Double feature of cinema classics in Ludlow

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” on Saturday, April 14 at 7 p.m. at the Ludlow Town Hall Auditorium. Admission is free. 

“A Fistful of Dollars” is 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.  

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.

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.  

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 website at www.fola.us.