FOLA Double Feature – Clint Eastwood in “A Fistful of Dollars” and Toshiro Mifune in “Yojimbo” on April 14

Ralph Pace
LUDLOW— FOLA (Friends of Ludlow Auditorium) continues its showcase of Cinema Classics of the 1960s by presenting a double feature of Clint Eastwood in Sergio Leone’s “A Fistful of Dollars” and Toshiro Mifune in Akira Kurosawa’s “Yojimbo” ay 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 14 at the Ludlow Town Hall Auditorium.

FOLA’s first movie on April 14 will be “A Fistful of Dollars” the movie that launched Clint Eastwood’s successful film acting career. Released in Europe in 1964, but not in the United States until 1967, Sergio Leone’s classic “Man with No Name” is an attempt to remake the Hollywood Western within the framework of Italian Cinema. Shot on a shoestring in Spain, it tells the tale of a stranger (played by Clint Eastwood) who comes to a small town that is being fought over by rival families. The stranger then plays the two families against each other in an attempt to rid the town of both of them.

FOLA’s second movie will be a unique western-style movie from Japan. “Yojimbo” is a 1961 samurai film that tells the story of a ronin, a masterless Samurai warrior, who arrives in a small town where competing crime lords vie for supremacy. The two bosses each try to hire the newcomer as a bodyguard.

After sizing up the situation, the stranger says he intends to stay as he feels the town would be better off with both warring factions in the town dead. Being an excellent swordsman, one of his opponents turns out to be a young man who uses a pistol rather than the traditional sword. What follows is a series of battles between the two warring sides and the samurai. It’s a surprisingly familiar tale of the wild west as seen in a Japanese setting.

Although not directly referenced in the film credits, “A Fistful of Dollars” was inspired and based on “Yojimbo.” Oddly enough, “Yojimbo” is based on the mystery writing of American Dashiell Hammett and the movies his writing inspired, like “The Glass Key” and “Red Harvest.”

Note: although this a double feature, patrons do not have to watch both movies. Please feel free to show up for only one of the movies, but as they are both excellent, we hope you show up for both. Given running times, “A Fistful of Dollars” will start at 7 p.m. and “Yojimbo” at 9 p.m.

As with all FOLA movies, the film is open to everyone and is free; donations are appreciated. Popcorn will be provided by Berkshire Bank with water offered by FOLA. For more information, call (802) 228-7239 or visit the FOLA web site atwww.fola.us.