A Pistol for Ringo
Encyclopedia
A Pistol for Ringo is a 1965 Spaghetti Western
, a joint Italian and Spanish production. Originally written and directed by Duccio Tessari, the film's success led to a sequel, The Return of Ringo
, later that year.
The film starred Giuliano Gemma
billed as Montgomery Wood and co-starred Fernando Sancho
, Nieves Navarro
, George Martin
, Antonio Casas
, José Manuel Martín and Hally Hammond.
Meanwhile, Major Clyde and his daughter Ruby are celebrating Christmas with several guests on their ranch. They are interrupted by a bandit gang who storm the hacienda and take them hostage. The bandits have narrowly escaped from a bank robbery in which their leader Sancho has been wounded. In a desperate attempt to deter their pursuers, they decide to hold the family hostage threatening to execute two a day until they are allowed to go free.
The house is surrounded by a posse led by the town sheriff, however he fears for the safety of the hostages, including his fiancee Ruby, if he attempts to free the hostage by force. He decides to enlist the aid of Ringo, who agrees to infiltrate the gang and free the hostages in exchange for his freedom and a percentage of the stolen money.
He manages to successfully join up with the gang, posing as a fellow outlaw on the run, however Ringo's plans quickly become complicated as Sancho begins ordering the execution of hostages as well as the tension within the house as Delores, Sancho's woman, encourages Major Clyde's romantic feelings while one of Sancho's men begins making advances towards Major Clyde's daughter, Ruby. He at first seems to double-cross the sheriff, however he succeeds in deceiving Sancho and allows the sheriff and his posse to storm the hacienda freeing the hostages and defeating Sancho and his bandits.
's Fistful of Dollars the previous year, which he had helped write, Duccio Tessari decided to produce his own western. A well-known screenwriter of horror and "sword-and-sandal" films, he had previously worked with several Spaghetti Western directors, most notably "the two Sergios", as the co-writer of Sergio Leone's The Colossus of Rhodes (1960) and Sergio Corbucci
's Romulus and Remus
(1961).
He had originally developed the story and co-wrote the script with Alfonso Balcázar
. There is more humorous theme, and at times uses slapstick comedy, compared to usual Spaghetti Westerns. The interaction between actors was more relaxed to fully develop the effect of comedic sequences. The main character, loosely based on gunfighter Johnny Ringo
, was portrayed as the antithesis of Leone's Man with No Name
character — talkative, well dressed, clean-shaven and preferring milk to whiskey.
(1965) and Adios, Gringo (1965). Shortly after the film was released, Gemma compared his role as Ringo to his character in Sons of Thunder commenting "For this film, I acted a character who was a little like the one I had played in "Sons of Thunder". Quite simply, I was in a different costume and a different setting."
during early 1966; although it would not appear in Finland
and Sweden
until early the next year. In Scandinavia
, the film generally received an "over 16" rating in Norway (16), Finland (K-16) and Sweden (15 År) while having a significantly higher rating in West Germany
(FSK 18) and the United Kingdom
(U).
It also did well in the United States where it premiered in New York City
on November 2, 1966. The film particularly stood out from its American counterparts, mostly consisting of lower quality b-movie
s. Its theme, composed by Ennio Morricone
and performed by Maurizio Graf, was a more traditional American western
ballad
compared to his previous work on Spaghetti Westerns and proved popular rising to number one on the Italian charts.
