Fistful+of+Dollars

"A Fistful of Dollars" is Italian director Sergio Leone's first internationally recognized film, and is largely considered as the film that paved the way for European western films, or Italian westerns (as the most notable European westerns were mostly produced by Italian filmmakers like Leone himself). In "Fistful of Dollars", a lone unnamed gunslinger rides into the bullet-torn and sun-baked Mexican border town of San Miguel. Two opposing factions, one led by the town sheriff and the other led by the Rojo brothers, resides at opposing ends of the town, each trying to win control of the town. The gunslinger, seeing an opportunity to exploit the situation, offers to work for each gang without the other knowing, and using his cunning mind and incredible skill with firearms, sets the gangs against each other and brings peace back to the town. Throughout the entire film, the motives and intentions of the gunslinger remains muddled; there does not appear to be a clear explanation for the gunslinger's crusade against the villains of the town, other than his strong sense of justice and righteousness, therefore it is difficult to identify the theme of the film based on the character's needs. The theme of the film could be the importance of moral values, hard work, and justice and their absence in a shallow, materialistic society. This theme is reinforced by several cinematic elements, including mise-en-scene, sound, and cinematography.

Mise-en-scene Throughout the bulk of the film's 100 minute running length, the gunslinger is mostly seen wearing simple, utilitarian clothing: dark pants and a simple shirt hidden under an dirty looking (and now iconic) poncho. The poncho, despite looking worn and dirty, actually adds a layer of mystery and danger to the gunslinger, as it serves as a both literal and figurative shroud that hides his most dangerous assets–his pistols and his skills–from his villains, which can lead to them underestimating him. More importantly, however, is the poncho's contrast with the attire of the villains. In most scenes, the villains, including the sheriff and the Rojo brothers, are seen in relatively clean and fancy jackets and clothing. The relatively more ornate and fancier clothing worn by the villains serves to show their shallow, materialistic mindset. The fancier attire of the villains, paired with their despicable acts of villainy and arrogance, serves to emphasize the replacement of moral values with materialistic and shallow needs. The gunslinger's old poncho serves as a symbol for traditional values like hard work and righteousness, in contrast with that of the villains'. The setting of the town also evokes the harshness of a materialistic society: the town is sun-scorched, desolate, and appears to be uninhabited by townsfolk and citizens (the only residents are a restaurant owner, a coffin maker, and villains). A noose hangs at the entry of the town, a symbolism of the death and destruction such a society creates. In extreme close-ups, the movement of the characters' face also serves to separate justice and villainy. In many extreme close-up shots, the eyes and eyebrows of many villains can be seen twitching and quivering, and worried-looking. The gunslinger's eyes, on the other hand, appears steely, determined, and focused. Props, as part of the miss-en-scene, also play a part in the preaching of the film's theme. The gunslinger's weapon of choice, a traditional six-shooting revolver, is considered to be ineffective by the Rojo brothers, who believe that (paraphrased) "you can't win a duel with a revolver against a man with a rifle." However, in the final scene, the gunslinger defeats Rojo and his gang with his revolver, symbolizing that hard work and justice prevails.

Cinematography and lighting The cinematography and lighting of the film also serves to reinforce the theme of the film: righteousness and justice's importance and perseverance. Many villains in the film is often presented in wide shots and extreme closeups signature to Leone's style. In wide shots, the setting is established, and a feeling of desolation and detachment is generated. This feeling of desolation emphasizes the desolate state of the town and its state of corruption. In extreme closeups, tension is heightened and stressed, indicating the dangers of life in town. The gunslinger is filmed in wide shots and extreme closeups too, but the gunslinger is mostly shown alone in a wide shot, evoking a feeling of confidence and defiance against the corrupted values to the villains. In the first few scenes of the film, many villains were shot from a worm eye view, creating a sense of intimidation and fear. The worm eye indicates that the materialistic values of the villains have a dominating effect over the town, suppressing the good values. However, near the end of the film, the villains are shown from a bird eye's view, particularly in the scene where they are gathered around the restaurant owner. The bird eye's view makes the previously intimidating villains look small and despicable. The transition of the camera angles from a worm's eye view to a bird's eye view symbolizes the return of justice and righteousness, and the diminishing of materialistic and shallow values. The lighting of "Dollars" also distinctively divide the good from the bad, the gun slinger from the villains. The gunslinger is mostly lit in a high key/low contrast lighting, symbolizing his sense of justice. The Rojo brothers, are shrewd and despicable, and are often seen in a low key/high contrast lighting, symbolizing their evil. The lighting and cinematography together serves to present a clear distinction of good and evil.

Sound and editing Music and sound effects in film is perhaps one of Sergio Leone's most well known stylistic trademarks, especially the use of the non-diegetic score, which is used to portray the mood and theme in many of his films; "Fistful of Dollars". In contrast to the epic orchestral pieces featured in earlier westerns, "Fistful of Dollars" features a deranged soundtrack composed of many sound effects, such as whip cracks, bullet cracks, and horse hooves. The disorientating musical score and sound effects serves to create a feeling of brash lawlessness and danger to the disintegrating society. However, the electric guitar and the vocals present in the same music adds an epic and heroic mood, symbolizing the prevalence of justice and traditional morals in the face of a villainous and materialistic society. The editing in "Dollars" is fairly orthodox, with action match cuts matching the gunslinger's guns to his targets and eye line matches to match the character's attention. The bold, direct editing techniques goes hand in hand with the brash and bold violence in the film, and serves to create harsh and unforgiving vibe to materialistic society (symbolized by the town). Quick cuts between extreme closeups of character's eyes serves to create tension and elevate a feeling of danger, and also emphasizes the danger and uncertainty of life in a society that ignores honor, justice, and hard work.

Today, Sergio Leone's western epic is largely considered as one of the most stylistically significant and important western films ever made, due to its unique manipulation of cinematic elements like mise-en-scene, cinematography, lighting, sound, and editing. These cinematic elements serve to emphasize and portray the society's need for traditional moral values and justice, a time-tested message and theme that will go on to endure many generations.