Which 1964 film is widely credited with establishing the popularity of the Spaghetti Western?

A Fistful of Dollars is the 1964 film widely credited with establishing the popularity of the Spaghetti Western.

Directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood, the film was an Italian, West German, and Spanish production shot largely in Spain. Its stark visual style, morally ambiguous hero, extreme close-ups, and Ennio Morricone’s distinctive score gave the Western a fresh identity outside Hollywood.

The film was an unofficial remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1961 samurai film Yojimbo, a connection that led to a successful legal challenge by Kurosawa’s production company. That influence is often overlooked when the film is described simply as an Italian Western.

A Fistful of Dollars was released in Italy in 1964 but reached the United States in 1967. Its success made Eastwood an international star and led to For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Those films later became known collectively as the Dollars Trilogy.