This is the movie that launched the spaghetti Western and catapulted Clint Eastwood to stardom. Before director Sergio Leone picked him out, Clint had played only a few bit parts in features plus his role as Rowdy Yates in the TV Western series Rawhide. Leone cast him for his stillness and physical presence, famously remarking that when Michelangelo was asked what he had seen in a particular block of marble, he said Moses, but that what he, Leone, saw in Eastwood was just that, a block of marble. Leone also claimed that it was he who gave the character his trademark cigar and poncho, though Eastwood has said he brought his own wardrobe to Italy. Whoever takes credit, A Fistful of Dollars (Per un pugno di dollari in Italian) was an extraordinary success when launched in Italy in 1964. Eastwood had to wait longer for it to be a hit in the USA. The film was based on Kurosawa's 1961 samurai picture Yojimbo, but Leone had forgotten to clear the copyright. Eventually a deal was done, but A Fistful of Dollars was not released in the USA until 1967. It scored an equally resounding success, as did its sequels in the Dollar Trilogy, For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The advertising campaign promoted Eastwood's character, laconic, amoral, dangerous, as The Man with No Name (though in the film he's clearly referred to as Joe), and audiences loved the film's refreshing new take on the Western genre. Gone are the pieties about making the streets safe for women and children (women are virtually absent from the Trilogy). Instead it's every man for himself. Striking too was a new emphasis on violence, with stylised, almost balletic gunfights and baroque touches such as Eastwood's armoured breastplate. The popularity of the Dollars films had a marked influence on the Hollywood Western, for example Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch, but its most enduring legacy is Clint Eastwood himself, still in action at the age of 70. --Edward Buscombe
The Driller Killer is one of the most notorious flims ever. It almost single-handedly spawned the media ""video nasty"" hysteria of 1984 and the introduction of the video recordings act. It is also the film that launched the career and reputation of critically acclaimed director Abel Ferrara. Away from the hysteria The Driller Killer is a powerful and compelling story of one man's descent into madness and violence. Reno is a struggling artist close to breaking point. The loud punk
A doctor uncovers stories of crime, revenge, love and friendship when he stars work in Sao Paulo's infamous prison Carandiru.
An absorbing glimpse into the colorful life, and mysterious death, of actor Bob Crane, star of classic 60s sit com "Hogan's Heroes."
Peter Ustinov presents this production of Mozart's opera at the world famous Salzburg Marionette theatre.
The Driller Killer is one of the most notorious films ever. It almost single-handedly spawned the media ""video nasty"" hysteria of 1984 and the introduction of the video recordings act. It is also the film that launched the career and reputation of critically acclaimed director Abel Ferrara. Away from the hysteria The Driller Killer is a powerful and compelling study of one man's descent into madness and violence. Reno is struggling artist close to breaking point. The loud pun
TDK presents a recording of Puccini's heart-breaking opera from one of the best opera houses of the world featuring star tenor Jose Cura and remarkable soprano Maria Guelghina as the two inseparable lovers. Riccardo Muti music director of La Scala at the time of this performance gives full weight to the alternation of social realism and private amatory psychology of crowds and intimacy body and spirit. And the director of this Milan production the famous Italian film director Liliana Cavani provides it with a realistic setting. Every scene looks like a genre painting from which Puccini's psychograms emerge musically. This forms the background for the two outstanding singer actors who take the lead roles.
Brazilian pop sensation and daughter of legendary singer Elis Reginad Maria Rita performs live before an audience of appreciative fans. The Grammy-winning diva works her way through songs from her eponymous album drawing on the unique chemistry with her excellent backup band as she delivers a strong uninhibited performance. Tracklist: 1. Pagu 2. Nao Vale A Pena 3. Lavadeira Do Rio 4. Agora so falta Voce 5. Encontros e Despedidas 6. Menina Da Lua 7. Cara Valente 8. Veja B
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