherwise like to avoid.

The movies include:

• A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
• For a Few Dollars More (1965)
• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

All three films fall into a sub-genre known as the Spaghetti Western.

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What is a Spaghetti Western?

A Spaghetti Western is a sub-genre of film made popular during the 1960s, in large part to the work of Sergio Leone (aka the director of The Dollars Trilogy).

A Spaghetti Western is a movie set in the American ‘wild West’, produced and directed by Italian filmmakers.

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What is the order of The Dollars Trilogy?

The Dollars Trilogy was released in this order:

• A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
• For a Few Dollars More (1965)
• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

However, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a prequel. As such, the trilogy is technically set in this order:

• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
• A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
• For a Few Dollars More (1965)

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Are all of the movies in The Dollars Trilogy part of the same series?

The Dollars Trilogy is regarded as being part of the same series, however, it is debatable as to whether the movies are all connected.

The films can be argued to be separate entries that are simply linked by one character…

…who may or may not be the same person in each film.

This character who appears in each film is played by Clint Eastwood and is commonly known as The Man with No Name. Yet despite his title, The Man with No Name does have a name – and it differs from film-to-film.

In Fistful of Dollars the character is Joe, while in For A Few Dollars More he is called Manco. In The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, the character is known as Blondie.

Is he the same character? It sure seems that way, but it is left ambiguous and open to the audiences’ interpretation.

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Who are the cast of The Dollars Trilogy?

Notable actors in The Dollars Trilogy include Clint Eastwood, Mario Brega, Aldo Sambrell, Benito Stefanelli, and Lorenzo Robledo. All five actors appear in every entry in the series, although they play a different character with each appearance.

Additional noteworthy actors in the trilogy include Lee Van Cleef, Luigi Pistilli, Román Ariznavarret, Antoñito Ruiz, José Terrón, Marianne Koch and Eli Wallach.

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Who directed The Dollars Trilogy?

All three entries in The Dollars Trilogy were directed by Sergio Leone.

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Who composed the music for The Dollars Trilogy?

The music for The Dollars Trilogy was composed by legendary composer, Ennio Morricone. Throughout his time in the movie business, Morricone had a hugely successful career, with his music often becoming as popular as the movies themselves.

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Is The Dollars Trilogy known by another name?

In addition to being known as The Dollars Trilogy, the films are sometimes referred to as The Man with No Name Trilogy or the Blood Money Trilogy.

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What is the best entry in The Dollars Trilogy?

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is often considered to be the strongest film in the collection, but each entry has a loyal following among fans. Personally, my favourite is For A Few Dollars More.

According to IMDb The Dollars Trilogy is ranked as follows:

• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) – 8.8/10
• For a Few Dollars More (1965) – 8.3/10
• Fistful of Dollars (1964) – 8.0/10

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I hope this information about The Dollars Trilogy has proved useful. Should you wish to know more about other long-running movie series, please check out one of the recommended reads below.

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