There were some scenes cut in the English-language version to make it more focused on its action and dramatic elements. One scene which was cut includes Ringo removing the bullet from Sancho's shoulder. This specific scene was originally used to explain why Filipe, one of Sancho's henchmen wears a bandage on his hand (Ringo had previously broke his hand with a goblet). Other changes included removing the Christmas carol
ers and the opening farce duel as well as dialogue and name changes. One example was the during the final scene when Major Clyde throws a flintlock
pistol
to Ringo. In the English version, Major Clyde claims his grandfather used the pistol at the Battle of Waterloo
, however in the original version he states the pistol was used at the Battle of Austerlitz
. Austerlitz was used rather than the French defeat at Waterloo to please European audiences. The film retained its original title for the most part, however it was also re-titled as Ballad of Death Valley in the U.S. and Ringo: The Killer elsewhere.
and the Bayona Twins, Pili and Mili Bayona. However, the film received extremely poor reviews, as would most other western-themed musicals. Other such sequels included Ringo and His Golden Pistol
(1966), Ringo of Nebraska (1966) and Ringo the Face of Revenge (1967).
Spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
, a joint Italian and Spanish production. Originally written and directed by Duccio Tessari, the film's success led to a sequel, The Return of Ringo
The Return of Ringo
# Il ritorno di Ringo - Main Titles # The Disguise # Mariachi #1 # Violence # Sheriff Carson # The Fuentes # Mariachi #2 # Main Titles Instrumental...
, later that year.
The film starred Giuliano Gemma
Giuliano Gemma
-Biography:Born in Rome, Gemma first worked as a stuntman, then was offered real acting parts by director Duccio Tessari, starting with the film Arrivano i titani . He also made an appearance in Luchino Visconti's Il Gattopardo as Garibaldi's General...
billed as Montgomery Wood and co-starred Fernando Sancho
Fernando Sancho
Fernando Sancho was a Spanish actor. Sancho was born in Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain, and died in Madrid after surgery....
, Nieves Navarro
Nieves Navarro
Nieves Navarro is a retired Spanish-born Italian actress and fashion model. Navarro worked extensively in Italian cinema appearing alongside actors such as Totò and Lino Banfi in the 1960s and 70s...
, George Martin
George Martin (Spanish actor)
George Martin is a film actor. He is known as a frequent star in the Italian 3 Supermen series and for numerous parts in Spaghetti Westerns and Italian exploitation films.-Partial Filmography:...
, Antonio Casas
Antonio Casas
Antonio Casas was a Spanish footballer turned film actor who appeared in film between 1941 and his death in 1982....
, José Manuel Martín and Hally Hammond.
Plot
The film opens as the films protagonist, a gunfighter known as "Angel Face" or Ringo, kills four men in a gunfight. He is then arrested for manslaughter and locked up in the city jail where he awaits trial.Meanwhile, Major Clyde and his daughter Ruby are celebrating Christmas with several guests on their ranch. They are interrupted by a bandit gang who storm the hacienda and take them hostage. The bandits have narrowly escaped from a bank robbery in which their leader Sancho has been wounded. In a desperate attempt to deter their pursuers, they decide to hold the family hostage threatening to execute two a day until they are allowed to go free.
The house is surrounded by a posse led by the town sheriff, however he fears for the safety of the hostages, including his fiancee Ruby, if he attempts to free the hostage by force. He decides to enlist the aid of Ringo, who agrees to infiltrate the gang and free the hostages in exchange for his freedom and a percentage of the stolen money.
He manages to successfully join up with the gang, posing as a fellow outlaw on the run, however Ringo's plans quickly become complicated as Sancho begins ordering the execution of hostages as well as the tension within the house as Delores, Sancho's woman, encourages Major Clyde's romantic feelings while one of Sancho's men begins making advances towards Major Clyde's daughter, Ruby. He at first seems to double-cross the sheriff, however he succeeds in deceiving Sancho and allows the sheriff and his posse to storm the hacienda freeing the hostages and defeating Sancho and his bandits.
Cast
- Montgomery WoodGiuliano Gemma-Biography:Born in Rome, Gemma first worked as a stuntman, then was offered real acting parts by director Duccio Tessari, starting with the film Arrivano i titani . He also made an appearance in Luchino Visconti's Il Gattopardo as Garibaldi's General...
as Ringo — a gunfighter who agrees to rescue a family which has been taken hostage by a Mexican bandit. His motives are often self-serving and opportunistic, having agreed in exchange for his release from prison. - George Martin as Ben — the local sheriff, he arranges Ringo's release in exchange for his help in rescuing the hostages. One of the hostages is Ruby, his fiancee and the daughter of the captive land baron.
