Man with No Name

The Man with No Name is a stock character in western films, but the term usually applies specifically to the character (or possibly characters) played by American actor Clint Eastwood in what is often called "The Dollars Trilogy" directed by Sergio Leone.

Characteristics

"The Man with No Name", as personified by Eastwood, embodies the archetypical characteristics of the American movie cowboy — toughness, independence, and skill with a gun — but departed from the original archetype in his moral ambiguity. Unlike the traditional cowboy lob, exemplified by actors John Wayne, Alan Ladd, and Randolph Scott, the Man with No Name will fight dirty and shoot first, if required by his own self-defined sense of justice. Although he tends to look for ways to benefit himself, he has, in a few cases, aided others if he feels an obligation to, such as freeing a couple held captive in A Fistful of Dollars and comforting a dying soldier after the bridge explosion in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

He is generally portrayed as an outsider, a mercenary or bounty hunter, or even an outlaw. He is characteristically soft-spoken and laconic, speaking only when necessary, with as few words as possible. The character is an often-cited example of an anti-hero.

Is it the same character?

In the "Dollars" Trilogy, Eastwood plays a character with the same mannerisms, wearing the same poncho, lambskin vest and hat, and sporting a silver rattlesnake-shaped plate on the handle of his gun. The question whether the intention was to portray the same individual character in all three movies is debatable, but many fans believe that the last film in the trilogy, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a prequel of sorts to the earlier two, since it is set during the American Civil War and before the period thought of as the "wild West." Furthermore, Eastwood's character gradually acquires the clothing that he wears throughout the other films in the series, getting his hat, vest and other clothing from the assassin "Angel-Eyes" and taking his signature sarape from an anonymous, dying soldier (in exchange for his duster). The soldier could symbolically be seen as a "man with no name", thus suggesting Eastwood has exchanged identities with him and has finally become the iconic character from the earlier two movies. It can also be noted that the actor portraying the undertaker from the first film shows up in the second as someone Eastwood's character is familiar with. Whether this points to the old man playing the same person or not is unknown as many of the same actors played roles in the three films of characters who were obviously different, but the fact that Eastwood indicates that he knew who to ask for specific information gives a stronger argument for the second film being a follow-up.

However, Christopher Frayling has pointed out in his massive Leone biography, Sergio Leone: Something To Do With Death, that the three films were not intended by Leone or his various script collaborators to be seen as a history of the exact same individual. It was United Artists, not the filmmakers, who came up with the idea of specifically linking the three films together as a series by referring to the Eastwood character as The Man With No Name in all advertising materials for the movies.^[1]

Eastwood as the "Man with No Name" in A Fistful of Dollars

Eastwood as the "Man with No Name" in For a Few Dollars More

Eastwood as the "Man with No Name" in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Does the character have a name?

While the credits for A Fistful of Dollars list Eastwood's character as "Joe" and the undertaker in the movie calls him by that "name", he is the only character to do so. In For a Few Dollars More, a minor character refers to him as "Monco" ^[2], which is very similar to the Spanish word "Manco" (someone that lacks a hand) though in reality the word is Mexican slang for someone who limps. This nickname likely alludes to the fact that the character appears to save his right hand (for which he wears a supportive leather brace) for shooting only. (Some argue that this may be considered evidence of continuity and point to The Man's right hand being injured during the torture scene of the earlier film but in fact it was his left hand that was.) Thus, during the entire incident in the beginning of the movie, he uses only his left hand when lighting his cigar, dealing the cards and striking the man he is hunting (keeping the right hand on his gun the whole time). However, this theory is quickly shot down as he uses both hands equally throughout the rest of the film. Critic Richard Schickel inaccurately states in the special edition release of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly that Eastwood's character did have a name. While it is true that the character is sometimes referred to as "Blondie" in said movie, the character's partner Tuco Ramirez is the only one to do so though only as a reference to his sun-bleached hair.

The above monikers are the reasons why it is sometimes stated that the "Man with No Name" was in fact named, but all three of these "names" appear merely to serve as placeholders and nicknames. Thus, "Joe" is used in a similar fashion to "Mack" - i.e. as a way to address a stranger (cp. the expression "average Joe" or the popular song "Hey Joe"). "Monco" appears to refer to the character's reluctance to use his right hand for other things than shooting, and "Blondie" is Tuco Ramirez's nickname for his fair-haired partner.

Japanese origin and evolution

A Fistful of Dollars was directly (and illegally) adapted from Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo.^{[citation needed]} It was the subject of a successful lawsuit by Yojimbo's producers.^{[citation needed]} The film's protagonist, a gruff, unconventional ronin played by Toshiro Mifune, bears a striking resemblance to Eastwood's character: each is a quiet, eccentric stranger with a strong but unorthodox sense of justice and superhuman proficiency with a particular weapon (in Mifune's case, a katana; for Eastwood, a revolver).