- Fernando SanchoFernando SanchoFernando Sancho was a Spanish actor. Sancho was born in Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain, and died in Madrid after surgery....
as Sancho — a Mexican bandit who has taken a local land baron's family hostage in a desperate attempt to escape from a failed bank robbery. - Nieves NavarroNieves NavarroNieves Navarro is a retired Spanish-born Italian actress and fashion model. Navarro worked extensively in Italian cinema appearing alongside actors such as Totò and Lino Banfi in the 1960s and 70s...
as Delores — the girlfriend of Sancho. She is a seductive yet manipulative woman who manages the charm the land baron. - Antonio CasasAntonio CasasAntonio Casas was a Spanish footballer turned film actor who appeared in film between 1941 and his death in 1982....
as Major Clyde — the land baron whose family has been taken hostage by the bandits. He later becomes romantically involved with Delores, the girlfriend of the bandit leader. - Hally Hammond as Ruby — the daughter of Major Clyde, she is the fiancee of the town sheriff however she soon develops feelings for Ringo.
- José Manuel Martín as Pedro — one of bandits and lieutenant to Sancho.
- Murriz Brandariz as Pajarito - Timoteo/Tim
- Pablito Alonso - Chico
- Paco Sanz - Colonel
- Juan Cazalilla - Mr. Jenkinson
- Neno Zamperla - Sancho henchman
- José Holufi - Sancho henchman
- Duccio Tessari - Sancho henchman
- Franco Pesce - storekeeper
Production
Encouraged by the success of Sergio LeoneSergio Leone
Sergio Leone was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter most associated with the "Spaghetti Western" genre.Leone's film-making style includes juxtaposing extreme close-up shots with lengthy long shots...
's Fistful of Dollars the previous year, which he had helped write, Duccio Tessari decided to produce his own western. A well-known screenwriter of horror and "sword-and-sandal" films, he had previously worked with several Spaghetti Western directors, most notably "the two Sergios", as the co-writer of Sergio Leone's The Colossus of Rhodes (1960) and Sergio Corbucci
Sergio Corbucci
Sergio Corbucci was an Italian film director. He is best known for his very violent yet intelligent spaghetti westerns...
's Romulus and Remus
Romulus and Remus
Romulus and Remus are Rome's twin founders in its traditional foundation myth, although the former is sometimes said to be the sole founder...
(1961).
He had originally developed the story and co-wrote the script with Alfonso Balcázar
Alfonso Balcázar
Alfonso Balcázar was a Spanish screenwriter, film director and producer. He wrote for 46 films between 1958 and 1983...
. There is more humorous theme, and at times uses slapstick comedy, compared to usual Spaghetti Westerns. The interaction between actors was more relaxed to fully develop the effect of comedic sequences. The main character, loosely based on gunfighter Johnny Ringo
Johnny Ringo
John Peters "Johnny" Ringo was an outlaw Cowboy of the American Old West who was affiliated with Ike Clanton and Frank Stilwell in Cochise County, Arizona Territory during 1881-1882.-Early life:...
, was portrayed as the antithesis of Leone's Man with No Name
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 played by Clint Eastwood in Sergio Leone's "Dollars Trilogy."...
character — talkative, well dressed, clean-shaven and preferring milk to whiskey.
Casting
The cast, both leading and supporting roles, were primarily made up of Italian and Spanish actors including Montgomery Wood and Hally Hammond, born Giuliano Gemma and Lorella De Luca respectively. This was also the feature film debut of Giuliano Gemma, previously having a minor role in Tessari's Sons of Thunder, and would go on to star in a number of other Spaghetti Westerns including One Silver DollarBlood for a Silver Dollar
Un dollaro bucato is a 1965 Italo-French Spaghetti Western film, directed by Giorgio Ferroni. Its stars Giuliano Gemma. On release in the United States, nearly all of the cast members and production team had their names changed for the English audience...
(1965) and Adios, Gringo (1965). Shortly after the film was released, Gemma compared his role as Ringo to his character in Sons of Thunder commenting "For this film, I acted a character who was a little like the one I had played in "Sons of Thunder". Quite simply, I was in a different costume and a different setting."
Filming
Shot on location in Almeria, Spain, most of the filming took place during early 1965 prior to its premiere in Italy and Spain later that year.Reaction
A Pistol for Ringo was a huge success on the domestic market following its release in Italy on May 12 and in Spain on December 9, 1965 making over 17,379,404 ₧ (US: $104,450) in Spain alone. The film was shown across Western EuropeWestern Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
during early 1966; although it would not appear in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
until early the next year. In Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, the film generally received an "over 16" rating in Norway (16), Finland (K-16) and Sweden (15 År) while having a significantly higher rating in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
(FSK 18) and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(U).
It also did well in the United States where it premiered in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on November 2, 1966. The film particularly stood out from its American counterparts, mostly consisting of lower quality b-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
s. Its theme, composed by Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
and performed by Maurizio Graf, was a more traditional American western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
compared to his previous work on Spaghetti Westerns and proved popular rising to number one on the Italian charts.
There were some scenes cut in the English-language version to make it more focused on its action and dramatic elements. One scene which was cut includes Ringo removing the bullet from Sancho's shoulder. This specific scene was originally used to explain why Filipe, one of Sancho's henchmen wears a bandage on his hand (Ringo had previously broke his hand with a goblet). Other changes included removing the Christmas carol
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
ers and the opening farce duel as well as dialogue and name changes. One example was the during the final scene when Major Clyde throws a flintlock
Flintlock
Flintlock is the general term for any firearm based on the flintlock mechanism. The term may also apply to the mechanism itself. Introduced at the beginning of the 17th century, the flintlock rapidly replaced earlier firearm-ignition technologies, such as the doglock, matchlock and wheellock...
pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
to Ringo. In the English version, Major Clyde claims his grandfather used the pistol at the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, however in the original version he states the pistol was used at the Battle of Austerlitz
Battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz, also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of Napoleon's greatest victories, where the French Empire effectively crushed the Third Coalition...
. Austerlitz was used rather than the French defeat at Waterloo to please European audiences. The film retained its original title for the most part, however it was also re-titled as Ballad of Death Valley in the U.S. and Ringo: The Killer elsewhere.
Cinematic influence
The success of A Pistol for Ringo inspired numerous sequels, most notably $10,000 for Ringo (1965), Ringo and Gringo against Everyone (1966) and Two R-R-Ringos from Texas (1967). A musical comedy, A Woman for Ringo (1966), was also released and starred Sean FlynnSean Flynn
Sean Leslie Flynn was an American actor and freelance photojournalist best known for his coverage of the Vietnam War. He started a news service in Saigon with John Steinbeck IV, son of the American author.Flynn was the only child of the marriage of Errol Flynn and Lili Damita...
and the Bayona Twins, Pili and Mili Bayona. However, the film received extremely poor reviews, as would most other western-themed musicals. Other such sequels included Ringo and His Golden Pistol
Ringo and his Golden Pistol
Johnny Oro aka. Ringo and His Golden Pistol is a 1966 spaghetti western directed by Sergio Corbucci and starring Mark Damon.Renamed to cash in on the success of Duccio Tessari’s Ringo movies, Ringo and His Golden Pistol focuses on bounty hunter Johnny Oro/Ringo who sees killing as purely business,...
(1966), Ringo of Nebraska (1966) and Ringo the Face of Revenge (1967).
External links
- A Pistol for Ringo Trailer at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- A Pistol for Ringo at the Spaghetti Western Database