Like Eastwood's character, Mifune's ronin is nameless. When pressed, he gives the pseudonym Sanjuro Kuwabatake (meaning "thirty-something mulberry field"), a reference to his age and something he sees through a window. The convention of saving an arm to kill is shared as well with Mifune's character typically wearing his arms inside his kimono, leaving the sleeves empty. ^[3]

Yojimbo itself, however, is believed to have been based on Dashiell Hammett's novel Red Harvest, although Kurosawa never credited the author, despite acknowledging the source. The name of the lead character in Red Harvest is also unrevealed, he is referred to only as the Continental Op after the detective agency he works for.

Prior to signing on to Fistful, Eastwood had seen Kurosawa's film and was impressed by the character. ^[4] During filming, he did not emulate Mifune's performance beyond what was already in the script. He also insisted on removing some of the dialogue in the original script, making the character more silent and thus adding to his mystery. As the trilogy progressed, the character became even more silent and stoic, ultimately in GBU he becomes merely an observer of events around him, more an icon than a human being.

Due to low budget considerations, Eastwood made the initial investment for his character's appearance and demeanor. Most of the clothing was purchased second-hand in California (with the exception of the poncho which was provided by Leone); the gunbelt and holster were from Clint's previous TV series Rawhide. The Man's trademark cigars were also from California; their harshness put Eastwood in what he called a "scratchy mood," which aided in his characterization.

Similar characters

Other films featuring characters very similar to the Man with No Name include Leone's later Once Upon a Time in the West featuring Charles Bronson in a role somewhat akin to Eastwood's (known in the movie as "Harmonica" since he plays it); Eastwood's own films, High Plains Drifter and Pale Rider; The Tonino Valerii film My Name Is Nobody starring Terence Hill as Nobody; and the more recent Yojimbo remake Last Man Standing, starring Bruce Willis (directed by Walter Hill).

The Man with No Name concept was used in the El Mariachi series. Throughout the series he is known only as "The Mariachi", the "Guitar Player", or in Once Upon a Time in Mexico simply as "El," short for "El Mariachi". In Desperado, however, Bucho, the antagonist, calls him "Manito," a nickname from when they were children. However, because in Spanish, manito is also short for hermanito, little brother, it was probably not his true name. El Mariachi comes to share many of the same characteristics of other Nameless gunmen, as the Mariachi movies share many characteristics with Western movies.

In the movie version of Paint Your Wagon, although Eastwood's character bears little resemblance to the traditional Man with No Name, he still lacks a name and is referred to simply as "Pardner" throughout the movie. At the end he reveals that his name is Sylvester Newel.

The Man with No Name was the inspiration for Roland Deschain, the protagonist of Stephen King's epic, seven-volume Dark Tower series. The Man With No Name is also the inspiration for the main character in the computer game Red Dead Revolver.

Director Quentin Tarantino appears also to have been inspired by this idea, intentionally not naming the central character in his Kill Bill movies until well into the second movie, otherwise referring to her as simply "The Bride," even bleeping out her name when characters use it until it's finally revealed near the end of the second movie.

George Lucas attributes the character of Boba Fett to The Man with No Name in the DVD commentary on Return of the Jedi. His armour is reminiscent of Eastwood's poncho used throughout the trilogy.

In one episode of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Tigger featured in a Wild West parody as an outlaw wanted for stealing a train. He called himself "The Tigger with No Name", while his sidekick, Pooh, called himself "The Pooh with A Name (if only [he] could remember what it was)".

One episode of Animaniacs featured Chicken Boo disguising himself as "The man with no personality."

Mel Gibson's Mad Max character could be said to have a strong archetpyal resemblance to the Man with No Name, and many of Eastwood's Old West characters for that matter. And while he does actually point out once that his name is indeed Max in the second and third films in the Mad Max trilogy, Gibson's character is never referred to by name and his past a mystery to those he encounters. In the third Mad Max film, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, during the Thunderdome fight scene, the MC introduces Max to the crowd: "He's bad, he's beautiful, he's crazy, he's...he's the man with no name!"

Solid Snake and Gray Fox, from the Metal Gear series, are both "men with no names," citing the comment Grey Fox makes to Snake during a battle, "I am like you, I have no name." These characters fit the archetype in that they are self-reliant and incredibly tough.

One-Eyed Garth in the Magic: The Gathering series of novels, specifically "Arena", bears a strong resemblance to the character, in that he doesn't reveal his name until the end of the book (and then it is someone else who reveals it) and he has a mysterious purpose. Furthermore, the plot of the book loosely follows that of A Fistful of Dollars, with One Eye playing warring organizations against each other and profiting off all of them.

Nameless characters also exist in the 2002 film Hero and the 2005 film Serenity. In the latter, the nameless Operative, is a ruthless enforcer serving The Alliance

In the cartoon series Time Squad, an episode featured the team time traveling to cause Billy the Kid to become an outlaw. The team was successful enough that a Man With No Name, bearing a great resemblance to Eastwood, was sent after them. The bounty hunter pursued them throughout the episode, even after they had returned to the future.

The antagonist Timp Sharon, of Combat Mecha Xabungle, bears a heavy (visual) resemblance to The Man With No Name.

Filmography as “The Man with No Name”

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

Filmography as "The Stranger"

• Pale Rider (1985)
• High Plains Drifter (1973)

References

Wikipedia information about Man with No Name This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Man with No Name". It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer). Help contribute to Americola and edit this article.